it’s not too late to sleep like a baby

I was dreading the task of mattress shopping for my daughter’s room. It seemed as daunting as buying a new car. I googled mattresses and came across Sleep Country (Sleep Country USA... why buy a mattress anywhere else) and Mattress World (it’s not too late to sleep like a baby). Were you singing their jingles as you read these? Then you have these stores where you live. If you don’t have these stores where you are, and you haven’t heard their obnoxious jingles, consider yourself lucky. They’re right up there with Up, Up, and Away. Or It’s a Small World. You’re welcome.

Then I happened upon something that looked a bit different. Mattress Lot. When I read their story to my husband, he was onboard to go shopping. You can read their story here.

Mattress Lot is family owned and sells only locally made mattresses. All their mattresses are made in Oregon and Washington. They only work with manufacturers who are committed to earth-friendly production techniques, so all their mattresses are made of recycled metals and fabrics, and soy based foams.

The story of this family is unique... After losing his job as a television advertising executive, Michael Hanna (you may remember seeing him reporting news on a local station too) took a risk. He took out a home-equity loan, purchased a truckload of mattresses, and started a business. Six months later, they were turning a profit.

Walking in the doors at Mattress Lot was a pleasant surprise. We were greeted by the store’s owner, Michael, and a very friendly Portuguese water dog. A knowledgeable young girl, not much older than Iz showed us around, and pointed out some features I never would have considered. “Do you spend any time sitting on the edge of your bed? Then this one provides better support.”

My daughter quickly found a soft pillowtop to her liking, but that didn’t keep us from lounging on lots of other mattresses throughout the store.









When Mattress Lot has a delivery near their northeast Portland store, they do so on a special trailer attached to the back of a tandem bicycle. How cool is that?