History

My family has been involved with buying and selling Textiles since the 1960s. Every Saturday my mother sold antiques in our local town and our house was always full of interesting artefacts. Summer visits to grandmother’s house in Wales introduced me to items she had collected abroad and local Welsh blankets from different woollen mills. My father was born in Cairo in the 1930’s and some family heirlooms are in my collection, including antique bags and Islamic art.

As a young adult I began trading in Totnes, South West England. My mother opened a vintage clothes shop in the 1970s. She sold and hired out Victorian clothes and vintage fashion items. At first I specialised in antique glass then I began to sell 20th century studio glass and pottery. I visited Portobello in London where I began trading regularly.

Since then I have frequented many other markets and fairs throughout the UK and today I primarily deal in rugs and carpets: Anatolian, Persian, Caucasian, and from the Silk Road: Central Asian and Chinese. I also buy and sell on commission with an ever-changing collection of antique tribal textiles, stock which ranges from 18th century items to more affordable pieces made in the early 20th century.

I have lived, worked and travelled extensively abroad including time in China (including Tibet), India, North Africa, South & Central America, USA and across Europe. I sell regularly in London and South East England, near Gatwick airport and visit auction houses in the UK and Germany.

I have sold online via ebay.co.uk and rugrabbit.com for many years.

DominicOrr.com was launched in 2017, six years after I became a self-employed rug dealer.

For my first instalment of recollections which may go some way to explain how and why I have become a dealer in Tribal Rugs read my Blog entry  ‘The Great Game’, Following in the footsteps….

Thanks for your visit.  Please call again, Dominic Orr

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