A Waterbedtime Story™ by Irvin Saathoff
There was a time back in the 1980s when it seemed like there was a brick & mortar waterbed retail shop on every street corner. Having only just begun in earnest after the modern day waterbed was patented in 1971, and as none of the nationwide retailers like Sears and Montgomery Ward who tried selling waterbeds experienced much success, it was a multitude of smaller regional retail operations that drove industry growth.
With waterbed sales peaking at 22% of the domestic mattress industry in 1987*, a number of retailers had grown quite rapidly with multiple locations. As such one anomaly which arose was the advent of 3 different retailers in California all with multiple locations that called their retail operations The Bedroom. So for those wholesalers and manufacturers who might have been supplying all 3 it became necessary to identify them by their regional appellations namely The Bedroom San Diego, The Bedroom Orange County and The Bedroom Bay Area.
Albeit none of the aforementioned operations are still in business, as they disappeared along with a number of other retailers when waterbed popularity waned, a significant number of these operations still exist today having diversified their mattress offerings or transitioned into the conventional furniture business. Unfortunately for the multitude of people who still really love waterbeds and continue to sleep on them today, since the great majority of former waterbed retailers have forsaken their heritage, brick & mortar waterbed retailers have become much harder to find.
So for those who like to try before they buy, traveling hundreds of miles to experience the latest waterbed offerings is the new norm. Fortunately a few retailers who have continued to promote the benefits of fluid suspension sleep are located in desirable locations that can make destination shopping for waterbeds downright enjoyable. One such operation is City Furniture based out of Florida, originally founded as Waterbed City back in the 1970’s. With multiple locations across the southeast, City Furniture features the Afloat softside system.
InnoMax operates a retro factory showroom located in Denver which has been selling waterbeds for nearly a half century and a trendy Loveland Centerra outlet mall showroom nearby Fort Collins, Colorado.
Meanwhile boutique destinations have become popular in Colorado with 2 InnoMax showrooms in desirable locations. The retro factory showroom in Denver is conveniently situated on I70 between the International Airport and the Rocky Mountain summit corridor. Or if you may be headed to Estes Park, Jackson Hole or Yellowstone, the trendy InnoMax Loveland/Fort Collins showroom on I25 North might suite your fancy. In any case Colorado being a destination for all seasons, waterbed lovers can be found year round test resting the latest innovations in fluid sleep at InnoMax. Featuring a wide selection of hardside and softside waterbeds with an extensive variety of flotation sleep support options, many a destination waterbed shopper make a day of it. As winter and summer sports or relaxing in the mountains is never out of season, an InnoMax sleep consultant will be happy to share information on wining & dining and accommodation options nearby.
Both the retro Denver factory showroom and trendy Fort Collins outlet mall showroom feature a wide selection of hardside and softside waterbeds with an extensive variety flotation sleep support options to try.
In conclusion, though click & order waterbeds can certainly be found online these days, if you are one of those people who likes to try things before you buy, brick & mortar destination waterbed shopping may be right for you. Try an online search for a waterbed store in your state, you may have to drive a bit but it may be well worth it.
Note: As a manufacturer producing all waterbed components including waterbed chambers, liners, heaters, frames and accessories required for both hardside & softside mattresses, InnoMax also maintains a nationwide dealer network. So if you are interested in connecting with a dealer in Tampa, Atlanta, Nashville, Toledo, Detroit, Grand Rapids, Yonkers, Saint Louis, Salt Lake City, Houston, Minneapolis, Des Moines, Pittsburgh, Louisville, Ft Lauderdale, Chicago or elsewhere or are interested in becoming a dealer in the multi-million dollar waterbed industry you may also connect with the InnoMax Wholesale Department by calling 1-800-INNOMAX or online at https://www.innomax.com/.
Contributing author for this edition has been specialty sleep veteran Irvin Saathoff. Check back in with the next issue when Waterbedtime Story™ shares yet another perspective. Meanwhile you may connect with InnoMax Corporation anytime at Sleep@InnoMax.com.
Footnote Citation: *Allen Salkin "For Water Bed Holdout, California Dreaming"