Believe it or not, the mattress we recently purchased for our guest bedroom was the first one either of us had ever truly shopped for in person. Previously, our beds were hand-me-downs from family or inexpensive finds from thrift stores (we actually got two daybed mattresses from Goodwill back in the pre-bed-bug-awareness days—though they claimed to sanitize them before reselling). We also bought an organic mattress online, which surprisingly suited us perfectly without an in-store trial. Still, heading out to test mattresses in person felt a bit intimidating at first.
We wanted to research enough to make a smart purchase, but didn’t have weeks to spend visiting stores. So we aimed for a balanced approach: gather good information without overdoing it. Many readers had already shared recommendations when we mentioned our search previously, which gave us helpful starting points.
In the end we bought our guest mattress from The Original Mattress Factory. The store wasn’t on our radar until my mom pointed out a Consumer Reports piece that ranked them second behind Tempur‑Pedic. We decided early on that we preferred an innerspring mattress over memory foam. Memory foam can be polarizing—some people find it too hot or uncomfortable—so for a guest bed we wanted something more universally appealing. That led us to the classic innerspring plus boxspring setup. When I looked up nearby locations I discovered there was a factory-store just a few miles away, which made the decision even easier.
From the moment we walked in, the experience felt refreshingly straightforward. Three things impressed us immediately:
1. They only carry their own brand, and every mattress is made locally at that very location—a real mattress factory.
2. They display cross-sections of their mattresses (and samples from competitors), so you can see the materials, wire gauges, and layer thicknesses for direct comparison.
3. They don’t run sales or promotions. Because they manufacture and sell directly, there’s no middleman markup and pricing is consistent. That removed the stress of wondering if a “better deal” would appear tomorrow, a tactic we’d seen repeatedly advertised by other retailers.
Despite being impressed, we didn’t buy immediately. We visited a few discount stores and Ikea to compare. Those experiences were confusing: multiple brands, unclear promotions, and complicated pricing left us uncertain, so we left most stores without testing much. Ikea also couldn’t deliver in our required timeframe and was pricier than the option we liked from The Original Mattress Factory, which had favorable independent reviews and an A+ Better Business Bureau rating. After that, choosing TOMF felt like the clear choice.
We returned the next evening and purchased a full-sized Classic Luxury Firm mattress set for $379; the price included the box spring. We chose a model with a little extra cushioning for guests—nothing extravagant, but more comfortable than the base option. Adding the metal frame ($50), delivery ($38), and tax ($21) brought our total to $488—comfortably under the $500 budget we had set aside. Quality control was reassuring too: the factory environment felt professional, and even our dog Burger gave the mattress his seal of approval.
We opted for a full size because it fits the room best, avoids replacing existing bedding, and matches the full-sized headboard we already own. Most of our friends and family use full beds in their guest rooms, so it felt like the right, familiar choice. Hopefully the fresh mattress will feel like a small luxury to visitors—assuming we can finish the rest of the room in time so it looks like a proper bedroom instead of a mattress showroom.
Time to get to work.
P.S. Today we’re giving away our favorite video camera on BabyCenter—a Flip Ultra HD valued at $199, which is what we use to shoot our videos. There’s also a new Clara video over there that involves a tambourine. It’s a fun little clip and there’s a chance to enter the giveaway.