North Carolina Industry For the Blind

We just tried a mattress made at the Industry for the Blind in NC and it seemed to be very comfortable. Do you know anything about it?

Hi kbmw94,

I don’t know anything about them but I would sure like to :). I looked at their website and it doesn’t list any mattresses so I couldn’t find out what materials they are using from the site. I will certainly call them to find out more as it is a great idea.

I know there are many mattress manufacturers … factory direct and wholesale … as well as foam manufacturers such as NCFI in NC so I don’t know if these are actually manufactured by them or are part of or work with another company.

When I find out more I’ll certainly share it here and any information you can share about the mattress you tested or about them would certainly be appreciated.

Phoenix

The mattress just said “Sleep Green” on it but it looked like a very high quality item. (Queen $999) The salesman, who kept trying to guide us to Tempurpedic, said the memory foam was a density of 4.3. He had my wife lay on a Tempurpedic with a Golf ball under her. He seemed annoyed when I told him that I didn’t intend to sleep on golf balls or pay the price for Tempurpedic. He also said his store has an exclusive right to sell this mattress?
My wife has back and neck problems from two previous injuries. 3 herniated discs cause her a lot of discomfort, so we are looking for something that conforms to her body and yet is supportive enough to keep her comfortable throughout the night. She sleeps mostly on her back with early morning sleep on her side. She must also use a knee pillow and good support neck pillow.

What local manufacturers do you like in NC? We weren’t real happy with our Park Place (South Carolina) which we are replacing.

Hendersonville, NC

Hi kbmw94,

Here are the factory direct manufacturers within 105 miles of you (there were 2 within 104 miles so I thought I’d go to 105 miles :))

http://lakemattressandfurniture.com/ Factory direct manufacturer in Conover. I have talked with Todd (one of the owners) on several occasions and they are transparent, knowledgeable and helpful. They make a range of memory foam, latex, and innersprings and have some very good quality and value options. They can also layer the materials they use in any of their mattresses at their factory so you can get a good sense of how they feel as well.

http://www.parkplacecorp.com/showroom Larger Regional manufacturer who normally sells only wholesale but has a showroom in Greenville, SC which sells factory direct. You will need to make an appointment first with Jay Orders as it is not a “public” showroom.

Denver Mattress® - The Easiest Way to Get the Right Mattress Johnson City, TN and Charlotte, NC. Regional factory direct manufacturer that has a range of mattresses which they manufacture themselves … along with some major brands which I would ignore.

http://www.originalmattress.com/ Gastonia, Hickory, NC. Regional factory direct manufacturer which carries a range of good quality/value mattresses including innersprings, latex, and memory foam.

http://www.coltonmattress.com/ Asheville, NC. Local factory direct manufacturer. Makes a range of mattresses including latex, memory foam, and innersprings. They are well worth talking to and visiting if you are within driving distance and are what I call "mattress people.

http://dilworthmattressfactory.com/ Charlotte, NC. Local factory direct manufacturer that also makes a range of mattresses including latex, and innersprings.

http://sleepworldnc.com/ Retailer in Asheville and Arden. They carry Pure Talalay Bliss, Anatomic Global, and Organicpedic mattresses and in conversations with Jeff at the Asheville location it’s clear they have good knowledge and either he or Amanda at the Arden location would be happy to track down any specs that you need that are available to them.

http://nestorganics.com/ Asheville. Carry Savvy Rest and Naturepedic mattresses that both use high quality materials but make some careful value comparisons here because they may not always be in the best value range compared to some other similar mattresses.

There is some feedback from one of the forum members about a few merchants centered on Asheville, NC here

Overall … as you probably know if you’ve had the chance to read some of the recent threads or some of the more detailed information under the mattresses section of the site … I believe that latex is a better, or at least less risky, alternative than memory foam for those that have back issues. If memory foam is a strong preference … then I would use the thinnest layer possible to provide good pressure relief with a high quality support core under it.

I would start with the local or factory direct manufacturers on this list and call first to make sure they have mattresses in your price range and that would be appropriate for your circumstances before taking a long drive.

I used Hendersonville as my starting point for mileage but if you go to the Greensboro area where I understand Industries for the blind is located … then there are others that are reasonably close to that which I didn’t include on my list.

Phoenix

I received a call from the Industry For the Blind and they are going to provide me with more info

Hi kbmw94,

I talked with Mark today (who I understand talked with you as well) and got some clarification about what they manufacture and where they are available. I was originally looking at North Carolina industries “of” the blind website which doesn’t make mattresses. http://www.wsifb.com/about-us/locations.html is the one which makes mattresses.

They primarily make their mattresses for retail outlets and for institutional and government customers but they do have one factory direct outlet right next to their factory in Winston Salem which sells directly to consumers. Everywhere else they are only sold through retail outlets that are not a part of WSIFB itself. Each retail outlet would decide which of their mattresses they carried and of course they would sell other mattresses as well.

They typically make the “old fashioned” mattresses made of innersprings and natural fibers on top and these are what are on the floor in their factory direct outlet. They will also however make memory foam mattresses on request for a customer at that outlet or for retail outlets (or other wholesale buyers). He told me that they are more than happy to let customers know the details of what is in all their mattresses. I’ve added them to my list so if anyone in the Winston Salem area is looking for a factory direct manufacturer … I can let them know.

That explains too perhaps why you were being “steered” towards the Tempurpedics since the retail outlet you were at was not connected to WSIFB and would likely make a higher profit on the Tempurpedic. The factory direct outlet in Winston Salem wouldn’t carry any other brand names and only sells or makes their own brand.

Thanks again for letting me know that they existed :slight_smile:

Phoenix.

I want to thank you for the websites that you sent to me. I have real legitimate choices and competent mattress dealers to work with now. Equally important I no longer have to deal with the mentality of the substandard, commission based sales people pushing their agenda. I have learned a lot and I thank you.

Update on Industry For the Blind foam mattresses.

I have learned that these mattresses are not made in Winston-Salem but are imported from China and rebranded as part of the Industry For the Blind’s business model. Their construction consist of a 3" top layer of 3.0 lbs 15 ild Visco foam and a 7" base layer of 2.2 lbs 30 ild foam.