Hi mmeadows24,
There are a lot of “mom and pop” manufacturers in Fresno and in talking with most of them … they focus on “cheap” mattresses and know little about the materials they use. There are very few of them that have inspired any confidence in me and I would seriously hesitate to buy from most of them. It’s hard to believe that there are so many people who make mattresses in the area that know so little. When you ask them what type of mattresses they make they will say things like 8" to 14" or other equally meaningless descriptions.
http://www.abetterbed.com/ in Fresno is an exception to this. When I talked with Bill the owner I was expecting more of the same but was surprised to find he wasn’t. While he is certainly a “schmoozer” … if you ask more specific questions you will find out that he is very knowledgeable in mattress construction and materials and genuinely knows his stuff. He can make mattresses using most materials and uses talalay latex, 5 lb memory foam, and higher quality polyfoam (from 1.5 lb in quilting layers all the way up to 3 lb HR poly). He has also downsized all his operations so that all the value he makes can go into his mattresses rather than business expenses. While I haven’t done extensive research into all the options in the Fresno area (and I’ll add more to this thread as I come across them) … at this point A Better Bed would be my first choice.
http://www.manta.com/c/mm2vp5c/visalia-mattress-factory is a factory direct manufacturer in Visalia. In the one brief conversation I had with him some time ago he seemed suspicious about why I was asking him questions about the mattresses he made and when I told him what I was doing he said “I have a son who does that”. That was the extent of our conversation (we didn’t connect since) so I have no idea what he makes. There is more feedback about them in post #10 here which unfortunately also wasn’t the best experience.
There is a wholesale manufacturer there called Pleasant Mattress (Cannon Sleep Products) but they sell through retail stores. They may also have some better quality and value mattresses compared to larger brands but you would need to call them to find out which stores sell them in the area.
Some local retailers that may have some “possibilities” but would need more research about their level of transparency, service, and knowledge (and I’ve included the brands they carry that may have some better than average value) includes …
http://www.mattressexpofresno.com/ Fresno, CA Englander (with some latex), Cannon
http://www.morfurniture.com/ Retailer in Fresno and Bakersfield (and other locations). Lumina, Sherwood (same company).
http://lifestylefurniturehomestore.com/ Retailer in Fresno. Lady Americana.
There are also some options that are a little bit further away in the Bakersfield area listed in post #3 here and in the Modesto area in post #7 here and in the San Jose area in post #2 here that may also be worth a phone call and/or a visit if you are OK with a longer drive.
Phoenix