By Jacqueline Pillsbury
Family owned and operated since 1982, the Buxton Complex has expanded over the decades to include more services to benefit their customers, while still retaining their core values of quality American craftsmanship, a relaxed shopping atmosphere, and reasonable rates. The fourth generation of Buxtons is now involved with the family business, and there is always a member of the family on site to help with your needs.
The Buxton Complex — visible from I-95 in Ewing and located off Lower Ferry Road — is made up of six businesses: the Furniture Mill, Buxton’s Garden Center, Buxton’s Boxes Self Storage, COWS (Container on Wheels) of Mercer Bucks, U-Haul Truck and Trailer rental, and Hertz Rental Cars. Each is run by members of the Buxton family.
The Buxton family started the business 32 years ago with a saw mill. The mill then became a custom cabinetry business specializing in making and refinishing cabinetry.
Today, the Furniture Mill makes and sells everything from swing sets, sheds, gazebos, horse barns, and outdoor furniture to dining room and bedroom sets, entertainment centers and desks. All of their furniture is made in the United States with the highest quality standards. It can be purchased unfinished or stained. They are also well-known for refinishing wood furniture.
Husband and wife John and Barb Conover opened the Furniture mill in 1982 and are still running it today with their daughter, Kristi Reading.
“We’ve been in business almost 30 years, and we keep adding,” Reading said. The family’s business mainly worked with furniture repair and refinishing but due to high demand, expanded to include unfinished and finished furniture and sales. The family made the decision to expand its services about five years ago when several local unfinished furniture stores went out of business.
“I was born and raised in this business,” Reading said. “Each person here knows how to do everything, but each one of us has our own area of expertise.”
One of their popular services is furniture refinishing. Customers can pick a finish that matches other furniture they may already have, or choose a custom finish. Other services include stripping and repair.
Buxton’s Boxes Self-Storage, meanwhile, has been offering storage solutions since 1999. Both on-site and, through COWs (Container on Wheels) at your location, options are available. They offer both climate and non-climate controlled storage units ranging in size from 5 x 5 feet to 15 x 30 feet.
Reading said that some customers use the storage units while going through the moving process, but many lease them on a long-term basis.
The climate control feature is good for customers storing items such as furniture, antiques or electronics, Reading said. “You want to keep it steady, and that’s what we do. We keep it temperature-controlled throughout the year. This way, nobody has to worry about anything freezing and breaking, or any type of collectibles that you might have.”
Tenants are able to access storage units daily between 6 a.m. and 10 p.m.
“They can come and go as they please. Sometimes, businesses go in there so they can access their files,” Reading said. “Other times, it’s for residential use, where there’s a family that needs extra room for their Christmas decorations.”
“There’s not a lot of closet space, so they need just a little bit of extra space to maybe store their bicycles or anything that they might have that they don’t have a spot for,” she said.
Buxton’s Boxes emphasizes security and the protection of storage units. The facility is gated and units are individually alarmed. Customers put locks on their units, and are also required to enter an electronic code to gain access.
The premises are also monitored 24 hours a day by camera, and the company’s owners can access the surveillance footage from their homes.
Buxton’s Boxes offers a wide range of services for customers’ convenience. They provide dollies and hand carts for storage customers. They also sell boxes, tape, bubble wrap, and other moving supplies.
Buxton’s Boxes is a Hertz dealer as well, and has compact, full-size and mid-size cars that customers can rent for business or leisure, Reading said.
With the storage business, and the need for customers to move, the Buxton family realized the benefit to offering U-Haul rentals. They are your neighborhood U-Haul dealer, ranging in rentals from trailers for landscaping to trucks large enough to move a home.
Five years ago, through Hertz, the family expanded into the car rental business. They offer in-town rentals, one-way rentals, and local service to the Trenton-Mercer Airport.
The most recent addition to the complex came two years ago, when the Buxton family expanded into the gardening business.
The Buxton’s Garden Center is open year-round, 7 days a week. They have annuals, perennials, trees, shrubs, mulch, top soil, fresh produce, fresh baked goods, flags, pottery and outdoor décor – in essence, everything your garden needs to shine. In November and December they also sell Christmas trees, wreaths, roping, swags, grave blankets, Christmas ornaments and other décor.
Reading describes the Buxton Complex as “one big family here to help you with all your home needs.”
Visit them at 1536 Lower Ferry Road in Ewing and see all that they have to offer.
The Buxton Complex, 1536 Lower Ferry Road, Ewing. Phone: 609/771-6840. On the web: thebuxtoncomplex.com
Marisa Sachleben, Kristi Reading, Betty Lou Buxton, Bud Buxton and Barb Conover keep Buxton’s Boxes running.,
