A Life-Changing Trip

A Hobby Turned Business

As a Hillsdale student, Evan Gage traveled to Turkey with the Hillsdale College Honors Program, where he fell in love with the country. A year later, he returned to Turkey, having received a Fulbright Scholarship to teach English there for a year. Before returning to the United States, Evan bought a Turkish rug as a memento of his experience abroad. Later, in graduate school, Evan had several opportunities to return to Turkey for research. He continued to amass a collection of rugs and eventually decided to turn his hobby into a business—Gage Goods.

Evan is passionate about educating others in the ancient artwork of rug-making, sharing his knowledge and leading his buyers to an understanding of beauty. He credits his Hillsdale education and experiences with helping him start his business. “It’s very much true that Gage Goods wouldn’t have been possible without Hillsdale College: from the Turkey trip that first inspired the love of the country, to tough English classes that helped me write a strong application for the Fulbright scholarship, to the many Hillsdale friends who have supported the endeavor since I began the business,” he says. “I’m so grateful that I can pursue something I love while also sharing a tradition of beauty that will endure for years to come.”