Sleep Gallery: your bedroom and mattress store for more than 30 years

By ELLEN KOLMAN - Staff Writer - ekolman@starbeacon.com
Star Beacon

January 12, 2009 11:36 pm

— SAYBROOK TOWNSHIP — It all began with a need for a second job.
Ray Bahr began his journey in the sleep business by working at a mattress store in Willoughby.
“The gentleman owned three stores and wanted to sell two of them. The store in Ashtabula, then called Mattress Warehouse, was doing the best, so I bought it,” said Bahr, who along with his wife, Lauren, own Sleep Gallery, located at 2539 W. Prospect.
That was 30 years ago. Since then, the Bahrs have needed to expand their Sleep Gallery showroom and storage space several times.
“The community has been very good to us,” said Ray Bahr, who resides in Plymouth Township.
The Sleep Gallery sells a variety of conventional-mattress top name brands, including Serta, Sealy, and Stearns and Foster. Specialty mattress name brands include Tempur-Pedic, Reflexion and True Form. Other specialty beds sold include futons, adjustable beds, air beds, daybeds, kids’ beds and water beds.
Since customers are allowed to lie down and test out the mattresses, people have been known to fall asleep, Lauren Bahr said.
The Sleep Gallery sells much more than mattresses; it is a complete bedroom store, selling cherry and oak bedroom sets, brass and iron beds, wall units, mirrors, vanities, lights, armoires and accessories. Bedding accessories sold include comforter sets, 300 thread-count sheets, memory foam pillows, foam overlays and mattress pads.
“A lot of our success here is we have been able to find quality sales people who understand customer service,” Ray Bahr said. “They care about the customers’ needs and are knowledgeable about what they sell.”
The present economic downturn has not affected sales as much as those at other businesses because people can put off buying a new bed only for so long, Ray Bahr said.
“People do value a good night’s sleep, and more people are buying better-quality beds as an investment in their health and well-being,” he said.
The Sleep Gallery offers a professional delivery. The delivery personnel have years of experience and are timely, courteous and knowledgeable.
“We have a great team of behind-the-scenes guys who do a fantastic job. They offer a ‘white glove’ delivery service,” Lauren Bahr said.
Sleep Gallery offers free delivery on premium-set purchases, including all Sealy Posturepedic, Serta Perfect Sleepers, and Stearns and Foster sets. It also offers free removal of old bedding and free setup on these premium sets. There is a nominal delivery charge on other mattress sets.
The Sleep Gallery also has a huge warehouse located on West Prospect, across from Sanborn Road.
“Steve Bahr and Dave Rosario run the warehouse, and they are excellent at their job,” Ray Bahr said.
Four times a year, there is a huge clearance sale at the warehouse.
“It is not about the customer lying down and saying, ‘I’ll take this bed’; it is about educating them and fulfilling their needs by giving them the best sleep for the best value we can,” Ray Bahr said.
The Bahrs also own three Sleep Gallery stores in Erie, Pa.: at 3616 Liberty St., Liberty Plaza; 2208 W. Eighth St.; and Summit Town Center at Peach Street and Route 90.
Hours for all stores are 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday to Friday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, and noon to 5 p.m. Sunday.
For further information on the Ashtabula store, call (440) 992-6444.

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