Old Mill Room

With its red painted floors and rough ceiling beams, the Old Mill Room once served as the store entrance. Now it houses the store offices as well as 2'x3' and 2-1/2'x4' scatter rugs. A display case holds fine examples of antique Afghan silver jewelry: a bracelet with attached finger rings, 9" earrings, an ancient headpiece with silver blazings, and assorted pieces inlaid with lapiz and glass beads. Nearby hangs a cartoon that was used by weavers as a pattern for wool color and design. The cartoon is usually hung on the loom, but when many weavers work together on a large loom, a chanter may sit to the side calling out the wool dye colors, "4 red, 3 blue, 2 brown" in a steady cadence and the weavers keep pace with his chanting. Because this was the original entrance room to the store, a "welcome" sign in lapis-glazed clay beads whimsically welcomes visitors into the next room.