Welcome to the fourth installment of Bedding News Now’s inaugural look at the best mattress retailers across the country. This report profiles bedding standouts in the Southwest.
We developed these reports by inviting industry submissions, combing through the latest installment of the Home News Now 125 Furniture and Bedding Retailers, and then identifying other mattress retailers known for their commitment to the category. After reviewing our candidates with several bedding manufacturers, suppliers and consultants, we arrived at our selections for the five Best In Bedding retailers in each region.
We excluded national mattress retailers like Mattress Firm, which have a strong presence in many regions in the country. We also excluded direct-to-consumer retailers, a growing force in the mattress category. Future reports will examine those other types of retailers. Our focus now is local and regional mattress stars.
The retailers we are saluting are not listed by volume. Our goal is not to simply recognize mattress revenues, although many of these retailers are generating high mattress volumes, but to celebrate depth of commitment to the mattress category in all sizes of bedding operations, from single-store giants to chains with hundreds of stores. Our selections spotlight brick-and-mortar powerhouses who stand tall in the regions they first began serving years ago — and who continue to embody excellence in mattress retailing today.
We asked leaders from the mattress manufacturing sector and industry consultants to comment on each of our notable mattress retailers.
Mathis Home, based in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, is a furniture and bedding retailer operating its brand of stores — Mathis Home, Design Studio, Mathis Sleep and Mathis Outlet — in Oklahoma, California, Texas and Arkansas as well as Ashley stores and La-Z-Boy Furniture Galleries. Tempur-Pedic, its own brand, Lady Americana, and Intellibed are among its top bedding brands.
Why they stand out: “Mathis Home offers beautifully displayed products throughout its furniture and sleep shops,” says David Binke, CEO of King Koil. “And it is very committed to its own brand of Lady Americana.”
Gallery Furniture, based in Houston, is owned by Jim “Mattress Mack” McIngvale and family. Its largest showroom, located in the Houston suburb of Richmond, Texas, boasts a 30,000-gallon saltwater aquarium and an on-site Lopez Mexican Restaurant. In April, Gallery Furniture announced it would close its Galleria mall-area location. The closing of the retailer’s smallest location at 30,000 square feet is not completely unexpected as the store’s traffic had dropped dramatically from when the road it is located on was torn up to accommodate a Bus Rapid Transit line back in 2019.
Why they stand out: “Gallery Furniture has a very professional sales organization,” says King Koil’s Binke. “The retailer sells very high-end mattresses, and Jim McIngvale has a very philanthropic approach to his company. The Houston and Texas communities are extremely well served by Gallery Furniture.”
Nebraska Furniture Mart, based in Omaha, Nebraska, is part of Berkshire Hathaway’s home furnishings group. That group consists of Nebraska Furniture Mart, with five showrooms including Homemakers Furniture in Urbandale, Iowa; Jordan’s Furniture of East Taunton, Massachusetts; RC Willey of Salt Lake City, Utah; and Star Furniture of Houston.
Why they stand out: “Nebraska Furniture Mart has four locations (Omaha, Nebraska; Des Moines, Iowa; Kansas City, Kansas; and The Colony, Texas) and does more business per store than any furniture store in the world — more than 9 million people visited their stores in 2024,” says Rick Harris, key account manager of sales for Serta Simmons Bedding. “A family-led business founded on the credo ‘Tell the Truth and Sell Cheap,’ Nebraska Furniture Mart is the low-price leader, and their selection and pricing are unmatched in the industry.”
Bob Mills Furniture, based in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, currently operates two stores in Oklahoma, in Oklahoma City and Tulsa, eight in Texas, in Amarillo, Lubbock, Odessa, Midland, Temple, Waco, San Antonio and Schertz, and one in Kansas, in Wichita. The average square footage of stores is 45,000 square feet. In January, it opened its eighth store in Texas, in Schertz, in the NW San Antonio area.
Why they stand out: “Bob Mills has a strong reputation for offering great values,” says Jim Nation, vice president of national sales at South Bay International. “They carry mattress brands like Simmons Beautyrest, Tempur-Pedic, Kingsdown and Aireloom. Bob Mills uses the BedMatch program to help customers select the best mattress for them. And their TV commercials feature Bob Mills touting the great sleep he offers with the mattresses he carries.”
Mattress Direct, based in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, has built a loyal following in its more than two decades of service. The retailer, whose stores average 4,000 square feet, operates 17 stores in Louisiana and Mississippi. Key vendors include Tempur Sealy, Serta Simmons Bedding, Aireloom and Kingsdown. Mattress Direct uses Kingsdown’s BedMatch system to help consumers find their best mattress.
Why they stand out: “With more than 20 years of experience, Mattress Direct services the South Louisiana and South Mississippi region with 17 locations,” says Dennis Sheridan, divisional director of sales for Serta Simmons Bedding. “Their journey began in 2001 with a simple mission: help people experience the benefits of restful sleep by offering top-quality mattresses at affordable prices, and over the years, their commitment to this mission has only grown stronger. The Mattress Direct team believes quality sleep is essential for a healthier and happier life, and they are making a positive impact on the lives of their customers every day.”
Help us celebrate mattress retail excellence: Bedding News Now will be joining with Andmore and sponsors Bread Financial and Serta Simmons Bedding to host a bedding event at the Las Vegas Market at 4:30 p.m. Monday, July 28, at World View on the 16th floor of Building B on the World Market Center campus. We will be honoring top mattress retailers at that event, which is open to the public. Cocktails and appetizers will be served following a 20-minute salute to our Best In Bedding retailers.
