Taba Rug Gallery

I stopped in to browse yesterday and honestly, I was very impressed by the selection offered at Taba Rug Gallery. Of course they have beautiful traditional Persian rugs, but they also have an incredible spread of contemporary styles, classic styles, abstract styles, and multitudes of sizes and color patterns for you to choose from.
I was taking photos so I could reference the colors and designs later, but I wanted to share them here (disregard my cheese smile and funny faces, lol)! I never knew shag carpet was so soft and cushiony. I wished I was a product of the 70’s so I could have known the pillowy joy of wall to wall shag.
Taba has everything here!!! I also noticed many carpet samples and books in the store, so I’d imagine that if you can’t find it on display that it could be special made for you. I highly recommend stopping in just to take a peek next time you are on Girard in La Jolla window shopping.

I had the best experience working with Taba, the owner, to find 2 area rugs for our home and I got to meet Steven Tyler from Aerosmith (and previous American Idol judge) who was shopping at the store too and bought a beautiful, contemporary rug from Taba! (More about that later). I was on a budget but wanted to find 100% hand knotted or machine woven wool rugs. I knew these rugs, especially hand knotted ones, could easily run in the many thousands which we could not afford, but I kept looking online and in local stores to see if I could find something my family could afford, because I learned these would be the least toxic rugs (we have 2 young kids). I tried buying one online but learned the hard way that there are many nuances so it’s best to see the rugs in person so you know and can feel what you are getting. I wasn’t even sure if it would be worth my time to try to find a wool rug in La Jolla (I assumed things would just be too pricey) but when I called the store to ask if they carry 100% hand knotted or machine woven wool rugs (avoid hand tufted rugs and be watchful of ‘hand woven’ rugs — need to ask more questions to clarify what that means), Taba was sooo friendly and welcoming and said he would help me find something that would meet my budget. When I walked into the store, I saw Steven Tyler walking out! It was hard not to recognize him with his multi colored feather hat :). Taba greeted me and I asked him, «Is that Steven Tyler from Aerosmith?!» Taba showed me the rug Steven picked out and said Steven would be back in 15 minutes to pick it up. When he finished ringing up his purchase, Taba helped me look through his selection of rugs. He carries a wide variety of styles and sizes and it was easy to find 2 rugs that would look great in our home and ended up being cheaper than I expected (literally got 2 rugs for almost the same price of 1 rug I was looking at another rug store). He took the time to explain the difference in quality and what to look for in a good rug and did not rush or pressure me in any way. It was such a pleasant experience. When Steven Tyler came back in to get his credit card and rug, he looked rushed and irritated (news people and cameras were following him). I couldn’t help but ask Steven for a photo but he said he was really in a hurry. I watched in amazement as Taba immediately greeted him again and engaged him immediately in conversation. Steven was so at ease and chit chatting with Tana that not only did I end up taking a photo of Taba with Steven but Taba also took a photo of me with Steven! I was one happy customer! Whether you are a wealthy celebrity or regular walk in customer on a budget, Taba will do his best to take great care of you. I love supporting family owned businesses!