Four years after losing his family’s bedding empire, Tom Wholley’s latest mattress venture is picking up steam.
Connecticut Mattress — the new business founded in 2011 by the former Better Bedding owner — now occupies two stores at the Promenade Shops at Evergreen Walk in South Windsor. One is a temporary showroom while the other is the bedding company’s original store, currently undergoing major renovations.
The South Windsor location was the first store that appeared under the Connecticut Mattress name after Better Bedding filed for bankruptcy and was sold to furniture-giant Sleepy’s in 2010, ending a family business ownership that spanned three decades.
In the three years following its South Windsor launch, Connecticut Mattress acquired properties and built showrooms in Avon and Southington.
The current construction in South Windsor focuses on upgrading the company’s first showroom, expanding it 30 percent to a 4,000-square-foot facility. Meanwhile, a nearby temporary showroom maintains business and employs the same six-person sales staff that has been working in South Windsor since 2011.
Construction will continue through September. The new store will open Oct. 1, at 62 Evergreen Way.
Reentering the industry after a failed business venture wasn’t an easy choice, Wholley said. His late father John Sr. founded Better Bedding in 1976. Later Tom and his brother John took over the chain until it ran into financial troubles and filed for bankruptcy in 2009. Better Bedding bought the company in 2010.
The decision to get back in the game was complicated by the fact that New York-based Sleepy’s retained the Better Bedding brand name and continued to operate Better Bedding stores in Connecticut. The Wholley family was forced to publicly emphasize that they would not have any continuing affiliation with Better Bedding.
Eventually, a slight drop in statewide retail prices and the convenient location for Wholley’s first South Windsor store helped him decide to get back in the business in 2011, with the help of his wife, Kathy.
“I had to stop for a moment and ask myself, ‘Am I ready to do this?’” Wholley said.
Family-run businesses face hurdles when competing with larger players, said Ryan Trainer, president of the International Sleep Products Association (ISPA). To succeed, smaller companies must differentiate their business by focusing on special service niches and a narrow, purpose-specific clientele.
For now, Connecticut Mattress is focused on expansion, said Wholley. Once the South Windsor store is open, he intends to add new stores in Greater Hartford.
“In terms of the real estate market, things certainly are picking up. I’m confident,” Wholley said.
Wholley said the bedding industry has gained steam in the last five years.
According to the ISPA, new technologies, such as gel-based mattresses and medically purposed adjustable foundations, have hit the market and become popular.
“We all joke about white fluffy rectangles, but inside there are lots of things going on,” said Trainer. “There has been a lot of innovation in the past few years.”
Wholley said Evergreen Walk is an ideal location for his customer base.
“It is a destination for people who come from a larger radius,” he said.
Elizabeth Maheu, general manager of The Promenade Shops at Evergreen Walk, said the new showroom will solidify Connecticut Mattress’s presence at the mall, while the temporary showroom’s location near L.L. Bean puts it in an area with significant foot traffic.
Connecticut Mattress also pays attention to broadening its customer service through the Internet. Visiting the showroom may be among the last steps in choosing a bedding item for purchase, Wholley said.
“Buying at Connecticut Mattress is not a spur of the moment,” Wholley said. “Our customers generally come with a purpose in mind.”
