NEW YORK -- Disregarding the temptation to indulge in extended Labor Day weekends, top buyers opted instead to shop the Rug Show New York just days before summer's last big holiday celebration.
Held Aug. 25-28 at the Jacob Javits Convention Center, the show did not disappoint, and buyers - both dealers and designers - got rare opportunities to see new designs and meet internationally acclaimed area rug brands and designers. Almost 60 exhibitors participated in the 2018 edition of the show, and attendees shopped intently, according to execs queried at their stands.
Touring the show, RugNews.com found no shortage of new trends, weaves, color stories - and rug makers dipping their toes into new categories. In this exclusive two part photo essay, we cover the show from A to Z - literally. Part 1 features Amer Rug to Lapchi. Read Part 2 for companies Momeni to Zollanvari. In the coming week, look for even more exclusive Rug Show reports - from best sellers to hot introductions and debuting exhibitors. AMER RUG 
Raj Choudhary and Sandy Bone of Amer flank Raven Zeigler of Ritual Cloth at the rug company's busy Rug Show New York stand.
ANADOL 
Alaatin Ozturk, Ummi Gunturk and Suat Izmirli of Anadol Rugs present their collection to Jonathan Lewis of Ebanista in Los Angeles.
ART RESOURCES 
Max Moussavi of Art Resources, Mike Alidadi of Apadana, Jack Simantob of Art Resources, George Haroonian of Rug Warehouse & More in Los Angeles, and Christopher Frederick of Organic Looms in Chicago.
BANU HOME 
JD Starron Galleries' Nicole Milano, Elizabeth Stuhler and Donna Neligon pose with Alex Kimia of Banu Home. Banu brought 800 samples and the Starron team brought their color poms.
BEAUVAIS 
James French and Benjamin Olson of luxe Madison Avenue showroom Beauvais Carpets shop the Rug Show for new looks.
BEREKET 
Amy Marionnaeux and Casey Dauzat of Texture in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, flank Mustafa Vardarsuyu of Bereket in Istanbul, Turkey.
BOKARA RUG 
Roz Rustigian of Rustigian Rugs in Providence, Rhode Island, stops for a RugNews.com photo at the Bokara Rug stand. The rug behind her is from the Canterbury Silk collection in wool and silk. CREATIVE TOUCH 
Dane Rohmann of Exceptional Flooring Concepts, Inc., in Cedar Knolls, New Jersey, poses with Baki Ildiz of Creative Touch Rugs in front of the newest Erinn V collection abstract design.
FRENCH ACCENTS 
Anabel Valez-Peronti, Anabel's Oriental Rugs, of Louisville, Kentucky with Danny Shafiian of New York City-based French Accents.
HAROONI ORIGINALS 
Carol Tisch of RugNews.com meets Ken Harooni of Harooni Originals in NYC at his Rug Show NY stand, and is introduced to his finely woven silk designs.
H.O.C. DESIGN 
Peter and Fabi Hens of H.O.C. Design in Belgium flank Gerard Arcari of Florida Floor Fashion in Wabaso, Florida.
HRI - HAROUNIAN RUGS INTERNATIONAL 
David Grasse, Lee Harounian, David Harounian and Greg Jordt of HRI showcase the company's newest handmade designs at The Rug Show NY.
David Grasse and Lee Harounian of Harounian Rugs International introduce Sunil Khetarpal of Rex and Rex Unlimited in Palm Beach, Florida, to their new Nepalese hand-knotted collections.
JAIPUR RUGS 
Javaid Bhat of Carpet Culture & Rugs in Soho, NYC, meets with Yogesh Chaudhary of Jaipur Rugs in Rajasthan, India. The rug maker presented its newest hand-knotted designs at the Rug Show New York.
KABUL EXPORT CARPET CENTER 
Richard Ringrose and Stephen Landrigan of the Kabul Carpet Export Center, flank Lisa Slappey, who shopped the Rug Show NY for her showrooms: Post Modern Traditions and Pride of Persia Rug Co. in Houston.
KIRKIT RUGS 
Eran Diler, Tovi Diler and Ahmet Diler of Kirkit Rugs in Istanbul, pose with Phil Vassil and Natalie Stiefvater of Flokati Rugs in Jersey City, N.J.
KNOT & CO. 
Walter Guerra, Zubair Mohamed and Naim Mohamed of Knot & Co., in Fulton, Maryland, meet with Michelle O'Grady, and Paige Pieroni of Colony Company in Hingham, Mass.
LABEL STEP 
Rob Leahy of Fine Rugs, Charleston, N.C., with Reto Aschwanden of Label STEP in Bern, Switzerland, and Alex Zahir of AZ International Rugs in Knoxville, Tennessee, at the Label STEP booth. Leahy and Zahir recently announced the formation of the Kabul Export Carpet Center and pitched the program to exhibitors at the Rug Show New York.
LAPCHI 
Nathan Tucker of Lapchi with Jacqueline Cox of Tapis Decor in Minneapolis reviewing designs from the newest Battilossi for Lapchi collection.
Lindsay Rabkin Kaiser and John Tracy of Lapchi in Portland, Oregon, flank Cara Hagan of GoodWeave in Washington, D.C.