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The Sleepy's Story

In the late 1920s Louis Acker stood on Ellis Island and prepared for the American dream. In 1931 he opened his first mattress store.

In Brooklyn, NY a boy named Harry Acker worked in his father’s mattress store. Harry worked hard, tying knots and stitching mattresses by hand. In 1957, two years after his father’s death, Harry made a decision to take the years of experience working with his father hand making mattresses and expand the well-known mattress store. Sleepy’s was born.

Harry worked day and night to make his dream a reality. He filled his stores with the largest selection of brand-name mattresses anywhere to make sure each Sleepy’s customer would be able to find a mattress that was perfect for them. Then, he created Sleepy’s Incredible Price Guarantee, believing every customer deserved the lowest possible price with a promise that would help them rest easy. Most importantly, Harry hired only the best salespeople and trained them not just how to sell, but to listen carefully to the customers’ needs. He called these salespeople “Mattress Professionals,“ and they were.

By 1977, Harry had opened 8 Sleepy’s stores and “The Mattress Professionals“ was quickly becoming a household name. Because of the number of loyal sleepers they had acquired, Sleepy’s headquarters needed to be expanded. The offices moved to a 20,000 square foot space in New Hyde Park. In 1986, less than a decade later, Sleepy’s built a 60,000 square foot building in Pt. Washington, NY to accommodate their 32 showrooms.

From there, the growth of Sleepy’s continued at a rapid pace. After acquiring Kleinsleep mattress chain in 1993 and opening their 75th store in 1994, Sleepy’s moved their offices yet again to a 230,000 square foot headquarters in Bethpage, NY.

In 1995, following Sleepy’s acquisition of Mattress Discounters in NY and NJ, Sleepy’s launched 1-800-SLEEPYS, a convenient toll free service that allows customers to consult with a mattress professional from the comfort of their home.

In 1999, Sleepys.com was introduced as a source of information to help customers educate themselves before going into one of Sleepy’s showrooms. The answers to a great night’s sleep were now at their fingertips.

By the close of 2007, Sleepy’s had expanded their store count to more than 600 stores, having acquired Sleep City in PA; Mattress Firm in CT and MA; and later Rockaway Bedding and OTB (Off Track Bedding). Their five distribution centers would ensure Sleepy’s customers across their trading area would not have to wait to start getting a great night’s sleep on their new Sleepy’s mattress.

Sleepy's ability to reach customers expanded tenfold in June 2009 with the launch of the new Sleepys.com. Complete with E-commerce capabilities, the site would allow customers to conveniently purchase a wide variety of mattresses, bedding supplies, and sleep accessories online. They also expanded their online Sleep Center, providing even more valuable information to customers about finding the perfect mattress and the importance of a good night's sleep.

Today, Sleepy's is the largest specialty mattress retailer in America and is still growing, opening new showrooms and allowing convenient purchase by store, telephone, live chat, and online.