Hi JoeLemaire,
Burlington is one of the areas of the country that doesn’t have any factory direct manufacturers in the area but there are a few retailers that may be worth considering.
I looked at about 35 or so stores that are within about a 75 mile radius and the best of these are listed along with the names of the brands they carry that I would consider (I would not consider any of the major brands they carry). It’s still important to make sure that the outlet provides you with the specifics of the materials and components in each mattress that you are seriously looking at but at least these brands may have better odds of finding better quality and value in some of their models.
http://www.thegreenlifevt.com/index.php? Burlington, VT that carries White Lotus and Savvy Rest mattresses that use natural or organic materials but are also in higher budget ranges.
http://burlingtonbedrooms.com/ Burlington, VT. Carries Naturepedic which are also high quality natural and organic mattresses along with Symbol mattresses.
http://www.burlingtonmattress.us/ Burlington, VT. Pure Talalay Bliss latex mattresses.
http://sleepquartersvt.com/index.php Retailer in South Burlington. Appears to carry Natura mattresses.
http://www.wendellsfurniture.com/ South Burlington, Colchester, VT. Gold Bond, Pure Talalay Bliss, Wendells private label.
http://godnicksfurniture.com/ Rutland, VT. Carries Pure Talalay Bliss and Gold Bond
http://heartofvermont.com/ Barre, VT. Carries Royal-Pedic innerspring/natural fiber mattresses which are high quality mattresses but also carry premium prices.
http://www.loonrustics.com/ Lincoln, NH. Carries Savvy Rest component latex mattresses
http://www.greenmountainorganics.com/ St Johnsbury, VT. Savvy Rest component latex mattresses
In areas like this where there are only a few better options … it may also worth considering an online purchase if that’s within your comfort zone. The members here that specialize in online purchases and are good at providing guidance about your best choices (particularly in latex or latex hybrids) are listed in post #21 here. A few of the better memory foam choices (if that’s a direction you are considering) are listed in post #12 here. Online sources can also act as a “value reference” point for a local purchase as long as you are making apples to apples comparisons. I normally suggest that if any premium for a local purchase compared with a similar style, and quality mattress online is more than about 20% or so that an online purchase may be worth considering (depending on each person’s “value equation”.) Less than this for similar mattresses and a local purchase makes more sense IMO, especially if you are working with a knowledgeable retailer, because you can more accurately identify which mattress best suits your needs and preferences.
While you have some better options … it may take a little additional research to make sure that you know what you are buying and I would especially focus on the knowledge and service of retailer to make sure they are open about the materials in their mattresses
Feel free to post any questions you may have along the way.
Phoenix