Despite a dark and stormy day at High Point Market, retailers found enough flowers, sunshine and new products to lift their moods and freshen their floors
The High Point Market April 14-18 in High Point, North Carolina, offered a mix of spring weather—sunny days, afternoon rainstorms and temperature swings, not to mention a tornado in nearby Greensboro. Along with the changeable weather, proof of spring was all around in budding trees and vibrant tulips.
A springtime optimism pervaded many market showrooms, as well. Sleep products manufacturers noted that while the event was light on foot traffic on bedding floors, they had lots of appointments and orders. And producers brought plenty for buyers to see, from reimagined lines to colorful bedding to special editions.
Take a look at what the BedTimes editors found while walking the show.
Note: Unless otherwise stated, all prices are suggested retail for queen-size sets.
The real thing
Real Simple, the consumer lifestyle magazine published by Meredith Corp., launched boxed-bed brand Real Sleep by Real Simple. It’s an e-commerce brand sold directly to consumers, but the company attended the High Point Market seeking retail partnerships, too, according to Rashida Poorman, Real Sleep director. The memory foam mattress retails for $995 and incorporates foams with CertiPUR-US certification. The bed is contract manufactured in the United States from domestic components. Its white knit cover is a blend of polyester and organic cotton yarns. The FloraFlex cushion layer is an open-cell memory foam with excellent breathability, the New York-based company said.
Slender is the night
The Ergomotion Element adjustable base, which launched in 2017, is sold without legs and is meant to be dropped into an existing bed frame. According to the Santa Barbara, California-based company, the slim-looking deck has a unique construction. Priced from $999 to $1,399, the good-better-best options include zero wall clearance, Bluetooth compatibility and massage. The newly introduced, lightweight fourth model (pictured) is compatible with Amazon Alexa and can be drop shipped. Element adds versatility to retail displays, too, the company says. It can be slipped into any room vignette, instantly adding mattress adjustability.
Affordable luxury
Premium bed maker Shifman Mattress Co., with headquarters in Newark,
New Jersey, marked the 125th anniversary of its eponymous brand with a limited-edition model in the attractively priced Quilted collection. The anniversary bed set retails for $1,999 and features a two-sided mattress with Bonnell innersprings layered with natural cotton. The bed sports the company’s signature crisp, white cotton damask ticking and sits atop a box spring with working coils. “This bed offers tremendous value for our retail partners and continues Shifman’s tradition of offering exceptional comfort, quality and value,” said President Bill Hammer.
True Blu
Mebane, North Carolina-based Kingsdown debuted a new iteration of its foam Blu Tek line. Kevin Damewood, executive vice president of sales and marketing, explained that the foam core uses layers of gel foam, memory foam and Carpenter Co.’s Omalon polyurethane foam to provide perfect support. Retailing from $1,499 to $1,999 in firm, plush and luxury models, Blu Tek features five zones with microcoils in the lumbar section and uses both horizontal and vertical perforations for airflow.
New in town
After opening its first Las Vegas showroom in January, Brooklyn Bedding made its move into High Point. “The response (in Las Vegas) was so positive, we knew we had another tremendous opportunity for growth at High Point,” said John Merwin, owner and chief executive officer of the Phoenix-based manufacturer, wholesaler, retailer and e-commerce player. On display were the brand’s most popular collections in various constructions, sizes and firmness levels. Prices range from $600 to $1,600, and every bed can be roll packed.
Twice the comfort
The Therawrap2 pocketed-coil mattress took center stage at Princeton, New Jersey-based Therapedic International. Launched in January, the four models in this two-sided hybrid collection retail from $999 to $1,299 and use plenty of premium foams in the cushion layers, including a copper-gel memory foam and new high-density polyurethane foam. The panel fabrics are a high-end BekaertDeslee plush knit that uses the Waregem, Belgium-based ticking supplier’s Adaptive finish, which is described as helping to promote dryer, cooler sleeping.
Foam-encased latex
Latex beds often fall under the luxury banner, but Landover, Maryland-based A.W. Industries Inc., a Serta licensee that also makes the proprietary Sleepwell brand, introduced a latex and foam bed that falls below the $1,000 price point. At $999, the SLX-900 has 2 inches of Talalay latex on top of a 7-inch foam core in a polyurethane foam encasement. Chris Theodore, territory manager, runs his hand over the panel, which is treated with a cooling finish and embellished with a leaf design on the panel and a repeating “s” stitched into the quilt.
Easy does it
Jake Neeley, marketing communications director for sleep accessories supplier Malouf, shows just how easy it is to lift and fold the new Highrise bed frame. Retailing for $220, this bed frame is ideal for college students or anyone who might need a portable option. The Logan, Utah-based company also highlighted two new colors in its upholstered headboard collection. Ivory (pictured) and Atlantic (a medium blue) join charcoal and stone color choices.
Linens to love
Danican highlighted the private-label bedding it sells by the container from China. The program launched at the Winter Las Vegas Market in Las Vegas and includes mattresses, toppers, pillows and protectors. Danican also celebrated the U.S. launch of TrueStuff, a container program for higher end decorative bed linens the company already sells in Europe. The sheets are certified to meet the Global Organic Textile Standard, said Thomas Frismodt, chief executive officer of the company. Danican is the Atascadero, California-based U.S. division of EverRest ApS. The company has global headquarters in Aarhus, Denmark.
Dual focus
Norfolk, Virginia-based mattress manufacturer Paramount Sleep focused on the redesigned Hypnos collection, which had a soft launch in the fall. The beds are manufactured with a global and local, or “glocal,” strategy, said Paramount President Richard Fleck (left). Hypnos beds are manufactured to the U.K. brand’s specifications with luxury fabrics and fills that include cashmere, silk and wool yarns. To suit U.S. tastes, Paramount made the beds single-sided with steel edge support, taller profiles and support coils inside comfort coils. Retail prices for the 10-bed series start at $3,199 and top out at $25,000. Fleck is pictured beside a Natural Haven model, part of the Hypnos line, with Richard Diamonstein, Paramount managing director (seated); and Steven Maddox, Hypnos brand manager, in back.
Welcome space
Brent Polunsky, bedding support sales manager for El Paso, Texas-based W. Silver Products, felt at home in the company’s first solo showroom space in High Point. Located in the Manning Building at the Centers of High Point, the 2,000-square-foot space had plenty of room to showcase the company’s full line of adjustable bases and bed frames. Its Comfort-n-Motion bases include three models in the Silver series and three models in the Gold series, which retails from $799 to $1,499.
Cool act
Jessup, Maryland-based Classic Brands kept its cool with its new PostureTemp line. The four-bed collection features ventilated memory foam and gel-infused memory foam. Topped with a geometric cover that looks like ice fragments edged in silver, PostureTemp keeps sleepers cool with phase-change technology in the fabric. The line debuted at the Winter Las Vegas Market in Las Vegas and has been “very successful and well-received,” said Mark Owen, executive vice president, pictured on the Magnificent model. Suggested retails range from $999 to $1,999.
