A mind-boggling variety of mattresses are available to the consumer as the industry continues to change and evolve. “Smart foams, memory foams; the possibilities are endless but we are finding that people are trying to go back to the basics, back to that natural mattress, almost back to the all horsehair-like feel,” explains Jessica. Some aspects of the mattress industry are coming 26
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full circle. Unlike in the 1920’s however, a mattress like that today is a true luxury item. Already a common practice in Europe, Square Deal Mattress factory is working on offering a hybrid mattress with a lot of these natural fibers inside. Using loose natural fibers in a mattress requires a lot of skill and many hours of labor, over 600, in building a bed. Richard says it’s “similar to the way my grandfather worked when he first started the company. A lot of the beds he made utilized a lot of the same techniques used in these types of beds today, 100-year-old techniques using hair and wool and cashmere and flax. Recently we’ve purchased a piece of machinery out of England to bring back, and be able to do, some of the inner tufting on some of these beds.” The ability to offer this choice separates them from the masses. It ties back to the family’s upholstery background and restoration of antique furniture. They still have the ability and the skills to reproduce that kind of work, which is something that is hard to find in today’s automated mattress manufacturing world.
The upholstery trade skills, the dedication to quality, and the pride in community is their motto and mainstay. The entire package has been passed from generation to generation at Square Deal Mattress Factory. “We are building each mattress for a customer and that customer is our neighbor. We are going to want them to be satisfied. The quality of what we build and the service and the belief in our product sets our mattresses way ahead of a lot of the major brands.” Richard, Jamie, and Jessica have mattresses in stock at their factory warehouse. You can have them custom build a mattress specifically for you and have it delivered in less than a week. You can even see your mattress being built! Square Deal Mattress Factory is happy to offer tours providing a firsthand peek into their family’s historic mattress story. You can call them at 530.342.2510, visit their website at squaredealmattress.com, or stop in and see them at 1354 Humboldt Avenue. We celebrate this remarkable local business. 1920 to 2020, Happy 100th birthday Square Deal!
WRITTEN BY SHELLY BRANDON PHOTOS BY FRANK REBELO
industry. Richards says, “It’s little components like this that major manufacturers wouldn’t take the time to put into their beds because it’s too labor intensive to install when making 4,000 mattresses a day. Whereas, when you’re making less than 25 beds a day, you can take the time to make them special.” This focus on quality doesn’t end at the door. Jamie talks about their Lifetime Comfort Guarantee. She says, “I think it sets us apart from any other mattress retailer in town. Since we are a factory, we can adjust the comfort of the mattress. If you get it home after a while and see that it's too firm or too soft, you can bring it in and we can do that for you.”
