We headed North this week to Portland (4 1/2 hr drive) to shop for a new mattress at Parklane. The service was exactly as described by other forum members. We chose the Clackamas showroom, as it was the closest and we are familiar with the area as our son lives nearby.
We arrived fairly early in the day and had the showroom entirely to ourselves. The salesman (Mark) was very friendly and helpful. He was amazed when I showed him the comparison chart I created from info off their website. It included possible choices, based on our needs and the components of each. It made it easier to evaluate each mattress as we tried them out.
After we explained our sleep needs to Mark and what we had in mind, he promptly showed us our options. Since we had eliminated memory foam as an option (heat retention issues) the choices were greatly reduced, thus streamlining the selection process.
On a side note, we did test an all latex foam model (the Macadam) as I was curious about the feel of latex. We have slept on our son’s Tempurpedic bed and did not like the feel of it at all. The Latex felt a bit different, but still, I don’t feel it was something I would like.
First off, Mark suggested trying several beds and narrowing possible choices to no more than 5 to eliminate confusion. Our first test was the Lovejoy, as it was the one that sounded most like what we were looking for. It was great, until we tried another (Hawthorne) which my husband liked better. I preferred the Lovejoy, I think because it had foam edges where the Hawthrone did not. So, we moved on to the Hoyt. It was very comfortable - however . . . . . Mark informed us that, although it was one of their higher end mattresses, he hesitated to recommend it. He said they had experienced a high number of customers returning it to exchange for another model. This being said, we kept it under consideration and moved on to try a few more.
Motion transfer was a concern for us, so we were leaning toward Marshall coils. Mark suggested we try the Quimby. with offset coils so we could see the difference. It was definitely more “bouncy”. Didn’t notice as much motion as with our mattress, but then it is almost 20 yrs. old! It did have a latex layer on top, but still, some memory foam, although Mark explained that the upper layer is what most determines how warm the bed sleeps.
Mark then suggested the Alder. It has offset coils in the support layer and Marshall coils in the comfort layer. While classified as “Plush” it is recommended for combo sleepers (side and back) which describes us perfectly. He said he considers it a “Medium”. It gave us more of what we were looking for - support with enough cushion for preventing pressure point discomfort and the Marshall coils effectively reduced motion transfer, when compared to the Quimby. Ironically, it is much the same as the Lovejoy, but with a gel foam top instead of latex.
Mark then showed us two mattress toppers so we could see the difference between the gel and the talatech latex. We both preferred the feel of the gel over the latex. We have a gel topper on our RV bed and don’t feel heat retention is as apparent as with memory foam.
So, we have pretty much narrowed our choice to between the Hoyt and the Alder. I vetoed the Hawthorne because I like the firmer sides on the foam encased mattresses. My husband didn’t care, but with a queen mattress, where you tend to sleep closer to the sides, I explained that roll-off was more likely.
Comparing the Hoyt to the Alder, the difference was the Hoyt has 10 1/2" of HR foam over Marshall coils while the Alder has offset coils with Marshall coils in the comfort layer. I was concerned about the durability of such a high percentage of foam and Mark stressed the high durability of offset coils, although both have the same warranty, indicating like durability. Although we agreed they both gave us the comfort and feel we were looking for, our final decision was based on the following:
The Hoyt was classified as “Plush” for side sleepers while the Alder was classified as “Plush” comfort level for combo sleepers. The difference being the offset coils rendered more support for back sleeping. Mark again mentioned that he would consider the Alder as “Medium” comfort. The best of two worlds.
The high incidence of comfort returns for the Hoyt. When I asked about this for the Alder, Mark said they have had very few of them returned.
Mark added that,of all the models they offer, the Alder is most appropriate for a wide variety of sleepers and sleeping positions.
We preferred the fabric on the Alder (Beige and off-white) to the Hoyt’s (black and white)
Both mattresses are 15" deep, but we chose the 9" foundation. This will make the bed an inch taller than our preset bed, but the low profile foundation would have made it 3" shorter. We are both tall, so the height is not an issue and frankly, it is much easier getting out of a tall bed than a short one.
So our decision was made on the Alder. Unfortunately, they did not have one in the warehouse, so we have to return in about a week to pick it up. We also purchased two twin mattresses to replace old and dilapidated mattresses on our “grandkids” guest beds. For these we chose the Tillamook.
We were extremely pleased with our shopping experience at Parklane. Mark said he had been working for Parklane for two years, evident in the fact that he knew a lot about the different mattresses and the rate of customer satisfaction. There were no high pressure sales tactics. Mark answered our questions and filled in the blanks when needed. He did show us their pillows, but in no way tried to pressure us into purchasing one. When I mentioned the Mattress Underground, he told us we could receive our choice of a set of sheets or a bed frame. We have a bed, so chose the sheets. Not superior quality, but free! It was nice that we had the showroom to ourselves and Mark’s undivided attention. He did not hover over us as we were trying the beds but was there when we had questions. There was no rush and we were told to take as much time as we wanted. .A couple of times, the phone rang, but after glancing at the caller ID, he let it ring to be able to focus on our needs.
After we made our purchase, we were given excellent instructions on how to get to the warehouse where we would pick-up our mattresses when they were ready. We actually got to go there since one of the twin mattresses was in stock. With Mark’s great directions we found the warehouse with no problem. It helped that my husband, when he drove milk trucks, had delivered milk to a processing plant just a block away from the mattress factory. Also, it was 1:30 in the afternoon, so traffic was light. I would not recommend going there during commute, if you can avoid it. We arrived, they loaded our mattress in the pick-up and we were back on the freeway, headed home, less than 30 minutes from the time we left the showroom.
FYI: Parklane does not accept checks; no bad check recovery helps keep their prices down. Mark did indicate that they make very little on their sales of mattresses to home users, that their profits are in high volume wholesale business.
My recommendation, if you are looking for a “better than run-of-the-mill” quality mattress at an affordable price (without outrageous retail markups), a pleasurable shopping experience, and you live in the Portland/Vancouver area (or are willing to do your own delivery), consider Parklane. They offer free delivery within a reasonable distance (under 50 miles) and for a reasonable fee, outside that distance but in the area. I asked about delivery to our area and he said they don’t like to take their trucks that far away and would contract with a freight co. Hauling in a full size pickup is no problem if you can avoid rain, although the mattresses are well sealed in plastic.
I will follow-up after we have our Alder and have slept on it a while.
