Mattress Warehouse: 40 in the Fort

Written for 2023 Readers’ Choice Awards, published by the Fort Wayne Newspapers (one of 35)

40 years in the business and Mattress Warehouse’s identity has been crystalized. They don’t charge for warranties. They don’t receive negative reviews. They employ “some of the most patient people I’ve ever seen,” said President Francine Good, “who go the extra mile.”

Customers come in, Good said, see the same guys working, and they’ll ask you’re still here? “Because it’s not common to see employees decades after decades, and that’s why we’re head and shoulders above anywhere else.” 40 percent of her staff has been with her 30 years or longer. “That’s one of the things I’m most proud of,” she said.

Asa Flint started March 1, 1995. “The specialized staff here with [our combined experience] and individual experience makes it a lot more important to come into a specialty sleep shop.”

“Everybody deserves a good night's sleep regardless of their budget, and that’s what we’re here to do,” Good said. “We show them the best.” They don’t upsell. They always listen. (And they know their start dates.)

Good started in 1977 with a store in North Canton, Ohio. After six years, she relocated to Fort Wayne; she wanted to stay close to her mom after her father passed, and Fort Wayne was the nearest city on the map that didn’t have a Mattress Warehouse or many other competitors. She opened her first store on June 12, 1983, at 427 West Coliseum where FedEx is now.

She won a lawsuit in 1988, legally getting out of the franchise after a dispute with the franchisor. She has owned all of her stores since. Good built all but Lima Rd.

“40 years ago, we were fighting against furniture stores. They couldn’t believe our prices,” said employee Chris Klotz. “And now…people come to us. We're like the big player. 40 years of hard work is still paying off.” He started June 11, 1989.

Good used to do deliveries. Ryan Cleveland (December 12, 2018) does them now. “I could tell when I walked in here, it’s just a superior place to be. The other places I worked for just didn’t live up to what it is here.”