Hi All,
I thought I would amalgamate and update some of the information about some of the better sources of mattresses in Southwest Ontario generally and London specifically.
For those that are in the Toronto GTA area … post #1 here has a list of many of the factory direct manufacturers in the area and some comments from members about some of them as well.
A more detailed list centered around the Windsor area is in post #13 here.
A more detailed list centered around Cambridge / Kitchener / Waterloo is in post #2 here.
The factory direct manufacturers south of Toronto include …
http://www.beambedding.ca/en/index.html Waterloo, ON. Has been in business since 1932. Low to mid price mattresses using either high quality poly or innersprings and fibers. They are what I call “mattress people”.
http://www.bestwaybedding.com/ St. Catharines, ON Makes a full range of mattresses including latex, memory foam, and innersprings. From the same family as CJ mulholland but completely separate and not the same.
http://www.cjmulhollandmattress.ca/ Hamilton, ON I talked with a saleslady at one of their stores and we had a great conversation and I was impressed with what they were doing. When she suggested I talk with the owner Jim, I did (on 2 occasions) but he seemed completely uninterested in my questions or in sharing any information with me about what they are doing. I have somewhat mixed feelings about them although they may have good value and would probably be worth a visit for those who are close by.
http://www.newdawnmattress.com/ Hamilton, ON Makes a complete range of latex, memory foam, and innerspring mattresses with good value.
Furniture & Home DĂ©cor - Bring Home To Life - IKEA CA Burlington, ON. See post #3 here for some of the better value here.
http://www.waterloomattress.ca/ Waterloo, ON. I have talked with them and they make foam and innerspring mattresses along with some memory foam and latex. They also carry some of the ZedBed mattresses. These are the two I would focus on here. They use high quality materials and no lower density foam. Good people.
http://www.thefoamstore.ca/ Kitchener, ON. Makes and sells mattresses that use high quality polyfoam and memory foam and have some good value.
These would generally be good sources of better quality/value for those who are within reasonable driving distance.
There are several smaller wholesale manufacturers that are made in Ontario and sold through retailers that may also have better quality/value. Most of them make a range of mattresses including latex, memory foam, and innersprings. A phone call to these or checking if they have a retail retail store finder on their site may provide you with any retailers that are close to you.
For those that are in London, ON (where the original poster was) there are also some better retailers in the area which have better quality/value and are more knowledgeable than most retailers or the mass market outlets which sell major brands.
http://www.aamattress.com/ London, ON. Talked with him today and they are very open about their mattresses and will tell people the information they need. Good value. No all latex. Carries Dreameasy, Sleep Inn, Galaxy, and King Koil.
http://www.inbetweendreams.com/ London, ON. I have also talked with them and was very impressed. They are informative, knowledgeable, and helpful. They design their own mattresses made by a local manufacturer and carry the mattresses which they believe are the best quality, more natural, and have the best value including organic latex and latex hybrids. Good people with the right attitude. They have a showroom in their home and you will need to call for an appointment.
http://www.sleepfactory.com/ London, ON. They are a group of franchisees that carry their own house brand mattresses made by Endless Comfort. The level of knowledge and service at each franchisee varies but the better ones are open about what is in their mattresses and they can customize them as well. I would focus on their house brand here and not the major brands they also carry.
http://www.mattressoutlet.ca/ London, ON. They are a “no frills” warehouse outlet that carries Springwall and Boyd along with mainstream brands I would ignore. Be cautious here and make sure they can provide you with good information about the layers in their mattresses before considering them (they tend not to be as knowledgeable or focus on the materials in their mattresses as much)
http://www.eq3.com/ London, ON. UPDATE Mar,2014: They stopped carrying Natura and currently don’t sell mattresses but they are designing a new line which includes Coconut Coir and latex which they told me will probably be out in a few months.
http://www.johans.com/ Strathoy, ON. They carry Pure Latex Bliss (Talalay latex) and Springwall (innersprings with various types of comfort layers including latex and memory foam) who are both manufacturers that provide all the information you need about the materials in their mattresses and would be worth considering. I would ignore the major brands they also carry.
For those in the Hamilton / Burlington area there are a couple of additional options there I’m aware of that may also be worth including in your research …
http://www.themattressdiscounter.com/ Burlington, ON Retail direct for Dreamstar. Have some latex hybrid mattresses (and other styles as well) on their floor and can also custom order. Knowledgeable and helpful and would be well worth including in your research.
http://www.parksfurniture.com/ Hamilton, St Catharines, Niagara Falls, ON. Carries Galaxy and Springwall both of which are more transparent than most manufacturers and may have some better quality and value.
This should provide some better options in the Southwest Ontario area and in London in particular.
Phoenix