I would appreciate any suggestions of “local” manufacturers in the Orlando, Fl area.
Many thanks…
Hi Alan,
I changed the title and created a new thread to make it easier for others in your area to find this thread 
You are fortunate in that there are several quality independent factory direct manufacturers near you. They are …
http://foxmattress.com/ Holly Hill, FL. They are a local factory direct manufacturer that makes all types of mattresses. I have had some great conversations with Rick the owner and he is exceptionally helpful and knowledgeable. They are also a member here which means that I believe they compete well with the best in the industry in terms of their quality, value, service, and transparency. They would be well worth a drive to Holly Hill to include them in your research.
http://www.orlandomattresscompany.com/ and http://atlasmattressfactory.com/ Lake Hamilton, FL. They are local manufacturers who are working in partnership and make a range of good quality mattresses. They generally make commercial mattresses for hotels and cruise liners but they also sell direct to customers at the Atlas Mattress showroom. They make traditional mattresses (innerspring/polyfoam using a wide range of foam densities depending on budget), latex, memory foam, and microcoils and are transparent about the type and quality of the materials that they use. Both Orlando Mattress and Atlas Mattress can provide information about the materials inside any of their mattresses but at the Atlas Mattress Factory showroom their first language is Spanish so while they can certainly answer general questions … for more technical questions it may be a good idea to call Orlando Mattress if you don’t speak Spanish. They can also custom build.
Denver Mattress® - The Easiest Way to Get the Right Mattress Daytona Beach, FL. Regional factory direct manufacturer who makes a wide range of traditional innerspring mattresses including some with latex in the comfort layers and their iChoice which is a mostly latex mattress with either a latex or memory foam topper. Some good quality and value.
Find an Original Mattress Factory Store Orlando, Ocoee, Kissimmee, Apopka, Lake Mary, FL. They are a regional factory direct that manufactures all types of mattresses. Their mattresses include a two sided latex hybrid and memory foam models as well as traditional innerspring mattresses. They have some good quality and good value choices.
http://www.relaxincomfort.com/ Winter Park, Sanford, The Villages, Windermere, FL. They carry Savvy Rest mattresses which are a line of high quality component latex mattresses that give you a choice between organic Dunlop and 100% natural Talalay latex but I would also make some careful value comparisons here because they are also in higher budget ranges than other similar mattresses.
Shop Affordable Home Furnishings & Home Goods - IKEA Orlando. See post #3 here for comments about their mattresses.
Phoenix
PS: If you register on the site and post under your username … you also qualify for a discount or “bonus” at any of our manufacturing members including of course Fox Mattress. Just let Rick know you are a member and your username.
Any suggestions for the Naples area, or Ft. Myers, Florida? Thanks!
Hi Painintheback,
Unfortunately there are not a lot of independent factory direct manufacturers near you.
http://www.matterbrothersfurniture.com/ They make mattresses of all types.
http://www.verlo.com/ Independent manufacturer. Their website says that they do not have an outlet near you but if you look online (for example here http://find.mapmuse.com/map/verlo-mattress-factory-stores/27.9167,-83.6075,6 ) it seems there either is or was several near you. You may need to call the closest one to see if they are still in business there.
EDIT: I checked and there are no Verlo outlets anywhere in Florida. There is also now a more detailed list for the Port Charlotte, Fort Myers, Cape Coral, Naples, FL. areas in post #2 here.
Other than these … I’m not aware of any others near you however there is always the option of using local mattress outlets that are transparent about the layers of their mattresses (or that sell mattresses where the layering and materials are available online) to test mattresses that work for you in terms of pressure relief and spinal alignment and then to “duplicate” it through a high quality and high value manufacturer that sells online.
I would avoid any mattress that has more than an inch of polyfoam in the comfort layers (including any polyfoam in the quilting). This includes any so called bio friendly or “green” polyfoams which are just regular polyfoam where some of the oil based ingredients have been replaced with plant oils. There are some local manufacturers that use much higher quality polyfoams in their comfort layers and/or will make a 2 sided mattress where these lower quality will last longer for those that have a lower budget but you will not normally see this in any of the national brands.
Basically … if you are considering a mattress with foam in the comfort layers, it should contain either good quality memory foam (for those that know for certain that they like this type of foam in spite of its disadvantages) or good quality latex foam (which is a much higher quality foam with many advantages over memory foam).
Phoenix
Phoenix,
First off, I just wanted to say thank you so much for sharing your valuable knowledge and experience with all us “amateur” mattress buyers.
After reading numerous hours worth of posts on this website, I’m looking to purchase a latex mattress from a factory direct store (looked at mattresses.net and am looking at their number 1 selling latex adjustable ultra plush king size mattress). I’m a 25 year old back/side sleeper, 5’10’', 205 lbs, in the USMC and looking to sleep good after spending a year in Afghanistan sleeping on cots and $20 twin spring mattresses where I can feel every spring in the bed.
Do you know any factory direct businesses near Jacksonville/Wilmington, NC area?
Also, recommendations on specific layers are welcome on my upcoming purchase! Thanks again in advance Phoenix.
Zack
Hi Zack … and welcome home
Unfortunately there aren’t any local manufacturers that are close to you that I’m aware of but if you are willing to travel about 100 miles there is one in the Fayetteville area that may be well worth visiting along with one in the Rocky Mount area. While I realize that they are a ways away … going to a good manufacturer who knows how to fit you to a mattress, uses high quality materials that will last, and has good value will often save you many hours of frustration and confusion going from store to store and trying to figure out which of the many “stories” you will hear are based on fact and which are just designed to sell you a mattress that only “sounds good” but is missing the “why” or the facts behind the stories. They are …
http://www.originalmattress.com/ Fayetteville, NC. They are a regional factory direct manufacturer who make a wide range of mattresses of all types and are highly regarded. They are one of the few factory direct manufacturers that is well enough known to be considered a “brand name” and are consistently rated at or near the top of most brand name surveys (and ahead of the larger national brands).
Southern Mattress, a Premium Economy Custom Mattress Manufacturer, Nationwide Delivery, Toll Free 1-800-227-8701 Rocky Mount, NC. Local factory direct manufacturer that sells mostly wholesale but has a showroom at their factory and will also sell directly to consumers. They make mainly high quality innerspring/polyfoam mattresses using better quality foam (including HR polyfoam) than most mainstream manufacturers. They have good quality and value in this style of mattress.
Phoenix
Thanks very much Phoenix. I will check out their website and pay them a visit in the future. I’ll keep you posted!
Zack
Hi Zak,
Regarding layering … I would start off by testing the Latex Supreme at OMF. It is suitable for a back/side sleeper and has a 1.5" comfort layer on both sides and an additional inch of polyfoam in the quilting over a 30-34 ILD support core. I would ask to test it both on the “working foundation” that they normally have it on and also on a rigid foundation which may provide better support for you.
This would provide a good reference point for what will work for you. If it isn’t quite right … then an online purchase that took into account any changes that were necessary from one of our online members would likely be the best direction to go.
I took a quick look in your area to see if there were any retail outlets that sold latex mattresses closer to you that might be worth testing as a reference point (even if they didn’t have the value that made them worth buying) but I didn’t see any. I’ll take a look in more detail tomorrow to see if I can see something that I missed with a quick scan.
Phoenix
Hi Zak,
I took a little closer look at some of the retail outlets near you in the Wilmington, NC / Jacksonville, NC area and here is what I found based on the information that is available online and with a few phone calls. While these may not offer the same value as either a local or online factory direct outlet, they do give you a chance to do some testing to get a sense of the general layering options that you need and prefer. When you are looking at alternative brands or smaller national or regional manufacturers … it becomes especially important to deal with a retail outlet that doesn’t hesitate to let you know what is in every layer of a mattress you are considering (assuming their manufacturer even gives them this information). Transparency and openness about the materials in a mattress is one of the most important ways to know that you are dealing with a knowledgeable person and where the “odds” are better that they offer better value (they encourage comparative shopping based on materials rather than making it difficult).
If you are “testing” latex mattresses, either all latex or a latex hybrid with latex in the comfort layers and then polyfoam or an innerspring as the support system … it is especially important to check that there is no polyfoam (or at least very little) over the latex because otherwise when you lay on what a salesperson may call a “latex” mattress … you would really be lying on and feeling more of the polyfoam rather than the latex.
Many of these outlets will also carry other brands which I would mostly tend to avoid and I’ve included comments about the brands that I would focus on (along with the spec sheets).
http://www.capefearbedding.com/ Wilmington. They carry Golden Mattress Company mattresses which also makes a wide range of mattresses including some latex models which have better value than most larger brands.
http://www.bedsplusstores.com/ Wilmington. Carry MiForma made by Anatomic Global and Restonic mattresses. I talked with someone there who was the only person in the store but when I started asking if they shared the layer by layer specs of their mattress he became very hesitant and said “he had to go”. While both MiForma and Restonic can be better value options (in the case of Restonic depending on which licensee makes their mattresses for that area because they all make them differently) the store itself certainly didn’t inspire confidence as to their willingness to tell people about what was in their mattresses or help with meaningful comparison shopping … possibly because they are more focused on selling major brands which don’t make this information readily available and usually can’t compete for value based on their actual ingredients. NOTE ADDED LATER: Their website now appears to be down and they may now be out of business.
http://branchs.net/home.html New Bern, NC. They carry mattresses from Imperial bedding which makes a wide range of “traditional” mattresses which are 2 sided polyfoam over innersprings. While they don’t make any latex mattresses, I’m including them here for reference because they do use higher quality polyfoam than the major manufacturers and they even make their own innersprings so they are much better quality and value than other mattresses of the same type and are well worth considering.
http://themattresscapital.com/ Wilmington, Southport. They carry Solstice Sleep Products and Bed Boss. In a conversation I had with one of their outlets … I was impressed at his willingness to look up the specs of the mattresses they carried and he certainly agreed that knowing what was in your mattress should be an important part of any purchase. I liked his “attitude”.
http://www.wilmingtonfurnitureandmattressco.com/home Wilmington. Also carries Solstice Sleep Products and Bed Boss.
http://www.agoodnightsleepstore.com/ Wilmington. Pure Talaly Bliss.
http://fredsbedsonline.com/ Wilmington. Also carry Pure Talalay Bliss.
http://www.shopcustomhome.com/ Wilmington. Park Place
http://aamattressandfurniture.com/ Wilmington. Jamison, Restonic, Pure Talalay Bliss.
http://hampstead-furniture.com/ Hampstead. Golden, Therapedic.
Hopefully that will help give you a few options that are more local for mattress testing and comparisons.
Phoenix
any suggestions for Gainesville or North Central Florida?
Thanks so much for this informative site and your thoughtful recommendations. We are on our way today up to Fox to begin the process of replacing our 10-year-old Kingsdown and feel much better informed for the search.
I am thankful for finding this forum and site. Seems I have a bunch of reading to do. I am going to visit Fox Mattress in a little bit feeling comfortable they will provide honest information while I begin my journey of purchasing a new bed.
Thank you for compiling and providing the information and recommendations.
Hi FireWalker42,
You’re very welcome. If it helps you find the “experts” along with better quality and value … then it’s certainly worth it
Phoenix
After reading the info here. I called Fox Mattress in Holly Hill. Mic answered every question I had and we are making the hour plus drive tomorrow to pick out a mattress.
Hi usfdad,
As you know I think highly of Rick and the staff at Fox Mattress. They are a member here and compete well with the best in the industry.
I’m looking forward to hearing about your experiences after your visit
Phoenix
Just a quick “Thank You” for the wealth of information on your site, and in particular, for your central Florida references.
I’ve been an on-again, off-again mattress shopper for the past year or so, each time putting off a decision until I could find better information. Armed with your guidelines, I shall likely bring this project to a close and (finally!) replace my current mattress in the next couple of weeks. A visit to Fox and Original Mattress Factory are on my agenda ASAP. Although further away from me (1 hour -vs- 10 minutes), I’ll probably end up purchasing at Fox, mostly due to your reference and their web site.
Again, THANK YOU for all you do. It is appreciated!
Hi jmh,
Welcome … and I’m glad the site could help you
You are certainly looking at some good options and I’m looking forward to your feedback after your visits … and of course finding out what you end up deciding.
Phoenix