There was a collective gasp from everyone I know when it was announced that Madeline Weinrib would be closing her showrooms in New York and San Francisco this June. After 2o years of running a booming business, it just become too difficult to compete with competitors copying her iconic ikat pillows and cotton rugs.

“Over the past two decades I have had the privilege to work with many amazing artisans from different parts of the world. I would look at their traditional designs and adjust the palette, pattern and scale to imbue the work with a more contemporary aesthetic. It has been a wonderful experience and I am proud to have provided these rural communities with financial advancement and a better quality of life. I am extremely grateful for the past 20 years– my business has grown beyond my wildest dreams. This decision has weighed heavily on me, but I have realized that I need to return to my creative roots and passion, which has been difficult for me to focus on while managing my business, and has led to burnout. I have taken a new studio where I hope to focus on creative projects and collaborations that are close to my heart.”

The good news is that Madeline won’t be riding off into the sunset never to be heard from again. She’s a partner in the chic boutique hotel El Fenn in Marrakech for which she has started designing products exclusively for the hotel’s shop and sourcing global finds.

Madeline will also continue to closely support organizations such as Project Mala, a non-profit that builds schools and educates children in India’s carpet-weaving regions and will work with the Eve Branson Foundation, which works to improve the lives of women and young girls in Morocco’s Atlas Mountains by encouraging the production and sale of artisan goods.

The only way to console ourselves now is to shop the Madeline Weinrib online closing sale that runs until June 15, 2018 where pillows, carpets, fabric by the yard, and accessories will be 50-80% off. Make sure you get something before it’s gone!