You might say mattresses are in Nick Noblit’s blood.
His father, Joe—a sales representative for Simmons for over a decade—founded New England’s Yankee Mattress Company, a factory-direct mattress retailer, which he operated for a quarter-century before retiring and selling it in 2021. Noblit and his brothers, Conner and Jake, grew up sweeping the floors and doing other odd jobs. Then, as a college senior deciding his future career, “I really sunk my teeth into helping my dad and helping the family business,” says Noblit, who worked at Yankee Mattress for 15 years and eventually rose to general manager.
It was Joe who suggested that the company expand its custom-size mattress business for recreational vehicles, campers, trailers, boats, and antique or imported beds. Yankee Mattress already did some of that work for families across New England, but Joe thought they could grow the business model and offer custom sizes online to customers across the United States.
That was in 2018. Then, when COVID-19 hit and Yankee Mattress had to close its four brick-and-mortar stores for two months, that side project, Custom Mattress Makers, became what kept Yankee Mattress going.
A few months later, Noblit bought Custom Mattress Makers from his dad for a nominal $1. Today, the business is based in Clearwater, Florida, with Noblit at its helm, brothers Conner and Jake and Noblit’s wife, Brenna, also on staff, dad Joe still stopping by to help the family business, and uncle Bill leading one of the brand’s two retail stores in Southwest Florida.
Beaches and buyers
Selling factory-direct online means that Custom Mattress Makers could be located anywhere. Noblit operated the company in his family’s home in western Massachusetts for three years before deciding to relocate to Clearwater, Florida. Not only did the family already have a vacation home in nearby Tampa, but “the Tampa Bay area was one of the fastest-growing economies in the U.S. at the time,” says Noblit. He’d also be closer geographically to his suppliers, most of whom were based in the Southeast—Custom Mattress Makers is proud of the fact that 100% of its materials are made in the United States—allowing for easier shipping and logistics. “Plus, it’s not bad having white, sandy beaches—some of the best in the world—less than 10 miles away,” he adds.
Clearwater also would become a great customer base when Noblit decided to open a retail showroom, since the Tampa area is a hub for boaters, RV owners, and snowbirds traveling from the Northeast to spend winters in sunny Florida. In addition, Florida customers were regularly reaching out to ask if they could try out the mattresses in person. “We got enough of these calls where we said, ‘You know what, we’re going to have to open something,’” says Noblit. “It started with a small store in the front of our factory, and then it expanded out to its own location.”
Today, Custom Mattress Makers estimates that it sells more than 1,500 mattresses annually to customers in all 48 contiguous states in its online and brick-and-mortar stores combined. The company serves a wide range of customers, says Noblit. RV owners might want to upgrade their existing mattress, or a boater might need a specific mattress that will fit into the sharp angle of a boat’s bow. Interior designers might reach out because a client wants a mattress that fits a bed larger or smaller than a standard size. But one thing that is the same for all its customers is this: “They want to be comfortable, and they’re looking for the best option,” says Noblit. “And they want to go with someone that’s reputable, that has a track record of providing a good product and good customer service. That’s what sets us apart.”
Yankee ingenuity
At Yankee Mattress, it was Joe who brought the mattress designs to life, fine-tuning and perfecting a build process that utilized individually wrapped steel coil systems and a variety of foams and fabrics.
Custom Mattress Makers and the two retail showrooms, Tampa Mattress Makers, use a variation of the senior Noblit’s design in most of its mattresses. The company’s 14 models include its value collection, low-profile coil, and silver, gold, and black collections, ranging from a thin 5-inch mattress to a 13-inch-thick luxury mattress, with sizes up to 78 inches wide and 84 inches long. Of course, that’s excluding special shapes. The company can cut in angles, notch corners, and round edges to meet customers’ varying needs for RVs, boats, trailers, and more.
The company started out with just four models but expanded based on customer feedback. “Our customers helped us with that—to grow to a point where we’ve got a little bit of everything for everyone,” says Noblit.
While the company does offer foam options for thinner depths, Noblit says its “bread and butter” is his father’s hybrid design of a steel coil system topped with high-density padding, gel, memory foam, or natural latex and finished with a quilted fabric top. It’s a legacy he’s proud to offer his customers. “That’s the design my dad used with great success at his company,” says Noblit. “So, it’s been tested and proven for almost three decades now.”
The design is available in plush, medium, medium-firm, and firm, but overall has a balanced feel, explains Noblit, to meet the needs of most customers. “The firm isn’t overwhelmingly firm, and the soft is not overwhelmingly soft,” he says. Customers also appreciate that its high-density upholstery padding is approved by CertiPUR-US® as low emission—meaning there’s no smelly off-gassing. Its latex padding is also Rainforest Alliance-certified, and its water-based adhesive has received a GREENGUARD certificate of compliance from Underwriters Laboratory.
It’s important to note that whether a customer chooses a mattress at one of the Tampa Bay showrooms or goes online to custommattressmakers.com, each mattress is made to order for each customer. “We don’t have any items that are sitting on a shelf somewhere, collecting dust,” says Noblit. “Everything is made as a customer orders it. Our normal lead time for special sizes [is] only about two weeks to build those, and then standard sizes from our stores, [it’s] usually a week or less that those are finished.”
To ensure the proper mattress fit, the company’s brick-and-mortar stores also offer a unique Comfort Adjustment program. Within 100 nights of purchasing their mattress, customers are able to adjust the comfort level to be firmer or softer. This is another asset that has been passed down from Yankee Mattress and Joe. “The response from customers has been overwhelmingly positive,” Noblit says. “Sometimes all it takes is a small firmness tweak, and this makes it happen—no mattress replacement required. It’s genius.”
To market
When selling factory-direct, cost is one reason that customers might visit a website or stop by a showroom. But as with any other mattress sale, it still requires an important people skill: listening.
Because good sleep is so individual—dependent upon a mattress’ firmness level, mattress type, and the person’s sleep position—Noblit says that in the showroom, he and his team start by asking customers, “So, what brings
you in?”
“Usually, it’s a mattress,” he says with a grin. “You can pretty much say that’s a given, but you listen to what they need, what they’re looking for, or what issue they’re having that they’re looking to solve.”
Then, before diving into selling, he asks another question: “Have you heard about why our company is different?”
It’s a question any retailer can ask, and it provides a launchpad to explain what sets the business apart. It gives Noblit the opportunity to share what “factory direct” means in terms of having a mattress—even a standard one—made to order and the cost savings for customers with his company as both the manufacturer and the retailer.
Customers usually like hearing that. Noblit then dives into any specific issues, like discomfort with a past mattress or, for custom sizes, height or shape requirements. “Depending on where it’s going, how it’s going to be used can kind of dictate which mattresses we’re going to recommend,” he says. “It’s common for people in sales, especially mattresses, to jump to one product or another without really understanding what the customer wants or issues that they’ve been having. Instead of relying solely on a brand name, we walk customers through how the materials and design will actually help them.”
He also asks: “The mattress you’re getting rid of, when was it working well for you? How did it feel at that point?” and “If you had to make a decision today to sleep on one mattress tonight, which would it be?”
By asking questions, listening carefully to answers, and responding accordingly, “we try and be as transparent as possible so we can build trust. You know, trust is a big word in the purchasing decision.”
Recommending mattresses online is a little different, but transparency is just as important, says Noblit: “We try and put as much information on there as we can to educate [customers] and give them enough to make a decision.”
Custom Mattress Makers’ easy online navigation allows customers to choose their specific width, length, and depth for their standard custom models. For special shapes, the company provides measuring templates and a detailed mattress request form that also invites customers to submit a photo or sketch of how the mattress needs to fit. Useful links include a mattress quiz, FAQ, size charts, and specific descriptions of mattresses for various situations, from horse trailers to sofa beds to semi-trucks and more. Of course, if customers still have a question, Noblit and his team are only a call or email away.
The challenge of online sales is that customers can’t physically lie on the mattresses before purchasing. For customers unsure of their comfort preference, Noblit often suggests visiting a local mattress store and testing out another brand’s individually wrapped or pocketed coil product and noting the brand and model that is most comfortable. Custom Mattress Makers can then make a recommendation based on that product and further customize its product as needed.
Socially speaking
Noblit’s marketing team ensures that Custom Mattress Makers stays on top of searches like “custom-size mattresses,” “special size mattress for RV,” or “antique bed frame mattress” through various advertising strategies on Google.
But its next best way for customers to find the business is through simple word of mouth. The boating and RV communities, for example, tend to be tight-knit, with Facebook groups and meet-ups in RV parks where people often ask, “Hey, where’d you get that?”
“They find someone they can get a good mattress from and it’s comfortable, then it’s a valued recommendation,” says Noblit. “Everyone’s interested in learning how to do things the best way.”
It all goes back to family
Doing things the best way is also the philosophy that Noblit says was passed down to him and his family members from dad Joe. Working with family is the best of both worlds, he says: “There will always be a difference of opinion, which is a good thing in most cases … as long as everyone is on board, working to reach a common goal.”
He adds, “I’m very happy and blessed to have a family business. I consider this company a passing of the torch. When you look around our factory and our stores, you’ll see the legacy my dad spent nearly 30 years building—one we continue today by doing things the right way: putting the customer first and quality first.”
Dad Knows Best
Nick Noblit still leans on the advice his dad, Joe, gave him when he was starting Custom Mattress Makers. It’s good advice for any mattress retailer.
- Stick with what you love—and master it. “One thing my dad taught me is to focus on something that you enjoy doing or that you’re really good at or is easy to you—and focus on mastering that and be the best you can be at that,” Noblit says.
- Don’t spread yourself too thin. “Some stores have 50 mattresses to choose from or more, and that is really overwhelming for most people. So, another recommendation is to simplify your lineup to where not only are your customers able to follow it easily, but your sales associates, right? The more models you have thrown in the mix, the more confusing and overwhelming it can be for everyone.”
- Slow and steady really does win the race. “[If] it skyrockets too fast to where you can’t keep up, your whole basis for starting [your business] in the first place is gone. What you were known for, what customers trusted you with, probably isn’t part of your business model anymore. The important thing is to keep up slow and steady growth. That’s the way I do it.”
- Stay humble and never stop learning. “I’m still young in terms of my experience. I have a long way to go. When I think I’ve learned a good amount, something happens the next morning that changes my perspective.”
