The well-known and respected Banner brand of locally produced mattresses is still available in Toledo from Banner Factory Direct which recently opened a new showroom in Toledo to sell mattress and furniture products.
“It’s a brand new company. We started a new company, bought the rights to use the Banner name and purchased the mattress factory,” said Bard Strand one of four former Banner Mattress employees who formed the new company.
Banner Factory Direct opened the 18,000 square-foot retail showroom at 2544 North Reynolds Road at Elmer just before Thanksgiving and Black Friday. The company is leasing the store, Strand reported.
The four owners include Strand who is responsible for sales and marketing; Wayne Leahy in charge of buying and merchandising; Chris Frybarger running the factory operations; and Ray Rygalski, responsible for delivery, service and warehousing. Including the four partners, the company currently has a total of 10 employees.
“We’re working owners who are involved in the business every day,” Strand said. “We want to thank the Toledo community for the tremendous support they have given us. It’s been very positive.”
Banner Factory Direct is the only retailer making and selling 2-sided “flippable” mattresses in today’s marketplace, according to Strand. The mattresses are produced in the former Banner Mattress factory locater at Bishop and Monroe Streets in Toledo.
“Nobody else makes them any longer but us so we’re the only retail outlet for these locally-made mattresses,” he said.
Strand said that the mattress selection in the new showroom is complete and they are working to expand the furniture selection there. He said they wanted to open their own showroom rather than be in one of the former Banner store locations which were being sold by the former company.
Strand reported that they are looking at possible locations for a second showroom in the Toledo area.
The new company is talking with several companies about making private label mattress products for other regional retailers due to the production capacity of the factory, according to Strand.
The Banner brand has been made and sold in Toledo since the original company was founded in 1929. It was operated by three generations of the Karp family and employed as many as 100 people until the business was closed earlier this year. Strand served as general manager of the company at the time of its closing.
“Banner mattresses are made by and for people who live in this area with those dollars staying in the local community,” said Frybarger, who served as factory operations manager and worked for the former company for more than 30 years.
Banner Factory Direct’s showroom is open Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday, Noon to 5 p.m.
