There’s no better place to go in the U.S. to shop for oriental rugs than either New York City or Chicago. Between the two, I feel that it’s much easier to find quality oriental rugs in Chicago than in New York. This may be because in New York City, there are vastly more people in a much smaller area, all trying to sell and make money. Quality is going to go down with the price when it comes to things like this, and in New York City one must be willing to haggle with customers over the price to keep them from going to the shop right on the other side of the wall and spending their money there. In Chicago, the retail market is very strong, but there are fewer people with more space and more time to think about their purchases, sellers don’t need to be willing to haggle with their price. Also, there seems to be more oriental rug shops in Chicago. They can take the time to produce quality items, and they can insist on being paid the asking price, because it’s highly unlikely the buyer will be able to find the particular rug or something comparable anywhere else in the city without a lot more effort.