Hi again lrhodes,
NOTE: There is a more up to date Washington State list in post #2 here.
Here are a few options regarding local factory direct manufacturers. I’ve included most of the Washington state choices so you can make a few phone calls and decide which ones are worth a visit.
Explore Our Portland Mattress Stores | BedMart Local Factory direct manufacturer. While they are quite a long way away … they perhaps have the best value of any of the manufacturers on this list (which is why I invited them to be members here). They make great products and have great value. I took a drive from near Tacoma (which is where I live) just to visit their factory outlet in Tualatin and test their mattresses and I’m glad I did. At least you won’t have to pay taxes if you purchase from here.
http://www.seattlemattress.net/contactseattlemattress.html They are a local manufacturer who also carry other brands. They are also very helpful and knowledgeable and I did quite a bit of mattress testing here however they are more expensive than most local manufacturers (probably so they can sell other brands) and I don’t believe they have the same value as many independent manufacturers that I have dealt with.
http://www.nwbedding.com/store_locations.php Local manufacturer that makes high quality products based in Spokane
http://www.sunrisematt.com/index.php?id=2120&title=home A local factory direct manufacturer also in the Spokane area.
http://www.slumberease.com/ or http://www.seattlebetterbedding.com/default.asp or http://www.eastsidemattressfactory.com/ Local factory direct manufacturer. I’ve talked with them and found them to be knowledgeable and informative. All three are the same company
mattressfactorynw.com - mattressfactorynw Resources and Information. An Oregon based factory direct manufacturer with an outlet in Moxee.
http://www.mattress-makers.com/index.html Factory direct manufacturer in Tacoma.
http://www.everrestmattress.com/ourlocation.html Factory direct manufacturer in Seattle and Marysville. Was originally run by the father but now is run by the daughter and her mother when he passed away. When I talked with the daughter the conversation was quite different from most of the conversations I have with family owned manufacturers who normally are very happy to share with me what they do and how they make their mattresses. She seemed to be more of a business person than a mattress person. Perhaps she was having a bad day :). There does seem to be good value here from what I can see.
http://www.bedroomsandmore.com/images/products/mattress/mattress-seattle.htm They are a retail outlet or “sleep shop” where I also spent a lot of time testing mattresses. They are very helpful and knowledgeable and even though they are not factory direct … they are close to and compete well with Seattle Mattress. They are a good place to test mattresses to get a sense of what works for you.
http://www.4daymattressstore.com/index.html Another retail outlet or “sleep shop” with exceptionally helpful and knowledgeable people and ownership.
http://www.higginsonsflooringandsleepshop.com/alternativemattresses.html Retail outlet. I have talked with them on the phone several times and they too were very helpful. They carry some interesting mattress brands such as Pure Latex Bliss and Enso. While they do not have the same value as most factory direct outlets … they would be a good place to test mattresses. They also carry the Boyd you mentioned earlier.
http://www.coco14.com/mattresses1.html They carry a selection of Natura and GreenSleep mattresses which are high quality latex mattresses. They would be good for testing layer options and for comparison purposes … but are too expensive IMO to buy as they don’t have great value compared to other options you have available.
Hopefully this should give you some choices as to the value that is available in and around Seattle. A few phone calls to some of these once you have a rough idea of what you are looking for should help you decide where the best value may be for your circumstances. The mass market stores and the chain stores in the Seattle area do not carry the same quality or value as most of these.
Feel free to post if you have questions along the way.
Phoenix