SINCE 1956 Simonian Rugs  ·  Family Owned  ·  San Mateo, California

Nearly seven decades
of expertise —
still at the same address.

Armenian heritage, Bay Area home. The Simonians brought generations of rug knowledge with them when they opened their doors at 939 N. Amphlett in 1956 — and they've never left.

Meet the team ↓ Visit us →
1956
Founded, San Mateo
70+
Years continuous
114+
Rug types we clean
3
Generations of customers
The story

The Story Behind Simonian Rugs

Armenian heritage runs through the heart of every fine rug tradition, and the Simonians brought that knowledge with them when they settled in San Mateo in the 1950s. It was a different Peninsula then — growing, young families filling new homes, those homes needing furnishings with character.

What they offered was rare: the genuine ability to identify a rug by origin, read its dyes and construction, and clean it correctly. This wasn't a skill you could pick up from a manual. It came from generations of familiarity with the traditions of Persia, Turkey, the Caucasus, and beyond.

Today Simonian Rugs cleans rugs for some of the finest homes in the Bay Area — and for other professional cleaners who bring their most difficult pieces here. Three things have never changed in nearly 70 years: the address, the family ownership, and the standard of care.

“We've been cleaning up the world one rug at a time since 1956. Not one year has passed that we haven't learned something new about this craft.”
— The Simonian Family
Same
Address since 1956
Family
Owned & operated
When other professional cleaners aren't sure what to do, they bring the rug here. That trust is the result of nearly 70 years of accumulated expertise.
Nearly seven decades — a few chapters

How we got here.

1956
Simonian Rugs opens its doors
The family establishes the business at 939 N. Amphlett, San Mateo — the same address where you can walk in today. From day one, the focus is on genuine expertise: rug identification, cleaning, and restoration done right.
1970s
Building a Bay Area reputation
As the Peninsula grows, so does the business. Interior designers and decorators begin referring clients. The reputation for handling rugs no one else will touch — antiques, fine silks, tribal pieces — begins to spread professionally.
1980s–90s
The go-to for difficult pieces
Other professional cleaners begin bringing their most challenging rugs to Simonian. The ability to identify and properly clean rugs from every tradition becomes the firm's defining characteristic.
Today
Still at the same address
Custom rug programs with Casa Muñiz, Peace Industry®, and Kush Up. Nearly 70 years, one family, one address. The knowledge that took generations to build is still here — and still available to anyone who walks through our door.
What we believe

These aren't marketing values.

They're how a family business survives — and earns the trust of three generations of customers.

Honesty before everything
If a rug can't be cleaned without risk, we say so before we touch it. If the cleaning won't be worth what it costs, we'll tell you. We'd rather lose a job than damage your trust — or your rug.
The right way takes time
A rug that took six months to weave deserves more than a six-minute cleaning cycle. We inspect before we clean, test dyes before we wet anything, and dry completely before we return it. There are no shortcuts here.
Knowledge passed down, not bought
The expertise in this building came from generations of handling rugs, not from a certification course. We know what a Kazak smells like, how a Navajo flat-weave dries differently from a Persian pile, what corner-pulling indicates about the foundation.
Community is the business
San Mateo is our home. We've cleaned rugs for parents and their children — and in a few cases, their grandchildren. That relationship is not something you can manufacture.
Every rug has a story
The worn patch near the corner is where the dog slept for twelve years. The stain is from the party where everyone laughed until midnight. We clean rugs, but we know we're also handling memories. We treat them accordingly.
The traditions deserve respect
Navajo rugs are cultural objects. Persian antiques are centuries of craft. Zapotec weavings carry 2,500 years of tradition. We approach every piece with the awareness that it represents something larger than its market value.
San Mateo, CA  ·  Est. 1956

When the stakes are high, they call Simonian.

Interior designers, estate managers, museum conservators, insurance adjusters — all referring their most difficult pieces here since the 1980s.

Our Team

The people who handle your rug.

A small, experienced team that has been doing this long enough to have seen everything — and humble enough to keep learning. From intake to return, this is who cares for your rug.

Avatar illustrations are placeholders — team photos coming soon.

Leadership
AR
Austin Reinders
CEO & Owner
CH
Cesar Hernandez
General Manager
MR
Melissa Rapada
Office Manager
Customer Success
AM
Adi Mercado
Customer Success
RR
Rahim Raissna
Customer Success
Pickup, Delivery & Installation
IH
Isaiah Hernandez
Pick-Up & Delivery
EM
Erik Mercado
Pick-Up & Delivery
MP
MP Para
Pick-Up & Delivery
TA
Tony Alas
Pick-Up & Delivery
Wash & Detail Crew
SL
Salvador Luna
Wash & Detail
PZ
Placido Zavala
Wash & Detail
AM
Antonio Murrillo
Wash & Detail
Master Weavers
MV
Maria Vasquez
Master Weaver
LS
Lulu Serrano
Master Weaver
Our Approach

Every rug. Same careful process.

Regardless of whether it's a $200 machine-made piece or a $20,000 Persian antique. The protocols change, but the attention doesn't.

01
Identification & Inspection
We identify origin, construction type, fiber content, and dye type before anything else. A rug misidentified at intake gets cleaned wrong — always.
02
Dye & Fiber Testing
Every color zone tested. Every fiber type assessed for moisture tolerance. If a dye bleeds or a fiber shrinks unpredictably, we find out before — not during — the cleaning.
03
Method-Appropriate Cleaning
Pile rugs, flat-weaves, antiques, silks — each cleaned by a different method. The right chemistry, the right moisture level, the right tools. There is no one-size-fits-all here.
04
Proper Drying & Finishing
How a rug dries matters as much as how it's cleaned. We don't rush this step. The rug leaves when it's ready — not when the schedule says so.
We'd love to meet you

Come see us in San Mateo.

Walk in any time during business hours — no appointment needed. Bring your rug, bring a photo, or just bring your questions. We've been helping people understand and care for their rugs since 1956.

Get in Touch → (650) 343-0929
939 N. Amphlett Blvd., San Mateo  ·  Mon–Fri 8am–4:30pm  ·  Sat 9am–1pm