The saying goes “you can’t judge a book by its cover.” And so it is with the carpet and flooring outlet called North Oxford Mills. 

“We might have the ugliest building, but the savings are beautiful,” to paraphrase owner Rob Mack’s words in his latest TV commercial. 

Located off Route 12 in North Oxford, the store appears to be the ultimate local choice for a variety of flooring needs. They sell and install carpeting, laminate, hardwood, cork, and linoleum. And besides, why wouldn’t you want to buy local, from the businesses that are the lifeblood of our community? 

“We’ve always been known as a carpet outlet, but we also offer all types of flooring,” says Rob Mack. “We buy a lot of inventory from brands such as Stainmaster, Shaw, Mohawk, Dixie Home, and Masland. We have waterproof vinyl floating floors that have a wood floor appearance. Sheet vinyl, however, is impervious to everything once it’s glued down to the base floor. The vinyl floating floor material styles and colors are truly beautiful; however, they’re not the least expensive, though easy to install over existing floors.”  

North Oxford Mills also has a good commercial base. They’ve installed for and been involved with local banks, colleges, housing authorities, and general contractors. “During the COVID situation we’ve been included in lots of home improvement projects as well as many commercial jobs,” said Rob, “I think with people working from home, they’ve been looking at their current flooring more critically and realizing it’s time for replacement. Last May and June were busier than normal for us as was the summer, fall, and winter. The holidays slowed things down but it’s picked up once again. We are very thankful for the business uptick and greatly appreciate our customers’ contact with us.” 

Rob Mack had worked for his father-in-law, Bernie Edinberg, for a number of years before buying the business from him in 2005. The business currently employs two full-time and 2-3 part-time personnel as well as an installation team. “All of our work is fully guaranteed,” says Rob. “We don’t do ceramic tile, but we do most everything else. We also support our local schools and safety personnel. Additionally, I’ve hired our local high school students for after-school work and they are great additions to our staff.”

 

“Our installation team is amazing; they are second to none,” says Rob. “Anybody can sell flooring but it’s only as good as the quality of the installation including the underlay. The work of our installers is the best in Central Mass. Their work is high-quality and we’ll stand behind it. We take responsibility for materials, installation, everything. My father-in-law is 79 and he is the person who visits people’s homes to assist with their choices and takes measurements. He also buys inventory and waits on store customers. During COVID, however, he has curtailed his work activity. Soon, he will re-join us.”

Rob related a story about a movie-star personality, the regal Katharine Hepburn, who visited the store in the 1970s. Ms. Hepburn purchased flooring for her Connecticut home, and it was an honor that she had chosen North Oxford Mills as her residence’s ultimate resource. 

“We’ve been pleased to have been chosen to supply multi-million-dollar homes in the local area as well as for the average buyer,” says Rob. “Every job is interesting and unique. I enjoy the mathematical part of my job as well as its complexity. All of our customers are the best. This area has the most down-to-earth people. They are good, honest, hardworking people that you want to do a good job for. Many of our customers know the value of their purchases and this is the most satisfying part of my job. Our patrons work hard for their money and we work hard fulfilling their needs knowing it’s important to them. We are extremely grateful to have the local community as our customer base.” 

North Oxford Mills is at 3 Clara Barton Road, North Oxford. Phone: (508) 987-8521. Hours: Tues-Sat 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.; Wed until 7 p.m. Closed Sunday and Monday. www.northoxfordmills.com and on Facebook.