What links a magic cupboard, phone box, mirror, rabbit hole, and Feizy’s new curated online rug portal? The first four are common in the fiction genre known as ‘portal fantasy’ where portals signal thresholds into magical worlds. The fifth ‘portal’ is fact not fantasy. Feizy Rug’s new OAK Portal is a portal into an online world curated by Feizy’s rug experts that enables designers to discover thousands of unique rugs they thought only existed in their dreams.
The name for the portal—OAK—is Feizy’s acronym for the one-of-a-kind rugs the company has been known for since their founding in 1973. OAK also quietly references the oak tree beloved in many cultures for symbolising beauty, steady growth and longevity—qualities associated with the Feizy family heritage brand.
The launch of Feizy’s OAK portal comes at a particularly opportune time when COVID-19 lockdown means customers and clients want effortless online ability to search and shop. Pre-COVID, Feizy’s online inventory was limited to 500 rugs; the new portal presents more than 3,000 rugs. Asked to comment on the challenge of creating the portal, Justin Yeck, Vice President of Omnichannel Sales, revealed the company has always photographed their one-of-a-kind rugs at a pace of ‘about 25-50 rugs a week’, but until now ‘we didn’t have the website availability to show them’.
Feizy has more than 25,000 one-of-a-kind rugs, which means OAK’s online stock will grow daily with new additions. ‘Our new portal gives our dealers more opportunities to show their clients rugs that are truly one-of-a-kind,’ says Yeck. ‘OAKs have always been a large part of our business and the portal is one more step, especially during the pandemic, to get these in front of our clients virtually.’
The OAK Portal is streamlined for ease of use. Click ‘One of a Kind’ on Feizy’s homepage to open the portal. New, vintage and antique rugs in hand-knotted, hand-tufted, handwoven and machine-made weaves can be searched via multiple queries including price, construction, size and country of origin. Trade customers and consumers are welcome; there are no sign-up or login requirements. Multiple view angles are featured for each rug. New or existing Feizy clients can purchase through one of Feizy’s thousands of sales representatives in North America and select international locations or through Feizy’s own customer service.
John Feizy, Founder and CEO of Feizy Rugs, understands how businesses need to switch-up their thinking to successfully navigate our new reality. ‘The consumer demands versatility,’ he says, referring to Feizy’s wide-ranging rug offer, but he could be referring to the creation of the OAK portal. What was once a luxury—online shopping—is now a necessity. John Feizy knows the right mindset and the right online tools can change threats into opportunities. The OAK portal is just such a unique opportunity.
