Our History

In 1897, Michael Mussallem’s great-grandfather established Mussallem Area Rug Specialists in Jacksonville, Florida — a rug cleaning business that would be passed from father to son for more than a century. Along the way, the family developed a deep, hands-on knowledge of rugs: how to identify their origin and age, how to care for them properly, and how to recognize genuine quality.

Michael began learning the family craft at age 13, working alongside his father and grandfather. In 2012, he became owner and president of Mussallem Area Rug Specialists, and that same expertise in rug identification and care led him to open Michael’s Rug Studio — bringing the family’s century of rug knowledge to selecting and offering fine rugs for sale in Jacksonville.

Today, Michael’s Rug Studio and Mussallem Area Rug Specialists operate as sister companies from the same Jacksonville location, giving customers a rare combination: a curated rug showroom backed by four generations of rug cleaning, repair, and identification expertise.