Victor Babel, Sr. and his wife, Mickey, opened the first Babel's store in 1950 in his hometown of Norwood, MA. At only 400 square feet, the original location on Washington St. was so small the "warehouse" was the family garage and the family station wagon - The Babel's Bus - doubled as the wallpaper book library. With Victor's skill and expertise as a paint chemist, Mickey's work with wallpaper and bookkeeping, and the four kids stocking shelves and sweeping the store, Babel's quickly developed a reputation for quality products, personalized service and attention to detail.

Twenty years later, Victor and Mickey's youngest son, Vic, Jr. graduated from college and found himself disillusioned with the job opportunities being presented to him: he didn't want to become one of the bored and unenthusiastic people interviewing him for positions in their company. Instead, he looked to his own childhood and realized what he loved was the interaction with customers at the family store and that he was poised to be the next generation of Babel's. With the support and partnership of his wife Jeanne, herself an accomplished businesswoman with an MBA, the second generation of Babel's took over the business and began seeking opportunities for growth.

In the early 1990's it became clear that Babel's was not just a paint and wallpaper store. With the addition of professional designers, it had grown into a full-service decorating center. In 1994, the store name was officially changed to Babel's Paint & Decorating Store.

In 1996 Vic and Jeanne opened their second store in Jeanne's hometown of Needham, MA, followed three years later with the addition of the Foxboro store and the warehouse that serves the bulk of the store's contractor business and houses the offices of the design staff.

From 400 square feet in 1950, Babel's stores have grown to five locations in the Greater Boston area. With the opening of the newest store in Canton, the Babel's family - including more than 50 employees - is pleased to continue its path of growth, success and service to its community.