The Straight Poop: Walker’s Furniture and Mattress

By Drake the Dog
Reader Pet Columnist

Where am I taking my humans today?  

Drake and Walker’s Sales Consultant and Interior Designer Vicki Martin.

We’re going on a field trip indoors to escape the smoke! So take a deep breath and see if you can bark out the answers to these clues:

•These guys have 14 family owned stores in three states 

•Collectively they sell over 1,000 units per month

•One product is a large portion of their business

•This product can be found in almost every room in your home

•Everyone in the family can try it before buying

•Four-footed children are afraid of the electric version

•If it’s not the right ‘fit’ everyone suffers

One final hint: the name of the highlighted product in this establishment has two double letters, and is included in a title of a musical. Did you fetch the answer?

As I jump in the car, I’m putting on my Chewy Vitton slippers and Kate Spayed robe. We’re going to raise the woof at family and dog friendly Walker’s Furniture and Mattress located at 210 Bonner Mall Way in Ponderay. We’re in search of a mattress for our new Murphy bed.

Vicki Martin, sales consultant and interior designer invites us in. I don’t know where to lay my paws first, as I’m sniffing out living rooms, guest rooms, vacation home rooms, dining rooms, bedrooms and they all have mattresses! Vicki’s blue manx cat, Jax (11 months), shared that his favorite piece of furniture is the bed. Wonder why?  

“Once upon a Mattress” — oops, I mean Walker’s — started in Spokane in 1980 as a small unfinished furniture store, providing customers with competitive pricing. A second store opened in Spokane Valley, which added a line of furniture to the unfinished selections. As they expanded, the mattresses took over a large portion of the business in the Washington, Oregon and Idaho stores. Inquiring minds want to know — how many mattresses do they sell in a month? Vicki told us they go through between 28 and 46 in the Sandpoint store. That’s times 14 stores. You do the math — that’s a lot of mattresses! 

The secret sauce to selecting that great mattress is to consider the purpose. Is it a full- or part time mattress? Who is going to sleep on it? And the most important question: Is there a dog in the bed? If the answer is yes, you guys might consider going from queen size to king. And can we jump up on the bed easily? One word of caution here: Most of us are afraid of electric beds. Why? Because if the remote is on the bed, and we jump on it, the bed moves. When there’s a whole lot of shakin’ going on, nobody sleeps. 

The best-selling mattress is the pocketed-coil type. Most people are preferring this mattress because it is easier to roll over on when sleeping. Ditto for me, because when I roll over, I get a treat! It takes more energy to roll over on a foam mattress (who wants to go to the gym in the middle of the night?). However, motion-based beds provide the opportunity for greater comfort, especially if you experience sleep apnea or acid reflux. When your head and feet are raised, you get relief from total pressure on your back. This is the optimum position to go into that deep-snoozer state.

For our Murphy bed, the most important details were the height of the mattress and comfort. Vicki showed us the ones that would fit the frame so it would close correctly. Did you know that mattresses now have individually pocketed coils? The benefit is less partner disturbance because the pockets are more independent and adjust according to your pressure points. We had to choose carefully to ensure that our guests would have a restful night’s sleep. Doing my best downward facing dog and wagging my tail, I preferred the coils on the Serta, iAmerica, Enzo Sleep, Beauty Rest and Temperpedic. Putting my best paw forward, we bought our mattress. Fur babies, family and our new grandbaby will be jumpin’ on this bed!

For five years, the Sandpoint team at Walker’s Furniture and Mattress have been providing an exceptional shopping experience. All customers feel welcomed here. Don’t forget to sniff out their Labrador weekend sale. A new mattress will give you a new leash on life…imagine the pawsibilities!

Walker’s Rules:

1. Leashes required; well-behaved pups only 

2. Small fur babies must be in a purse or tote 

3. No jumping on the furniture or mattresses (let’s be mindful of allergies and pet dander) 

4. It’s OK to be at home on the rugs

5. Bushes are outside for your convenience. The ones just past the Dollar Store are the best.