the furniture retail know-how of Rex Fox with the production savvy of the Carters . Rex was already in the retail side of the business , selling mattresses made by other companies . The Carters offered Rex an opportunity to contribute the knowledge and skill he developed as an upholsterer to making his own mattresses . They set up a combined factory and showroom . Fox Mattress was born , a manufacturer and retail store that does not sell wholesale . What followed was a decades-long successful partnership . Today in Volusia County there are over one hundred retail stores selling mattresses , but Fox Mattress is the only manufacturer .
There have been many changes in the last forty years in mattress manufacturing — machines replaced hand-sewn , wood foundations replaced box springs , feathers disappeared , foam edged out cotton , and mattresses became one-sided . Fox Mattress is one of very few mattress manufacturers that still makes a two-sided mattress . They also set themselves apart by producing mattresses that are tailor-made for the Florida climate . Stuffing materials like coconut fiber or raw cotton — commonly used by other mattress manufacturers — are not suited for highly humid climates and can lump together causing unevenness . Fox recently added foam mattresses to its production . While the foam used in competitors ’ single-sided mattress products is often porous and thin , Fox uses inches of compact foam in its two-sided foam mattresses .
It is not just the uniqueness of their product that makes the Fox brand so popular . Fox Mattress customers get top quality for their dollars , no matter their budget . As Chelsea points out , “ It ’ s the insides
that count , not just a nicely stitched top .” There are no industry-wide standards governing mattress manufacturing . In Fox ’ s showroom , cross-sections of competitors ’ “ high end ” mattresses show consumers how they can be misled . The material on the inside is cheap , sometimes almost non-existent , as in the case of foam , and simply not what consumers think they are purchasing . At Fox Mattress , all materials are carefully checked to meet strict quality standards , and each mattress is produced under stringent requirements . Fox only uses materials manufactured in the United States — down to the smallest part . For example , insulator pads used in Fox mattresses are made by a company in Tennessee . When a supplier sent a shipment of pads made in China , it was turned back . If this won ’ t sell a Fox mattress , nothing will .
Chelsea recalls a customer who bought one of Fox Mattress ’ s less expensive mattresses for his guest room . Once he slept on the new mattress , he ordered another one for his own bed saying it was far superior to what he had . Rounded corners ? Unusual width ? Not a problem . Pointing out the fact that Fox Mattress can make almost any custom request , Chelsea shares other stories about a customer who needed custom mattresses for his RV and another who needed mattresses for his boat . There is even a Swiss architect who gives Fox mattresses as gifts to his customers .
High-quality customer service doesn ’ t stop when the customer walks out the door . Chelsea takes meetings during lunchtime and answers phones when needed . When
Co-Owners Rick & Chelsea Carter show how much work goes into producing a high quality mattress .
| 20 | EVOLVE BUSINESS AND PROFESSIONAL MAGAZINE