Hamid Adib, owner of Adib's Rug Gallery in the old Villa Theatre at 3092 S. Highland Drive, celebrated its grand opening Saturday night with a catered reception, and left many of the more than 550 attendees "speechless."

"This is a magnificent display of history and culture. It's breathtaking," said Allyson Anderson, who, along with her husband, Greg, have purchased seven rugs from Adib's.

"This is wonderful because Hamid [Adib] has saved a great landmark and created a beautiful place," Greg Anderson said.

Adib purchased the Villa Theatre in 2004, a year after it closed, for an undisclosed price, with the promise of preserving the community landmark. At the grand opening, the old Villa Theatre sign was lit, and much of outside architecture remains intact.

"Everything that was preservable, we preserved. The Villa has been a landmark, and always will stay a landmark," said Adib, who moved to Utah 20 years ago from the Bay area to finish his doctorate in mechanical engineering. He decided to stay in Utah because of the community.

"I am overwhelmed with the public support. You can just feel the emotions," he said, as he accepted customers' various gifts and cards.

Adib moved his business into the 56-year-old theater from a cramped location three doors down, Now, the largest and most expensive rugs hang in alcoves carved into the walls, and piles and rolls of rugs dot the multilevel floor. Rugs range in price from about $50 to more than $100,000 and come from countries such as Iran, Turkey, India, Pakistan, China, Tibet and Russia, according to Melissa Watts, an interior designer for Adib.

"It's a much better space, and I'm glad we were able to preserve the Villa because everybody has such fond memories of it," she said.

Maryam Amin-Rashti, manager, says that on average a person would pay about $1,200 for a 5-foot-by-8-foot rug. She says that while the rugs sell themselves, clients return because of the customer service. When a person comes in, the staff will do anything from going through rugs at the store to going into people's homes to measure rooms and pick appropriate colors.

George Fitzpatrick bought a home in Utah three years ago, and he said Adib brought a "truckload" of rugs to his home to try out in different rooms. Fitzpatrick has purchased about 20 rugs, and says each of his four young daughters has her favorite that she will inherit. He said he was impressed with the new location.

"This is probably the best collection I have ever seen," said Fitzpatrick, who lived in Saudi Arabia before moving to Utah. "It takes tremendous vision to create a place like this."

smcfarland@sltrib.com