News

It’s that time of the year we all enjoy – MATTRESS Shopping Season!!! As the spring moves along, every other radio and television advertisement is for “the greatest mattress sale ever” and “you must buy your new mattress now”. May arrives and all of a sudden the view along Glenwood Avenue changes. As we approach Memorial Day drivers will be entertained by large blow up gumbies flapping their arms in the wind, folks dressed as mattresses, and very creative dancing sign-flippers – all advertising the big May mattress sales. We will be having our Memorial Day sales this year but rest assured no big blow up gumbies from us.

Each year some of the larger well-known mattress retailers have unannounced contests to see how many signs they can put on the street. Last year the big winner seemed to have had about 35 signs in a 15-foot track of median. The local newspapers will be full of big inserts all showing the same mattresses at up to 800% off retail! How can you not take advantage of that?

We love mattress-shopping season. No, not because we enjoy the hokey advertising that we don’t participate in. We enjoy it because we know that our customers come in after having done a lot of research about mattresses and they understand the benefits of mattresses that don’t contain harmful and toxic chemicals. Our customers have made a conscious decision to buy a natural and healthy mattress and they don’t need a dancing mattress on the street to tell them why.

Here are some considerations when starting your new mattress search:

1. Do I need a new mattress? If your mattress is over 10 years old it is probably infested with dust mites, skin cells, years of sweat, etc. In addition, an older mattress could have contained PBDEs, which were legally added to many mattresses sold years ago. If you wake up with pain your mattress may not be providing proper support. Do you sleep better away from home? Many times this is a sign that your mattress is old. Do you want more space? Maybe you need to move from a queen to king size.

2. Where do I start in this process? I think we all know how enjoyable it is to come into a brightly lit showroom with too many people in cheap suits following you around and begging you to lay on a mattress. The experience can be brutal and tiring. Here are a some suggestions to make the process more fun:

• Wear comfortable clothes. Don’t wear your pajamas because that’s a little weird but do wear shorts, t-shirts, workout clothing, or anything that moves with you. Ladies, skirts and dresses are tricky!
• Either come in with your own pillow or pick one out at the store and take the same pillow to each bed. It’s best to try out mattresses using a consistent pillow.
• What 3 things are most important in a new mattress? Know why you are shopping for a mattress and what you are looking for in a mattress. Do you sleep hot? Do you have pain? Do you sleep through the night? Do you have a CPAP machine? Do you need a bigger mattress? It is extremely important to know what you are looking for as you can be sold on all the new gimmicks and end up with something you didn’t even want or need. And you’re probably paying more for the gimmicks you didn’t need.
• Know your budget. If you know how much you can and want to spend on a new mattress you won’t get oversold. In our store, we will discreetly work within you budget and try to find a mattress that meets your needs and if we can’t we will tell you.
• Try several mattresses. It is important to understand how different surfaces feel. We have many people coming in saying they want a very firm mattress but they end up choosing a nice combination of a firm base with soft comfort layer. If two people are purchasing the mattress together they should both try the mattresses together. Once you have narrowed down your choices, stay on your chosen 2-3 mattresses for 10-15 minutes in the position you sleep in most.
• Know your bed. Do you need a box spring (foundation)? Do you have a slatted platform bed that is designed to work with a mattress only? Do you need a bed frame?   Are you changing sizes? If so, do you have a bed? This is VERY important information to come in to a store with – your budget depends on it.
• Know the gimmicks? If a retailer can sell a mattress for 80% off then it was highly marked up to begin with. If a retailer can offer a "free" wide screen tv, a "free" adjustable base or other offers which seem too good to be true then guess what they are! They are simply building the "free" stuff or other special offers into the price.
• Have fun. Guys – go along with the process. Try the mattresses, talk about the benefits, and try to stay engaged. Many of our customer’s comfort exchanges come from the guys who weren’t engaged and said they can sleep on “anything”. Ladies – be patient and “drag” your guy in when he doesn’t have anything else going on. It is very difficult to get the participating you want or need if your guy wants to be fishing and you have them in a mattress store.

3. How do I choose the right mattress? Go back to the items that are most important to you. If you have gotten this far than you probably believe that a natural product is a given. What else is important? That is for you to decide. With natural mattresses you have a longer lasting product, superior pressure relief with the all-natural latex options, elimination of motion transfer when couples are sleeping together and a much cooler sleeping surface when you combine the natural latex with the wool filled cover. In addition you eliminate the petro-chemicals that are found in the polyurethane in traditional mattresses and the chemicals found in flame retardants and stain resisters. Stay within your budget. Make sure the mattress is comfortable and meets your criteria. Buy from a local retailer that can make sure you are getting the right mattress for your needs, deliver and set it up for you, remove your old mattress, offer accessories like pillows, sheets and protectors, and continue to offer service after the sale. Also you will keep your local money in the local economy.

4. Watch out for the internet. Buying a mattress on the internet can be cheaper but like anything, you get what you pay for. To sell mattresses on the internet a company needs a warehouse, a stack of latex layers, some warehouse workers and a handful of customer service telephone sales reps. They don’t need a showroom and they don’t need knowledgeable and passionate staff. They need people who can run a credit card. Yes, the internet companies offer “free” returns. But where do those returned layers of latex go? I can’t speak for any one company but I bet they don’t go to the local landfill. How do you know you are getting what you paid for? You don’t. There is no way to know because you never saw what you paid for. Be aware and shop local.

Now you have been educated you are ready for the May sales. We can help you with your natural and organic mattress purchases. There are many options that all offer various benefits. Come by and let us help you make a choice that will provide years of comfort and happiness. The best gift you can ever give yourself is a great nights sleep! AND OF COURSE - WE WILL BE HAVING OUR ANNUAL MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND SALE!!!

They got married in 2003 but it wasn’t 2006 that they started sleeping in the same bed. There was trouble from the very beginning. They are complete opposites when it came to sleeping. She was a light sleeper and he could fall asleep just thinking about a bed.

Her restlessness led to constant movement during the time when he was just nodding off. He was going into hibernation mode, which prevented him from getting into a deep sleep. Once they both finally got into nice steady sleep rhythm, the snoring began thus waking her from a peaceful sleep. It was a viscous circle that went this way throughout the night. They did this for several months until they both realized it might be better to try separate bedrooms. Once the children came along there were no longer extra bedrooms so there was no option but to share a bedroom again.

They decided a new mattress might help the situation so they were on a mission to shop for a new mattress. The process is made more difficult by the fact that she is a side sleeper and wanted a plush mattress while he is a back sleeper and needed something firmer. Unfortunately, the only option was to meet in the middle and get a mattress that was a little to firm for her and a little to soft for him but it was the best they could hope for at the time. It was a memory foam mattress, which was very different than anything they had in the past. The mattress, although not exactly what we wanted did provide one major benefit – it drastically cut down on motion transfer, which was a huge issue when they started sharing a bed.

The downside to the new mattress was that is slept very warm. This was fine for her but he had a real problem with the how hot the mattress became just hours after falling asleep. He was waking up, removing blankets, then waking again to add the blankets back on thus causing a whole new sleep issue.

It all changed with the purchase of a 4-layer all-natural latex bed that can be configured differently on each side. Add that to an adjustable base and it creates absolute bliss. It took almost 10 years to sleep happily together but if it weren’t for the issues, they may have found this most perfect solution.

His side is layered so it is a little firmer than hers. Her layers are perfect for a side-sleeper. He raises his head slightly to silence to relieve her of hearing the sounds of a grizzly bear. The mattress is made with certified organic latex covered in a certified organic wool filled cotton cover. The wool keeps him cool and her warm throughout the night. The two different sides with different layers of latex virtually any motion from the other moving during the night.

Do you and your partner struggle with sleeping together? The story above demonstrates a very common issue that could be resolved. Don’t give up getting good sleep. There are options for you even when you feel like your situation is hopeless.