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Ike Timianko isn't a man of modest ambition.
A status-quo kind of guy never would have spent some $8 million to turn a landmarked bank building on Eighth Avenue and 14th Street into a copper-domed, marble-outfitted rug store. A more sedate salesman wouldn't be advertising the new Central Carpet store as "The Grand Palais of Rugs." Nor would he have hung 15,000 carpets for customers to peruse.
But in the rug business, where one-of-a-kind products and overwhelming inventories make it nearly impossible to comparison shop, showmanship closes deals. Central Carpet, which has operated a more traditional store on Columbus Avenue since 1947, decided to soup-up its identity.
"Every time someone else sells a carpet, I sell one less," Mr. Timianko says. "Superstores are all over the place now, and I think I have a good opportunity here."
By expanding south, Central Carpet has settled close to New York's reigning rug merchant, ABC Caret & Home. While the move is viewed by some as a challenge to ABC's hegemony, others say it is just indicative of the changing demographics of the city's carpet market.
With the economy still weak, dealers of pricey area rugs have been supplementing their stock with more affordable designs. Many of these styles are modern, and appeal to the young singles and couples who have settled below 34th Street.
"Sales are not what they were when the real estate market was good, and carpet stores have had to adapt," says...