eBay Collective spotlights Doris Leslie Blau Gallery

By Cheryl Marrewa

Doris Leslie Blau Gallery offers its clientele a diverse selection of the highest quality antique carpets and exclusive, custom-designed rugs. It counts among its clients Architectural Digest’s “Top 100 Designers”. Not to mention some of the finest up-and-coming interior designers from around the world.

Even with an established background and enviable collection, remaining relevant in a continually evolving market can be challenging for any company. So, with over 45 years of experience as the “go-to” for quality antique and vintage rugs, how does a prestigious gallery like Doris Leslie Blau [www.dorisleslieblau.com] continue to grow and become more accessible? One answer is to make its sought-after inventory available to a large new audience of collectors online.

eBay Collective is a new platform, launched in fall of 2016. It offers a targeted way to widen Doris Leslie Blau’s global footprint and connect with interior designers. The same people who are looking for a trusted marketplace for furniture, décor, and fine art. Dealers featured on the platform have been invited by eBay. As they meet eBay’s criteria to ensure a high-quality shopping experience. This allows established sellers to reach new audiences and increase ease of access for existing clients. In the case of eBay, that means 167 million buyers.

Doris Leslie Blau’s engagement in the digital space also includes an active social media presence. In

addition, the company uses a contemporary-voiced blog, blog.dorisleslieblau.com. Speaking to an increasingly diverse audience – and drawing inspiration from the conversational style and dynamic visuals of popular home décor and lifestyle bloggers. Doris Leslie Blau’s blog layers tips for decorating around a statement rug alongside interviews with young designers. Plus, readers will find Pinterest-style ideas for incorporating rugs into wedding décor.

The Gallery realized, however, that communicating on these new channels was only one step in modernizing their approach. They sought to make their one-of-a-kind selection available to those who were not able to make it to their showrooms. This led them to their involvement in eBay Collective.

As Nader Bolour, president and owner of the Doris Leslie Blau Gallery explains, “The platform provides larger exposure for Doris Leslie Blau, and connects us directly to consumers rather than our traditional practices of working with our core trade group of clients. For us, the sheer audience size of eBay is a major draw.”

Recently featured items include an Indian Amritsar antique carpet (circa 1900); an early 20th century arts & crafts rug designed by William Morris; a late 19th century antique Turkish Ghiordes rug; a custom Tibetan rug; a vintage 1940s French Art Deco rug; and a 1930s Swedish modern rug. 

Bolour continues, “In addition to sourcing rugs from regular clients and receiving information from estates, Doris Leslie Blau has also established itself as a leading source of fine new and custom rugs based on patterns by many well-known contemporary designers, including Alberto Pinto, Jed Johnson Associates, Mariette Himes Gomez, and Amy Lau.”

Since Doris Leslie Blau first founded in the Gallery in 1965, it has become recognized for its quality and a wide-ranging selection. Doris Leslie Blau seeks to bridge the gap between art, design, and architecture by making rugs a key element of interior design.

Included in Doris Leslie Blau’s collection of antique rugs are finely-woven Persian rugs, oversized Turkish carpets, unusual Indian weavings, exceptional Russian, Spanish, and French antique rugs; as well as more recent 20th century modern, Arts and Crafts, Art Deco, flat-woven, hooked and needlepoint examples from Morocco, China, Scandinavia, and the United States.