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Rugs to Riches: From Kabul to Kardashian
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South of The Abbey is the western edge of West Hollywood Park, with a children’s play area, which provides a break in the glamour and gilt of Robertson. The park is open 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily.
Next to the park is the headquarters and showroom for Ariana Rugs, the first of several interior design and furnishings businesses that keep this block of Robertson busy while the nightspots are closed. Founded in 1990 by brothers Alishah (Alex) and Ahmad Ahmadi and sister Nadia, Ariana is more than just a rug store. One of its handmade carpets won the 2012 Domotex Traditional Design Award (for rug makers the international equivalent of the Nobel Prize). Ariana also brings a bit of exotic Afghanistan to West Hollywood. The Ahmadis, who fled Afghanistan during the Soviet invasion and settled in the United States in the 1980s, make their carpets in Kabul, where they employ 3,600 Afghanis. The showroom is open Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Now it’s time to wander across the street again. The mammoth structure in front of you looks like one of those gray blocks in Milan built during the reign of Benito Mussolini. On a recent night the building took on more of a Stalinist tone, with three red Communist party flags hanging from its facade, which we’re guessing weren’t making the owners of Ariana very happy. But anyone who lives or plays in West Hollywood knows that appearances — whether of buildings or people — can be deceiving. The dull exterior conceals Ultra Suede, a nightclub and lounge that says it hosts the likes of Britney Spears, Brandy, Khloe Kardashian and Lady Ga Ga. Often, it is illuminated with colorful laser lights. While Ultra Suede is known for its go-go boys and buff bartenders, the crowd is often so mixed it’s hard to call it gay (note that most of its positive reviewers on Yelp are straight girls).
More gay is “Rasputin,” a Saturday night event at Robertson lounge, housed on the first floor of the Ultra Suede building and the apparent reason for those Communist hammer and sickle flags. (Note to the promoters: Russian history makes clear Rasputin had been poisoned, shot four times, beaten and drowned well before the red flag Commies executed his boss, Czar Nicholas II).
