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BTW, you may laugh but a couple of emigre' Iranians here in town have the neatest Persian rug store ever. Drinking tea out of little glasses while negotiating a purchase in the good old-fashioned way.
We like them a lot and give them all the business we can (which unfortunately for a nice Persian carpet is only once every 10 years or so . . . ) and send our friends to them.

Laugh? Why?

We have the advantage. We have a wonderful family Persian restaurant in town. Ali and Farah and their daughters are delightful and warm people, the restaurant is considered (one of the?) top Persian restaurants in the Seattle area (the food is *wonderful*! I love both the Sabzi plate and the Shirazi salad for starters), and the prices are reasonable.

Ali is also quite the calligraphic artist, in a unique Persian style. My wife bought for me a printing of one of his compositions, a line from Jallal al-Din Rumi: "Listen to the reed / how it makes complaint / telling a tale of separation" -- just the thing for a piper...? It's framed, on a wall in my office.