This week we talk about how to get editorial coverage in Furniture|Today. There are a significant number of industry players who are largely clueless on this topic. Only a handful of key executives appear to appreciate and understand the power of a consistent profile in the editorial pages of Furniture|Today.

So, here's a quick seminar on public relations. If you are a bedding executive, clip this column and save it.

Tip No. 1: Tell me what you are doing. Yes, this is very basic, but you'd be surprised how many producers, suppliers and retailers never say a word to me about their business. Some may want to "fly below the radar." I understand that. But I'm not a mind reader. If you want me to know what you are doing, you have to tell me.

Tip No. 2: Send me a press release. In it, you should tell...Read More

When your friendly bedding editor visits a bedding store, he has two choices: Pretend he is an ordinary consumer in search of a new bed, or admit that he writes the bedding column you are now reading.

I've done it both ways over the years. Sometimes I like to see what happens when I pose as Mr. Average Consumer. Other times, usually when I'm there on business, I tell the folks who I am.

During a few hours of recent retail visits on Furniture Row in Orange, Conn., I was honest with the bedding stores I checked out, admitting that I was with Furniture|Today. That admission led to two great store visits, and one disappointing experience. One big bedding retailer didn't want me in its store.

But first the good news.

The saleswoman in the Better Bedding store was delig...Read More

Is the mattress market going soft? Absolutely. And therein lies a tale … or should we say a column?

We are not just talking about business trends, folks. As we all know, bedding business is poor across much of the country. Sales are soft to nonexistent.

But I'm talking about a different type of softness, the kind that relates to how a mattress feels when you lie down on it. Yes, there is some soft bedding on the market today. And that represents a big change from conventional industry thinking, which holds that soft is a four-letter word, one to be avoided at all costs.

Looking for the opposite of a firm bed? That would be a "gently firm" bed. Or maybe a plush bed. I mean, we could say soft, but we usually don't.

I explored this issue with some executives at Sealy ...Read More

The bedding carousel can spin along merrily for years, with the same group of leaders on board. But then it will stop, sometimes unexpectedly, to let a president off, or to pick up a new one.

That happened last month, with Restonic President Carlene Evenson Peterson announcing she will be leaving by the end of the year. (see related story)

A few days later, the carousel stopped altogether as Larry McKay, president of Comfort Solutions by King Koil, left that group. (see related story)

There was, of course, much talk about those departures during the ...Read More