Hi SnoozyDoodle/Lee.
The better options or possibilities that I’ve researched in the past in and around the Long Island area (subject to the guidelines here ) are listed in post #4 here which also includes a link to the New York City list as well. Keep in mind that this is not and updated listing as I have discontinued the provision of listings of potential retailers in various geographic regions (unless they are a vetted member here of the site.), because of the difficulty in maintaining such lists in a retail landscape that is constantly changing, and most importantly the confusion it was creating with the consumer members who incorrectly assumed that these businesses had indeed gone through the strict qualification process and were approved as members of The Mattress Underground. Such an assumption was unfair to both the consumers seeking assistance, as well as the very businesses and manufacturers who have indeed qualified the be members of The Mattress Underground.
To further narrow in on certain areas, you can perform a forum search here and you can type in the “key term” text box any city or area you would be closer to and consider driving such as Connecticut or New Jersey (or other towns) or any other area and see what other businesses have been discussed in that region which may be helpful to you.
Your plan sounds good and I would make sure to drive to any shop in your local area that carries different brands and types of mattresses that carry latex and all latex mattresses (both Dunlop and Talalay) to test the feel of each and see what you like best If you find something that you like you can discuss this with APM … Ken and Vinny are very knowledgeable and great at approximating mattresses and even if you end up purchasing different components from different suppliers, they’ll be able to point you in the right direction.
Phoenix