Hi Rachel Bruce,
That’s quite a list of mattresses and unfortunately you’re not alone.
The bad news is that unfortunately there isn’t any local manufacturing within 50 miles of where you are … at least that I know of. The good news though is that there are a few in Charleston and Columbia.
They are …
Charleston area:
https://sleepingorganic.com/ Charleston, SC. Factory direct manufacturer. Sells component latex mattresses where you can choose your own layers using either 100% natural Dunlop (organic is also an option) or Talalay in 3" layers with your choice of ILD in each layer and a cotton/wool quilted organic zip cover. Brandon the owner is knowledgeable and transparent and they have good quality and value. They are also a member of this site which means I think highly of them and they compete well with the best in the industry. Well worth including in your research if you are looking in the direction of latex.
http://www.thecharlestonmattress.com/ Charleston, Hilton Head island, SC. Factory direct retailer. They are a direct outlet for Weils Sleep Products and they make a full range of mattresses including latex, memory foam, and traditional innersprings. I talked with Liz here and she and her husband KC are committed to local manufacturing and providing good quality and value mattresses to the Charleston area. They are open about what they do and have good quality and value. Also “good people”.
http://www.dwellsmart.com/ Charleston, SC. Retail direct outlet for Savvy Rest which is also a “choose your own layer” latex mattress which has various choices using 3" layers. These also in the higher price range though compared to other similar options that are available.
http://charlestonbedding.com/ Charleston, SC. Retail outlet that carries Golden Mattress which makes a range of mattresses including latex hybrids, and gel memory foam which may have some better value.
http://www.charleston-furniture.com/ Charleston, SC. They carry Pure Latex Bliss (Talalay latex) and Jamison. I would avoid the major brands they also carry.
Columbia area:
http://www.bestmattress.net/ Columbia, SC. Factory direct manufacturer. Make a range of mattresses including innerspring, memory foam, and latex.
http://www.southernbeddingofcolumbia.com/ Columbia, SC. Factory direct manufacturer. Also make a range of different mattresses including innersprings and latex.
http://www.restmaster.com/ Local manufacturer that used to be wholesale only and makes mainly traditional mattresses (layers of polyfoam over innersprings) including one and two sided mattresses and a memory foam mattress as well. They now have their own factory direct showroom in North Augusta, SC.
I also took a look around your area to see if there was something worthwhile in the immediate Savannah area. While you are in somewhat of a mattress desert, there are a few better possibilities locally …
Savannah area:
http://www.jamisonbedding.com/find-a-location/ is a regional manufacturer which makes some very nice mattresses including some latex models with better value than larger national brands and they list the specs on their site. If you put in Savannah, GA in their retail outlet finder you will see 3 outlets that are near you.
http://www.gafurn.com/ Savannah, GA. They carry Jamison and have 3 of their latex and latex hybrid models and some of their innerspring/polyfoam traditional mattresses on their floor. They also carry Eastman House.
http://greenfrogsleepcenter.com/ Savannah. Carries Pure Latex Bliss (high quality Talalay latex) and King Koil Extended Life…
Hilton Head Island area:
http://www.thecharlestonmattress.com/ Hilton Head island, SC. See comments under Charleston
http://www.furnituredirecthhi.com/mattresses.html Hilton Head Island, SC. They carry Southern Lady mattresses made by Weils in Charleston which may have some better value. They don’t know the specs of their mattresses but told me they would call to find out for any customers who asked.
Discount Furniture Warehouse and Mattress Outlet - Furniture & Mattresses in Hilton Head Island SC Hilton head Island, Blufton, SC. Also carry Jamison mattresses.
Coastal Bedding -Sun City | Hardeeville SC Bluffton, SC. They carry Jamison (latex and innerspring) and he said he would call to find out any specs he didn’t already have.
There are not a lot of options going towards the Jacksonville, FL area that would justify the drive vs the ones that are already listed but post #7 here has the better options I’m aware of.
Brands like Pure Latex Bliss, Jamison, and Restonic can be among the better local values and are a good way to test latex options and if the “comfort specs” (layer thickness and ILD) are known (such as with Jamison and PLB) can provide a helpful guideline for an online order. While they are better value than most mainstream brands and the mattresses that are sold in most mass market outlets, they are not usually in the same “value range” as local manufacturers that are sold either factory direct or through better sleep shops.
My “gut” feeling says I would make Thecharlestonmattress and Sleeping organic my first options and as reference points and go from there but I would make some calls first and talk with the ones that interest you to get a sense of who they are and what they think would suit your needs and budget before deciding which ones to visit.
My personal feeling is that a drive north would be well worth it in the long run.
Phoenix