Peter Pap, one of the world’s foremost experts on antique rugs, will be the first speaker in the upcoming season of the Jaffrey Civic Center’s “Stories to Share” series.
Pap will present “My Life in Rugs: An Extraordinary Adventure,” about his five decades of tracking down rare and beautiful antique rugs, carpets, and tribal weavings from around the globe.
Pap will speak Friday, Oct. 2, at 5 p.m. at the Jaffrey Civic Center at 40 Main St. “Stories to Share” is always free and open to the public, but registration is required at jaffreyciviccenter.com/stories.
Pap said he believes people will find his experiences captivating.
“I’m calling the presentation ‘An Adventure in Rugs’ because, in retrospect, it’s been an incredible adventure to be in this business,” Pap said. “Some of the things that have happened, I could not even make it up. I’ve learned all about history, all different cultures, all different parts of the world. I’ve traveled all across Europe hunting for rugs.”
Among the many rugs that have passed through Pap’s hands, one broke a world record for price, and another once belonged to medieval European royalty. Pap will also talk about his many appearances in his 16 seasons on PBS “Antiques Roadshow.”
“People are fascinated by rugs,” Pap says. “Most people have limited knowledge of rugs, and they want to expand their knowledge. I can put rugs in context for people, and it’s fascinating.”
Pap started in the rug business in Boston in 1974, but decided he wanted to raise his family in the country. His two oldest children attended the Tomte Gubbin school, a Waldorf school founded by the Iselin family in Nelson, N.H. Pap opened a rug store in Keene in the 1980s, and eventually opened his store on Route 101 in Dublin.
“I moved the business seven times in the first 13 years of the business. I realized if I was going to be hunting for rugs in New England, I might as well be centrally located,” Pap said.
Pap started in the business as a wholesaler, and has built up his clientele over the years.
“One of the things people are always surprised to hear is there is an incredible wealth of antique rugs in this country,” Pap said. “They were very popular in the 1800s and 1900s, and they entered all of these families as they were decorating their homes. There are enough rugs in the U.S. that we don’t really need to import from the Middle East.”
Pap says he and his staff have a running joke that people drive by Peter Pap Rugs an average of 30 years before coming into the store.
“That’s a fact,” he said. “People may feel they’re not a qualified buyer, but then they come in and have a chance to see some of the best rugs in the world, which you might not expect to see in a small town in New Hampshire. We’ve had more open houses to bring people in.”
In recent years, Pap, who did 17 rug shows a year for decades, has been able to focus more on the Dublin store and gallery, and has been developing the barn as a gallery space.
“My business never relied on local traffic; people would come from far away for the rugs. But now, we’re seeing a surge of local collecting,” Pap said.
He’s also seen a change in the area since COVID arrived in the U.S. in 2020.
“A lot of people who have moved here have become clients. That speaks to how the area has changed,” he said.
Most recently, Pap hosted an exhibit of Frank Stella Diné/Navajo textile selection, including a panel discussion.
“We’ll be having more events in the future as we develop more of a gallery space,” he said. “I think people will really enjoy it.”
