Walk into a home in The Woodlands, and there is a good chance of discovering a handcrafted Oriental rug resting on the floor, one of thousands sold by The Woodlands Oriental Rug Gallery since opening in 2001.

Claiming to be the only Oriental rug store within 35 miles of The Woodlands, the business' owners Don and Karen Mudd take pride in their customer service. With more than 2,500 handmade rugs in stock, the rug gallery offers high-end Oriental rugs from the Middle East, as well as cleaning and repair.

"We don't try to intimidate people," Karen said. "We try to educate people. We feel that an educated consumer is a good consumer, because then they can understand our product."

Karen said the couple visits customers' homes, helps them pre-measure and determine what colors and designs are ideal for a particular room. They even allow customers to try out a rug in their home for a night before purchasing it, while offering delivery and placement.

"We go to tall lengths to please the customer, and it's paid off for us, because we've built our business on referrals," she said.

Don said the couple travels to the Middle East and hand picks rugs straight from the loom from manufacturers in India, Pakistan and Turkey. Each rug is hand-knotted and hand-tied, taking anywhere from eight months to two years to complete.

"Oriental rugs are works of art; they're hand-made, they're well-done and they're very fine quality," Don said. "There will always be a place for craftsmanship like this."

Repair and maintenance makes up 10 percent of the store's business, Don said. Whether it is routine maintenance, a bad spill or pet damage, rugs can be restored.

Don said as much as 90 percent of his business comes from The Woodlands. He said serving the community is important, as well as giving back. The couple has an annual fundraiser for Toys for Tots, is involved with the Lone Star Animal Welfare League and has donated to schools, auctions and other various fundraisers.

"It's where I live," Don said. "I want to support anything that happens here."

Married for 23 years, the couple said they decided to leave furniture and antiques in 1990 to focus solely on rugs. They moved from Houston to open their first retail store in 2000. After more than a half-century in the industry, Don, 79, said he plans to retire in April, leaving the business for Karen to run.

"We're going to stay in business, and my partner here is going to take over," he said. "She's very capable of running this business like we have for the last 15 years. I hope she runs the business for another 15 years."

Oriental rug tips

• Select a rug for a particular room before designing the rest of that room
• Pull colors from the rug into other aspects of the room
• Consider color, size, design and shape when purchasing the rug
• Clean Oriental rugs once every two to five years.
• Use cleaning shops that offer hand-scrubbed cleanings as machines can cause colors to run.

The Woodlands Oriental Rug Gallery

30340 FM 2978, The Woodlands, 281-364-9799, www.woodlandsruggallery.com