By Jennifer Lyng
Special to Inside
Making mattresses is in Larry Sohn's blood, as his family has been in the mattress business for four generations. So when Sohn decided to come out of retirement, he knew there was only one option to seriously consider. He opened Sohn's Heirloom Bedding, which has recently moved to 320 N. Damen Ave.
Sohn's grandfather, Louis Sohn, came to the United States from Latvia in 1898. Trained as a carpenter, he found that mattress making was very low-tech. With just a bale of hay, a sheet of ticking and the skill, you could make mattresses with very little overhead. Shortly after arriving, Louis Sohn started the family mattress business with his two brothers, Arthur and Ben.
After the death of Louis, his two brothers split ways and continued in the business as competitors. Louis' six sons, including Larry's father Harry, eventually entered the business as either owners or workers in five different shops. The advice of the elder Sohns has passed to Larry, who tells of his father's recommendation: "It's always better to be your own boss. Pay yourself one and a half times the salary of your other workers, but work twice as hard."
Of the total of 33 Sohns that have been involved with mattresses, including his own children, Larry is the last. He sold his old business, the very successful Mattress Factory, after 37 years of hard work to spend more time with his family. After his children were all out of the house, he was ready for a new challenge. He realized that if he were going back into the industry, it would be on a different level.
Originally opening shop at 1902 N. Milwaukee Ave., Sohn selected a location primarily by scouting adequate sites within one mile of the Armitage train stop so that he could easily walk to and from the train. He was also hoping to do some retail trade in this area. After a few years, Sohn made the decision to move closer to his base of business, mostly people who work downtown. They can easily drive to his Damen location during lunch, find plenty of parking, order a mattress and be back at the office for the afternoon.
Dissatisfied with the quality of current mass-produced mattresses, Sohn set out to develop the best mattress possible, without considering cost. He says he was pleasantly surprised to find that this process resulted in a wonderful product, priced well below what top-quality mattresses sell for elsewhere.
Handcrafting mattresses one at a time, using the finest available supplies of cotton, wool and latex, Sohn creates a product that is more comfortable and longer lasting than most mass-produced mattresses. "A side benefit," says Sohn, "is that the mattresses are as natural or green a product as possible, given fire retardant standards in the industry."
At this point in his career, Sohn calls his finished products "a labor of love." He makes all the mattresses himself, limiting his output to no more than two mattresses a day "to ensure quality and avoid burn-out." All orders are custom-made, so he doesn't have to carry inventory, have an elaborate showroom or pay for sales staff. No one could sell his product with more enthusiasm, or knowledge, than Sohn himself.
He uses only one part-time assistant to help with the heavy lifting involved with completing some larger pieces. He recently invited his wife to come downtown for dinner. She accepted, but laughingly replied that he must have a king-sized mattress he needed help moving — which he did.
Sohn made 160 beds last year and says that he will limit his output to 250 per year. His primary market has been interior decorators and odd size requests, but he hopes to attract more retail trade at his new location. He describes his clientele as discerning people who demand quality. He is proud enough of his product to put his name on it.
If interested in a Sohn's Heirloom Mattress, call (312) 421-0880 to make an appointment, as Sohn's workshop/showroom is only open three days a week. Their Web site is
sohnsheirloom.com. |
