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.
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