Believe it or not, the mattress we just bought for our guest bedroom was the first one either of us had ever really shopped for in person. Until now, our beds were either handed down from family or purchased secondhand from thrift stores — including two daybed mattresses we picked up from Goodwill back when used mattresses were still considered acceptable there. We’ve also bought one mattress online before: our organic mattress, which surprisingly fit us perfectly even though we didn’t test it in a store. So the idea of shopping for a mattress face-to-face felt a little intimidating at first.
We wanted to do our homework and make a smart purchase, but we didn’t have weeks to spend visiting stores. Our goal was to research enough to feel confident without overdoing it, since this mattress will only be used occasionally by guests. Many readers had already offered suggestions when we mentioned our search on a previous post, so we had some useful starting points going in.
In the end we purchased our guest bed at The Original Mattress Factory. They weren’t originally on our radar until my mom sent a Consumer Reports article that ranked them second, just behind Tempur-Pedic. After reading about memory foam’s mixed reception — it can sleep hot for some people and is a love-it-or-hate-it experience for many — we decided an innerspring mattress would be a more crowd-pleasing choice for a guest room. That led us to favor a classic innerspring mattress paired with a box spring instead of a memory foam set.
Walking into the store, we were impressed with how straightforward everything was. Three things stood out immediately:
1. The store carries only one brand — their own — and every mattress is locally made right at that location, since the shop doubles as a factory. That transparency felt reassuring.
2. They display cross-sections of their mattresses (and even several competitor models) so customers can compare materials, coil gauges, padding thicknesses, and construction details. Being able to actually see the layers made the differences much easier to understand.
3. They don’t run sales or gimmicky promotions. By manufacturing locally and selling directly, they avoid middlemen and constant price-markdown tactics, so their pricing is consistent. It was refreshing not to be pressured by “limited-time” deals that keep reappearing in mailers.
Even though the store impressed us, we didn’t buy that day. We visited a few discount mattress retailers and Ikea to compare, and those experiences were frustrating. Multiple brands, confusing promotions, and unclear model differences made shopping overwhelming. We ended up leaving most stores without even trying the beds, except for a few Ikea models that turned out to be pricier and unavailable for timely delivery. After finding an independent review in favor of The Original Mattress Factory and seeing their strong Better Business Bureau rating, we felt comfortable returning to make our purchase.
The next evening we went back and bought a full-size Classic Luxury Firm mattress set for $379, which included the box spring. We chose a model with a little extra cushioning for guest comfort — not the top-of-the-line luxury option, but a step up from the base model. With a frame ($50), delivery ($38), and tax ($21) added, our total was $488, just under the $500 budget we had set aside. The quality felt good, and even our dog Burger seemed to approve when he tested it out.
We picked a full-size because it fits the room best, allows us to reuse our existing bedding and headboard, and matches what most friends and family expect in a guest room. A full-size mattress keeps the room practical while giving guests a comfortable place to sleep. Now the challenge is pulling the rest of the room together in a couple of days so it feels like a complete bedroom instead of just a mattress set up on frames.
Here’s hoping we can finish the room quickly — time to get to work.
P.S. — We’re giving away a Flip Ultra HD video camera today on BabyCenter, the one we use to shoot our videos. There’s also a new Clara video over there — yes, it includes a tambourine. If you want to enter, check out the giveaway on BabyCenter.