Keep in' it old school: Sudbury mattress maker caters to quality.

• Author: Cowan, Liz
• Position: MANUFACTURING

As a manufacturer, Herb Verhoeven hasn't kept up with the times but he never loses sleep over keeping it old school. The affable owner of North Star Bedding in Sudbury still produces the same mattresses and box springs as he did when he started 22 years ago. He doesn't mass produce, doesn't cut corners, and still chooses the highest quality components for his products. For him, taking the extra steps to produce a quality product has always been his mission.

"Everything has been cut back. The big companies don't do what I do, but people don't ktiow any better," he said. "Joe Public has been conditioned by the marketing of the big mattress makers in Canada, but no one knows what is inside your mattress or how it is made."

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His Walnut Street facility is the only mattress factory north of Toronto. He has supplied hospitals, colleges, universities and seniors' homes all. across the North, along with hotels, motels, and the more than 1,200 lodges and resorts he values as his long-term customers.

Walk-in customers are welcome, but don't expect to just buy any mattress. Verhoeven wants to custom make one that will last for years,

"The most important thing for me is when you come in looking for a mattress, I need to find out what you have been sleeping on before. I need to know what firmness you like, what problems you have been having and then make your bed accordingly," he said. "Some beds I wouldn't even sell to you because I know they wouldn't be right for you."

The tailor-made mattress would also be sold at a wholesale price since Verhoeven sells direct from his facility

He bristles at new products, such as the no flip mattress, that sacrifice quality at the expense of an unsuspecting consumer. They have pillow tops on only the top and claim to be turn-free.

"I refuse to make no-flip mattresses," he said. "It's just half a mattress which is cheaper to make. I have one here in the showroom but it's only to show customers why they shouldn't buy one. I could sell 100 times more mattresses if I did make the no-flips, but they would only last six months to maybe three years."

Mattresses need the same layers on both sides so they can be flipped regularly to avoid getting the indents and contours that come from sleeping habits.

Verhoeven was in the furniture business before deciding to start making mattresses. He spent a year researching the business and trying to find the best equipment. He had a lot of contacts in the industry...