A new store at 213 Main St. was opened recently by Bashir Ahamed, a native of Kashmir.
Twelve years ago, Basha's Oriental Rugs rolled up the carpet in 1994 but left downtown Northampton as owner Ahamed ran into financial difficulties.
His newest store is adorned with textiles made in such locales as Pakistan, India and China. Some are replicas of classic weaving styles and themes born in Persia, Spain and Turkey.
According to him there can be only about 10 shops like this in the world.
The 213 Main St. shop is the 29th store he has owned over a 38-year career in the rug business.
His family was involved in textile manufacturing in Kashmir and over the years he has supplemented his knowledge by studying private collections and museum pieces.
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