From rising prices at the pump to something built to last a lifetime.

While many are feeling the pinch of higher everyday costs, but there's another side of value, one rooted in time, skill, and tradition.

In this next story, we take a look at the art and craftsmanship behind Persian rugs, where equality is measured not in today's price, but in generations.

"Carolina Impact's" Jason Terzis joins us with a look at a business whose traditions and quality have remained unchanged.

- Well, as we know, different cultures have different styles, whether in religion, communication, food, clothing, even home decor.

In the Persian culture, rugs are immensely popular, serving as the central artistic and functional focal points of home life, considered living art.

It's a tradition that's been around over 2,500 years.

(upbeat music) - A rug is the soul of any room that you walk into.

- [Jason] Their handmade works of art.

- And I'm not talking about machinery rugs.

- [Jason] Reflecting the history and culture of a region - And it requires a certain craftsmanship and a certain expertise in order to get these rugs woven.

- [Jason] Prized for their unique patterns, incredible workmanship, and outstanding durability.

- That's the culture of Persia.

We do have even the rug as the museum, you know, over probably 600 years or 700 years old, you know?

- [Jason] Each distinguished by materials, weaving techniques, and area of origin.

- The history of rugs goes back thousands of thousands of years, and originated in Persia and we are Persian.

So I would like to confidently say that we have the expertise to know the care of these rugs.

- [Jason] And unlike a lot of things in our disposable society, the older the rug, chances are the more valuable, with quality ones passed down generation to generation.

- They give him like the gift, wedding gift or graduation gift.

- The rug business is very niche.

There's not many people who know this skill who are able to know how to repair them, how to clean them, because they are oriental, hand woven rugs.

There is a certain care to them.

(upbeat music) - [Jason] The most expensive Persian rug ever purchased was from the 17th century, selling at auction in 2013 for a whopping $33.8 million dollars.

Others have hit 19 million.

- And my dad can literally look at a rug and tell you the age, where it was woven, what it's made out of.

- Most of the rugs, I would say 90%, rug is wool and cotton.

- [Bita] So the foundation of this rug is cotton, and the pile is gonna be wool.

- And some rock has got the silk.

- [Bita] So the foundation of this rug and the pile is both silk, and you can, you can touch it, you can feel it.

It's super silky in different lightings.

It shines.

- If you're talking about the new rugs today, pretty much they come from India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, even Turkish.

Like, the room size like 8 by 10, roughly lowest around $1,500 up to 5,000.

- It validates the reason why you're spending so much money on these rugs, and spending so much money on taking care of these rugs, because there's so much history behind it.

(upbeat music) - [Jason] Although several countries are associated with the term Persian rug, authentic Persian carpets and the traditional methods of producing them originate in Iran.

- This is from Persia, this is from Turkey, it's from Afghanistan.

And then you go, next thing you know, you go to by like, cities, and then you look at the designs like hey, this is from Tabriz, or like from Bakhtiari, like all those, et cetera.

- In Charlotte, the history of Persian rugs runs way deeper than you'd likely imagine.

- Back in 1800s, an Armenian family immigrated to Charlotte, and back then Charlotte, was just a farm.

So there wasn't much here.

So they were one of the first established families here who had the rug business.

- [Jason] In 1932, Levan Oglukian started Oglukian Oriental Rugs, located within the Ivy's department store uptown.

Years later, moving it to his family home near South Park.

To this day, the street is named in honor of the Oglukian family.

- As Oglukian Oriental Rugs have customers from all over North Carolina.

Huntersville, Statesville, Concord, Rock Hill.

- We have customers who came in that their grandparents or their great-grandparents have used this business.

So how cool is that?

Like, getting to touch a piece of like, woven material that's been handed down generation, generations, and they entrusted those to us.

- [Jason] Growing up in Iran, Reza Ghaffari was introduced to the trade at a young age.

It was part of his own family heritage.

- I do remember we had the loom at home, always.

- And each family member would walk in, and they would work on the loom for a little bit.

And after it'd be done, it'd be like their family rugs.

- [Jason] So when he came to Charlotte in the late 90s, going to work for the Oglukian family business only seemed natural.

- Oglukian, when he saw me, I know about the rugs, I can do repairs.

I know each single rug, where they from, what's the age, what's the condition, what's the value.

- [Jason] When Oglukian retired, Reza took over, keeping the name, but moving the business to its current location, on Fugate Road off Monroe.

- [Reza] We brought the business here 2008.

- [Jason] Where he carries on all the traditions of the trade, including intricate repair work.

- Major repair, I'm talking about the like that rug has got damaged like the holes.

- [Bita] So what my dad is doing right now is that he's repairing a rug that has some moth damage.

So the foundation is exposed.

So the white lines you see, it's the cotton foundation, and what he's doing is he's taking wool, and he's weaving the pile back on, and he's matching the colors and the pattern.

So we'll never know that it was ever damaged.

- [Jason] And notice how Reza is using the backside of a needle to do his repair work, not the pointed end.

This is done to prevent potential further damage.

- [Bita] Sometimes when there's like a hole, just a hole in the rug.

- Yeah.

- He has to weave the foundation first.

- [Jason] Cleaning is another big part of the business.

- [Bita] First, we completely soak the rug in water to begin loosening any dirt and build up.

Next, we sprinkle our special rug shampoo all over the surface of the rug.

Then we use our hand washing machine, which gently scrubs the rug clean.

This machine is designed to reach every single corner and surface area without damaging the fibers of the rug.

After that, we use our vacuum extraction machine to suck out the remaining moisture deep inside the rug fibers.

Lastly, we will lay the rug out to dry in natural sunlight, which helps with both drying and deodorizing.

- [Jason] And just like the Oglukian family handed off the business to Reza, he in turn one day hopes to turn it over to his kids, Parsa and Bita.

- He always wanted me to learn, get to know more about rugs, because eventually, with his blessings, I mean, obviously he would want me to take over the business, - [Jason] It's an art form steeped in tradition, dating back hundreds of years, with the skills to meet centuries-old standards alive and well in Charlotte, thanks to a family business that keeps on evolving.

- I love learning about the tradition and the culture.

- Yeah.

- But now I think you've got a confession to share with folks.

- A little personal confession about this.

And it's going along the lines of that we're able to find our story ideas anywhere and everywhere, and the belief that anything or anyone could make a good story.

The Ghaffari family, they're my next door neighbors.

So they've had the carpet business for years and years, and I've seen 'em come in, Reza pull in with a truck all the time, and I'm like, this might make for a good idea.

And they're actually located not too far from us.

So I popped in one day and was looking around, I'm like, here we go.

This is a perfect story.

- We love your perfect stories.

You're always on the job and we appreciate it.