Bike-friendly business sense from a mattress store

Still from Path Less Pedaled video showing
Mattress Lot owner Michael Hanna.

A mattress store is the last place you’d expect to cater to bicycle riding customers. But that’s the case at the Mattress Lot on NE Sandy.

We mentioned this place back in 2010 when they started delivering mattresses by bike and they’re still going strong.

Now, in a new video just released by Path Less Pedaled, Mattress Lot owner Michael Hanna speaks some important truths about doing business in a way that respects more than just one transportation mode. In the excellent short video below, Hanna spells out why his approach works and why it makes sense.

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My favorite takeaway from his comments are how he realizes — and so eloquently explains — that people who ride bikes aren’t some strange group that needs to be specially catered to. “These are not fringe people,” Hanna says in the video, “the cyclists we see day in day out are the same people who send their kids to our local schools, the same people who have jobs all over this area. It’s very, very mainstream.”

— Check out more great videos about how bicycles are having a positive impact on Oregon’s economy at PathLessPedaled.com

Jonathan Maus (Publisher/Editor)

Jonathan Maus (Publisher/Editor)

Founder of BikePortland (in 2005). Father of three. North Portlander. Basketball lover. Car owner and driver. If you have questions or feedback about this site or my work, feel free to contact me at @jonathan_maus on Twitter, via email at maus.jonathan@gmail.com, or phone/text at 503-706-8804. Also, if you read and appreciate this site, please become a supporter.

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Josh G
Josh G
9 years ago

…they sleep on mattresses like everyone else. Well, maybe used futons.

Dan
Dan
9 years ago

Beautiful piece.

As someone who rides without a u-lock, I’d love to see more places with ‘park bikes inside’ signs. Come to think of it, indoor parking is one of the reasons I stop in Western Bike Works regularly (not a plug), and the reason I don’t stop other places.

Joseph E
9 years ago
Reply to  Dan

Universal Cycles and Velo Cult both offer indoor parking. I suspect other large bike shops do as well, and even small ones are usually happy to let you bring your bike inside while shopping.

RJ
RJ
9 years ago

Michael has a tremendous backstory, too. Really a great guy.

http://www.oregonlive.com/news/index.ssf/2010/06/former_katu_reporter_starts_th.html

El Biciclero
El Biciclero
9 years ago

“the cyclists we see day in day out are the same people who send their kids to our local schools, the same people who have jobs all over this area.”

…And sometimes the same people one might see driving occasionally around town. Us vs. Them is such a frustrating pattern of human nature.

Pete
Pete
9 years ago
Reply to  El Biciclero

Yes, and it’s amazing how some businesses treat you differently when you show up by bike! I was shopping for a particularly rare car several years ago and rode to the nearby auto dealership – they were super-snotty to me, virtually ignoring me to help other people who clearly hadn’t waited as long! I had the car shipped from a brokerage in Chicago and drove it to the dealership not long after to see if I could find the same salespeople and how they would treat me. Sure enough, they were kissing ass! I told them I had to buy it elsewhere because they treated me like crap when I showed up on my bicycle and I was there now to buy a license plate bolt.

Anne Hawley
Anne Hawley
9 years ago

Even if I had a car, I wouldn’t vs able to bring a mattress home in it, and would request delivery. There’s no definite link between car ownership and interest in purchasing large items. It’s nice that Mattress Lot gets the simple fact that I might arrive by not-car to look around their store.

Pete
Pete
9 years ago
Reply to  Anne Hawley

This is a good point. We have a Ford ‘SuperVan’ cargo van and still had to have our king delivered (not by bike, sadly).

Scott H
Scott H
9 years ago

This guy knows what’s up.

Chris I
Chris I
9 years ago

I wonder if they have considered a new trailer design that would allow for up to four mattresses or box springs? The main disadvantage I can see with the bike delivery is that they are paying two employees to transport it, and they can only deliver to one customer. If you move the rear wheels back another 2 ft, you could span a low-profile deck between them, allowing enough vertical room for four stacked, without compromising stability. If both employees towed one of these trailers, you could deliver to four customers with one trip.

jeff
jeff
9 years ago

parents just bought a CA. King from them and we bought one there about 4 years ago….great business.

Nicholas Skaggs
Nicholas Skaggs
9 years ago

Bike N’ Hike also has indoor bicycle parking at all four of it’s locations.

It would be kind of odd for a bike shop *not* to offer parking, wouldn’t it? (I suppose it’s an odd world we live in.)

Joseph E
Universal Cycles and Velo Cult both offer indoor parking. I suspect other large bike shops do as well, and even small ones are usually happy to let you bring your bike inside while shopping.
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e
e
9 years ago

I bought a bed from them last month. Super nice people, super comfortable bed!

NG
NG
9 years ago

Not only bike friendly, but they are the best mattress store in town. We looked at a lot of stores before wandering into the Mattress Lot. They are really low pressure and helpful. We must have spent 3 hours lying on different mattresses and asking questions. They were incredibly patient and knowledgeable and never tried to pressure us into making a snappy decision. They are an awesome business in every way.