From riches to rags to riches again
IMG Home founding brothers exemplify American dream
By Lissa Wyman -- Furniture Today, March 23, 2003
San Francisco — Furniture retailing is fun and fashionable, but it's not typically the kind of stuff that inspires action movies.
But who knows? The story of IMG Home soon may be playing at a theater near you.
From Chicken Street in Kabul to Harrison Street in San Francisco, the tale of retailers Tony and Sam Abrahim is full of more ups and downs, twists and turns, comedy and pathos than many a Bruce Willis flick.
The twin brothers were born into a long line of wealthy Afghan rug traders who plied the ancient Silk Road linking commerce between East and West. When Russia invaded Afghanistan in 1977, the brothers fled the country.
They wound up in New York, penniless and knowing only 10 words of English. They worked at menial jobs, then rose in the go-go world of Manhattan restaurants and nightclubs. Along the way, they shed their old-world names. An Italian girlfriend re-named Tony; a Jewish girlfriend re-named Sam.
When the 1980s bubble turned into a bust, the brothers headed to San Francisco. This time, they decided to start a business closer to the family's trading roots. International Market Gallery Home was born in 1989. Now there are 11 stores in northern and Southern California and current sales are about $20 million.
"We made and lost several fortunes before we opened IMG," said Tony Abrahim.
"Now we've settled down."
The Abrahim brothers may have toned down a bit, but they have big plans for the company.
The concept is simple. "We sell high-end products cheap," said Tony.
Specializing in the direct importing of rugs, furniture and decorative accessories, the company has nine stores in northern California and two recently opened stores in Southern California. Sales are split about equally between rugs and furniture. There is also a small wholesale component, accounting for about $2 million in annual sales.
The stores are merchandised in an eclectic, bazaar-like setting. They vary greatly in size, from a 2,000-square-foot storefront to a 15,000-square-foot outlet center to the 40,000-square-foot flagship showroom-warehouse on San Francisco's Harrison Street. Most of the real estate is company owned.
The stores take a lifestyle display approach that emphasizes unusual, vintage items and one-of-a-kind pieces rather than mass-produced furniture. The atmosphere is part estate sale, part treasure-trove bazaar.
The Abrahim brothers plan to open some 10 more stores in Southern California in the next two years. "In a couple years, we'll have sales of $30 to $40 million. Then we go national," Tony said.
Sales currently are increasing at the rate of 30% to 40% per year.
Tony Abrahim said the growth reflects the consumer's desire for perceived value: "Bad economy — good prices. Our philosophy is to turn the merchandise as quickly as possible."
IMG Home spends about 3% of sales on advertising, running print campaigns in the San Francisco Chronicle and Elle Décor. Television spots are added for sale events.
The retailer imports furniture and accessories directly from India, China, Morocco and Indonesia. The average price for an armoire is in the $499 to $899 range. "We sell tons of antique pieces from China and India," said Tony.
All the rugs are hand made, including hand-knotted and hand-tufted products. They come primarily from Afghanistan, Nepal, Turkey, India and Iran. Retail prices for 6 by 9 rugs range from $499 to $1,299. Accent rugs in 3 by 5 to 4 by 6 sizes sell for under $100.
The Abrahims still have a great deal of national pride. "The Afghanis make the best rugs in the market," said Tony.
In the last 10 years, Afghan refugees have established rug-weaving communities in Pakistan, where the Abrahim family has operated several weaving facilities. Now that the Afghan government is being stabilized, many weavers are returning home, and the Abrahims are helping to re-establish the looms back in Afghanistan.
The continued political upheavals in the Middle East and Central Asia have had a disruptive effect on the weavers' family life as well as professional activities.
The hardships have moved the Abrahim brothers to establish schools and medical care for the weavers, as well as professional aid.
"We have had relationships with these weavers for several generations. These people are part of our family," said Tony.
The Abrahim brothers believe that doing good is an important part of doing well. They also are active in children's causes and breast cancer research.
"We're just a couple of kids from Chicken Street in Kabul. We're not millionaires, but now we are able to help people. Thank God for the U.S.A.," said Tony.
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