NORTHAMPTON — Yankee Mattress Company, an Agawam-based manufacturer which has gained a “cool” reputation with its gel memory foam mattresses it provides to the high-roller suites at MGM Springfield, is moving its Northampton showroom.

The company, which also has showrooms in Greenfield, Agawam and Springfield, will relocate from its Damon Road location next week into a building at 316 King St., next to the Bluebonnet Diner. The move was prompted by an expiring lease and a chance for additional visibility along Northampton’s major retail corridor.

“We had a great 20 years on Damon Road, and we wouldn’t change anything for a second,” President Adam Miller said. “But, as we think about how we want to evolve and grow, we thought the best way to do that was by moving over to King Street.”

The company was founded in 1999 by Joe Noblit.

After working at Simmons mattresses for about a decade, Noblit realized he could make a “better bed” at a better price and better value, and founded Yankee Mattress, said Miller of Noblit.

Every mattress sold by the company is handcrafted at the Yankee Mattress factory in Agawam. Since its founding, the company has expanded to three additional locations and now has 16 employees.

In 2021, Noblit sold Yankee Mattress to an employee ownership platform for small businesses called Teamshares. Headquartered in Brooklyn, the Teamshares model includes buying small businesses from retiring owners and granting 10% ownership of the business’ stock to employees after closing. Over time, the stock increases employee ownership to roughly 80% within 20 years, according to their website.

To date, Yankee Mattress employees’ ownership is close to 20%, said Miller. The company has a goal of crossing the 50% threshold within the first five to 10 years, he added.

“Joe recognized that his employees would be the best ones to take his company into the future,” Miller said. “Teamshares facilitates employee ownership without forcing employees to have to take on the (financial) burden themselves … It’s purely a long-term wealth generator for employees because they’re not putting money out upfront, but they’re able to have shares in this company that will vest over time.”

Comfort in community

With employee ownership, the company has also found employee empowerment, according to Miller.

Though Yankee Mattress has had a history of being mindful about its materials and where they come from — using only components made in the U.S., most of which are locally made from companies that have locations in central Massachusetts — the manufacturer more recently discovered a way that it could improve its sustainability objectives while also supporting a local nonprofit organization.

A few months ago, Aaron Bisson, the company’s lead mattress maker, had the idea to use excess mattress material to create pet beds. Bisson, who has worked at Yankee Mattress for 11 years, had been taking the surplus material home to make beds for his two dogs.

Each mattress is handmade with coils followed by layers of foam depending on the desired level of comfort, and then a layer of plush comforter is added to the sleeping surface.

The top layer comes in specific sizes based on the anticipated size of the bed: twin, full, queen or king. At the end of each row, there is always some leftover material that’s not big enough for a mattress, said Miller.

“Once we became employee-owned, Aaron brought the idea of using the surplus to make pet beds instead of just throwing it in the trash,” he said.

Initially, the company considered selling the beds, but in keeping with their commitment to supporting the community, Bill Lamirande, vice president of sales, suggested donating the beds to Dakin Humane Society in Springfield. The animal welfare organization provides shelter, medical care, and behavioral rehabilitation to more than an estimated 20,000 animals each year.

Kaitlyn Holloway, community engagement manager at Dakin, said the nonprofit was very grateful for this new partnership established with Yankee Mattress.

“We rely solely on contributions from individuals and businesses who care about animals, and these beds allow us to enhance the care and comfort we provide,” Holloway said in a statement. “The idea was a stroke of brilliance.”

At this point, Miller estimates that Yankee Mattress has made approximately 50 pet beds.

Lamirande coordinates with staff at Dakin to create customized beds, including small beds that fit inside pet carriers sent home with newly adopted animals and bigger beds for larger dogs.

“We just had the tax-free weekend, which is a busy time for us, so we should be able to produce a decent amount of pet beds from that,” said Miller. “The more mattresses we sell, the more pet beds we can make.”

Green collection

Moving forward, Yankee Mattress will continue to look at sustainability from a product standpoint as well as waste creation.

In the next few weeks, the company will launch a new “green collection” that is made out of 100% natural and organic cotton and wools, and latexes that are sustainably sourced, said Miller.

The company hopes to launch a sneak peek of the new product line at the grand opening of the new Northampton location on Friday, Sept. 1. As part of the launch, the company is offering tax-free sales from Sept. 1-10.

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