‘Sleepless in Evergreen Park’: New Mattress Store Coming Soon

A New York-based, national mattress retailer has applied for a village business permit, Mayor James Sexton announced at the June 3 village board meeting.

The business permit for Sleepy’s LLC, a four-generation, family-owned, mattress chain out of Hicksville, NY, got a nod of approval from Evergreen Park trustees.

Billing themselves as the largest mattress retailer in the world, with over 800 showrooms in 14 eastern and mid-Atlantic states, Sleepy’s is moving into the former Blockbuster Video site at 2650 W. 95th St.

Sleepy’s stores carry a wide selection of mattress brands including Sealy Posturepedic, Simmons Beautyrest, Serta Perfect Sleeper, Stearns & Foster, Sleeping Beauty, Tempur-Pedic and more.

The stores also sell sleep specialty products including sheets, pillows, mattress pads, brass beds, iron beds, day beds, hi-risers and motorized beds.

The franchise got its start in Brooklyn, NY, in 1931, where founder Louis Acker opened his first mattress store and employed his son, Harry Acker. The Ackers sold handmade mattresses until Louis died of a heart attack in 1955. Harry Acker took over the business in 1957, stocking his stores with brand name mattresses.  

From 1957 to 1975, the franchise operated under the name Bedding Discount Center, when the name was changed to Sleepy’s. Acker hired only the best sales professionals, referring to them as “Mattress Professionals,” which has become the company motto.

Sleepy’s was named one of the best companies to work in New York in 2007, by The New York State Society for Human Resource Management and Best Companies Group. In addition to its showrooms, the national mattress retailer

The company’s business philosophy includes giving back to the community by participating in a variety of local and national charity events.

In 1999, the national mattress retailer opened an online mattress store, sleepys.com.

Sleepy's is planning an aggressive expansion into the Chicago market by opening multiple stores in the region, including Evergreen Park. The company is presently recruiting retail salespeople, district sales managers, warehouse and customer support positions for its Chicago-area stores.