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The Original Mattress Factory emerged from frustration with how the bedding industry worked, both in terms of manufacturing and retailing, and the company’s first executive team set out to produce and sell mattresses their way.
The Cleveland-based factory-direct manufacturer and retailer has grown significantly since opening its first factory showroom in 1990 and it continues to evolve. Right now, it is in the process of refreshing the interiors of its stores and updating its mattress lines.
But The Original Mattress Factory isn’t quick to adopt emerging trends and evaluates any possible change against its long-held mission and philosophy.
“That really guides us in terms of doing or not doing something that may be common in the industry today,” says Greg Trzcinski, president of The Original Mattress Factory since 2017. “We (often) step back and say, ‘Nope. No thank you. That’s not for us.’”
The company’s mission and philosophy “aren’t posters on the wall,” Trzcinski adds. “It’s who we are, and they’ve attracted people who are OK with being different than the industry. I think in a lot of ways, you could call us an original disruptor.”
What does this mean in practice? It means a no-hassle, in-store sales process based on consumer education and transparent pricing. The company has never held a sale in any of its stores — not one. It means selling mattresses online but strongly encouraging consumers to visit a store before buying to make sure their choice is a good fit for them. And it means constructing mattresses, including several two-sided models, using proven, traditional methods and materials and offering, as Trzcinski notes, “real working box spring” foundations.
Building the Original Mattress Factory
The Original Mattress Factory was founded by Ron Trzcinski, previously president and chief operating officer of Sealy and Stearns & Foster. He resigned in 1988 when the company was sold to investors in a leveraged buyout and soon teamed up with two other mattress industry veterans, Larry Carlson and Perry Doermann. The trio opened the first Original Mattress Factory location in Cleveland in 1990. About a year later, another industry veteran, Doug Stroup, joined as a fourth partner.
They chose the factory-direct model to give themselves control over the entire process, from production to sales to delivery.
Today, the company has more than 400 employees, operating 12 factories and 115 retail showrooms in Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Ohio, Minnesota, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, South Carolina and Virginia. Each factory, ranging in size from 30,000 to 80,000 square feet, serves from four to 15 stores, and all are located within about 70-80 miles of the retail showrooms. The company’s newest factory — in Tampa, Florida — opened in 2021.
Trzcinski says The Original Mattress Factory is always open to adding both factories and retail locations. But “the timing has to be right,” he says. “And it’s got to be from the standpoint of smart growth, not just growth for growth’s sake. There are probably five or six cities that we’re watching over time.” He does expect the company to stick to states east of the Mississippi River. “That’s where people know us,” he explains.
The company initially expanded based on relationships as Ron Trzcinski’s industry colleagues asked to partner with him. That helps to explain the company’s unusual footprint: Initial locations across Ohio were joined by those in Atlanta, then St. Paul, Minnesota; then Charlotte, North Carolina; then Orlando, Florida; and so on, Greg Trzcinski says.
“It was all driven by people who were from those markets, and we felt knowing the marketplace was important, knowing what the radio stations were and where the good areas to shop were,” Trzcinski says. “… The first nine or 10 factories were (all run) by people my father or his associates had worked with directly at Sealy or Stearns & Foster or elsewhere in the bedding industry. He knew they had the skill. He knew who they were and what kind of character they had. Then the next question was, where can (our) model work?”
The company was initially structured with a mix of corporate and local ownership of factories. “It wasn’t a franchise model, but it worked a lot like one,” Trzcinski says. Over time, the company adopted an employee ownership model, with about 80% of the company now employee-owned. Trzcinski says the goal is to reach 100% employee-ownership through its employee stock ownership plan.
“We look for all employees to get engaged and take pride in the work they do,” he says. “The cool thing is, the better the company does, the better the employees do.”
Behind the Original Mattress Factory Production
Trzcinski says The Original Mattress Factory “always has an eye on improving efficiency and managing our costs” at the factory level.
“But we do have one of those non-negotiables, which is, if it’s easier to make, but creates an inferior-quality product, we’re not interested,” he says, explaining that the company still favors traditional techniques like hog ringing to secure other components to the innerspring unit.
“It’s just the best way to go,” he says. “It builds the best beds.”
The company also incorporates natural, time-tested components, like latex, cotton, wool and jute. But, when it makes sense in terms of product quality and price, the company will use newer materials, like a fiber made from recycled plastics collected through the Plastic Bank, an organization that incentivizes people to pick up plastic trash around the globe for recycling and upcycling into new products.
Retail prices start at $299 for a queen-size mattress only and top out at about $2,449. Top models include a two-sided innerspring mattress with heavy-gauge steel coils and cotton upholstery, as well as a two-sided, all-natural mattress featuring latex on both sides.
The company is in the middle of an update of its line, and Trzcinski says the refresh will include modest price increases on some models. As part of the update, the company is also rebranding its product lines to better highlight and distinguish them. “Everything used to just kind of fall under The Original Mattress Factory brand,” Trzcinski says.
The mattress industry is struggling with tariffs and low consumer demand, and Trzcinski says his company has had to pass along some tariff-related price increases. But, he says, The Original Mattress Factory hasn’t been forced to make significant adjustments in the face of the industrywide downturn.
“Some of that is because of our business model,” he says. “We try to always run like it is bad times. We’re always monitoring costs and looking to run effectively and efficiently. We run a pretty flat organization. Then (during downturns), you don’t have to panic.”
The company has long had a policy of sourcing components domestically whenever it can. “Thirty years ago, that meant just about everything, but some of isn’t made here anymore, so that’s a challenge,” Trzcinski says. “But we still buy a drastically higher amount (of components) domestically than most other people.”
The Original Mattress Factory’s sustainability strategy starts with running efficient factories and includes building long lasting products with renewable and recycled materials.
“My opinion is that it’s best for sustainability to make a product that lasts and so we focus on that, and our research tells us that we’re successful,” Trzcinski says. “The bad news is we’re taking ‘old’ beds out of homes (during new mattress delivery) that are only a year or two old. So, again, our focus is how to keep building beds that last so we’re not putting them in landfills or figuring out how to deal with them within just a couple of years.”
The retail side of The Original Mattress Factory is built around transparent pricing and a sales process that focuses on consumer education.
The Original Mattress Factory Shopping Experience
“We’ve never had a sale in 35 years,” Trzcinski says. “… We just keep moving ahead with no sales, no gimmicks, no freebies — just honest, transparent pricing. Every day, we’re here to help you find the best bed.” (It bothers Trzcinski that consumers spend their holiday weekends chasing mattress sales. “Go enjoy the time with family and friends,” he tells people. “Don’t go mattress shopping.”)
| What Guides The Original Mattress Factory |
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| The Original Mattress Factory has grown and evolved since its founding nearly four decades ago, but Greg Trzcinski, president of the factory-direct manufacturer and retailer, says the company’s mission and philosophy remain fi rmly rooted in the ideas and goals of his father, founder Ron Trzcinski. |
| MISSION • Quality and value: Produce quality mattresses in our own factory and sell them directly to consumers, eliminating the middleman and providing real value. • Courteous: Be courteous to our customers and educate them about the product they are buying. • Win-win: Always strive for the win-win solution in dealings with customers, fellow employees and suppliers. |
| PHILOSOPHY • We strive for excellence in all we do. • We will not compromise our integrity for any reason. • We care about our customers and recognize The Original Mattress Factory’s reason for existence is to provide them with a product of value and to treat them with courtesy. • Create a win-win situation in everything we do. • Reward our employees consistent with their contribution. • Provide opportunities for our employees to learn and grow. • Focus only on what is needed to run the business. • Listen to others. • Take good care of the company and, in turn, it will take care of us. |
The “overarching goal” of retail sales associates and store managers is providing “knowledgeable, friendly, courteous” assistance to shoppers, Trzcinski says.
“Our job is to assist customers with making an informed decision that’s going to be best for them,” he says. “… We see ourselves as tour guides helping people through the process, giving them what they need, not trying to force something on them for our benefit.”
The Original Mattress Factory’s stores range from 2,500 to 3,500 square feet, and every factory has a showroom attached. They display 18 of the company’s mattresses models, as well as an assortment of pillows, headboards and frames, adjustable bases, sheets and mattress protectors to provide a one-stop shop for consumers. Accessories vendors include Blu Sleep, Dream-Fit, Leggett & Platt Adjustable Beds and Talalay Global. As part of its transparent pricing policy, accessories are all priced and sold separately — no bundling or giveaways with purchase.
In the past year, the company has redesigned the template for its store interiors, with new flooring (a mix of carpeting and wood-looking vinyl), fresh paint colors, softer lighting and upgraded signage. A mix of grays and blues creates a calm, relaxing environment.
“One thing we’re doing away with is a large banner in most of our stores that shows the factory,” Trzcinski says. “We’re replacing that with a large screen, or bay of screens, that will show videos of the factory,” as well as other video messages.
The Original Mattress Factory sells its products online, but those represent a single-digit percentage of overall sales, Trzcinski says. And the company is ne with that because it prefers that consumers rest-test mattresses in-store before they buy.
“People look at me like I’m crazy when I say, ‘Hold off on your (online) purchase and go to the store,’” Trzcinski says. “But I don’t want to just sell the bed. I want to make sure the person finds the right bed for them and you can’t do that online.”
“We want to try to help them make a better, more informed decision so they don’t just point and click. Because I don’t care how many people gave a good review on X, Y or Z. It doesn’t mean it’s right for you,” he adds.
The Original Mattress Factory’s customers tend to be a bit older, with above average incomes and higher educations, Trzcinski says, but “if you dig into those statistics further, you’ll see our customers are anyone who understands great value — and you don’t have to have a degree for that.” Customers are also drawn to the company because it can custom make oddly sized mattresses for antique bed frames, boats, RVs and other uses.
The company has seen its average ticket rise, which Trzcinski attributes to consumers who are interested in entry-level bedding choosing boxed beds from online sellers and big box stores rather than shopping more traditional brick-and-mortar bedding retailers.
He worries that such convenience has devalued mattresses — and the importance of sleep — in the minds of shoppers.
At the same time, The Original Mattress Factory has benefited from some consumers who’ve been unsatisfied with online purchases of boxed beds. “They’ll say, ‘I’m tired of replacing my bed every two or three years and spending thousands of dollars to do it,’” Trzcinski says. “They like that we make beds the old-fashioned way.”
Why Factory-Direct Still Works Today
Decades ago, the factory-direct model permeated the mattress industry, and the United States was dotted with small producers who built and sold mattresses directly to consumers through their own retail showrooms.
Trzcinski says the business model continues to work for The Original Mattress Factory because it allows the company to control the quality and pricing of its products. And, he says, the company hasn’t muddied the waters for consumers by selling other mattress brands. The focus is always on Original Mattress Factory-made beds.
“We love to take customers out to the factory and have them watch a bed, maybe their bed, being made,” he says. “For us it has always been: How can we deliver a different experience — whether through the product, pricing or sales experience — to the consumer?”
