FUTON LIFE SPRING 1996

VOL 8 NO1

Inside Futon Life This Month:

• Cover Story: The Massey Factor
• Publisher's Forum: A Classic Business Redemption Story
• Retail Perspective: by Gary Boden, Concensus Research
• Home: Back to the Current Issue
• Back to Archive

The TB 117 Issue

Flammability Testing Reveals High Violation Levels of California TB 117 Standards

Cover Story

The Massey Chronicles

My first trip to High Point in 1985 brought me into the New Moon showroom, somewhere in the National building. At this point in time I had never heard of Ron Massey, the designer of the futon frame I was looking for. I'd been selling the Brouwer Bed in Providence for a year or two but I'd heard that the new T.H.I.S. frame was definitely a step in a new direction. The frame was made in Canada by a company called National Woodcraft, a large furniture producer in Montréal, but still no mention of its designer, Ron Massey. Massey had been working towards this creation (called the Shibumi 2 at the time) for some fifteen years. The fact of the matter is when he started doing business in the furniture category, in the fall of 1969, he had no idea he would end up doing futon furniture. Massey, the classic designer/entrepreneur, had actually begun his relationship with Ted Goldman of National Woodcraft in 1969 through a mutual associate, Mr. Benton Lewis, National's fabric supplier. The history that follows is obviously from Ron Massey's perspective and is detailed enough to give the reader a clear understanding of his major contribution to the birth of this growing industry. - Editor.

1969: "Do anything you want"

"Benton offered me a job while I was managing a clothing store he frequently shopped in," said Massey, "He had offered me an open ended opportunity to start a business for him. 'Do anything you want' he said, 'I don't care if you want to make hot dogs.'" Massey began to look around for a business opportunity. In a large furniture store, downtown, he saw a product that would become a furniture icon of the seventies, the bean bag chair. "I decided that this would be the business I would start, a bean bag company. I ran the numbers quickly and discovered that the German made chair selling for $250.00 at Valliquette's would cost me about $13.00 total for all the materials and production," Massey said. He then showed the idea to Lewis who took it to Goldman. Goldman said the idea was great and called the Sears Canada buyer and told him (the buyer) to fly to Montréal, "right now." They all met with the buyer, who loved the chair, and decided on a manufacturer. The chair was made and then shown at the Winter Toronto Show where, unfortunately, it sat in a corner and got very little notice. A few weeks later Sears contacted Massey and said they would be willing to put the chair into the catalog but none of the others was willing to come up with the money to back the project and it died. In the Spring of 1971 Massey decided to take a job with Chrysler.

"My time at Chrysler as a parts picker gave me the push I needed to think about moving back into my own business," he said. He also learned a lot about nuts and bolts, two products that became a major part of many of his early furniture designs. It was at this time that Massey showed his second idea to Goldman, a KD sling back chair. "I brought the chair to Ted, hoping that this time we would get somewhere. We showed the chair at the Montréal show where it sold extremely well," he said. But as they were moving out of the space Goldman told Massey that he would not be able to make the chair. "He told me his production manager had advised him against it," Massey said.

1973: Riding the Pony Express

During a sick leave from Chrysler in the autumn of 1973, Massey, whose father was in the meat and provisions business, came across a high margin product that he began selling from the trunk of his car and later from his first retail store. The product was pony skins.

"I would have the ten dollar skins cured, a hundred at a time, for another ten dollars each and then sell the better ones for $300 to $400," he said. The store was called Pony-Express Mtl. and it was on the fashionable Crescent Street in Montréal. During this time period Massey also began working on a new version of his sling back chair. The retail space, which had previously been a fashionable women's clothing store, sported three dressing rooms made from a high-end birch plywood. Massey used the wood to create some chairs and table frames. "I covered the chairs with the smaller pony skins and got some glass tops for the tables. Before I knew it people wanted to buy the grouping so I began to manufacture it for sale in my store. Everything was what we now call 'RTA' or 'Ready to Assemble'. Then it was called, as the Europeans named it, 'nomadic' furniture," he said. Massey was soon selling his furniture wholesale too.

1974 was a benchmark year for Massey and for futon history. "In 1974 I met two guys in the wood and molding business. Verner Amschwand, a wood buyer with General Wood and Veneer of Montréal, and Gus Gorsky, who was with Montréal Molding Products, introduced me to imbuia wood, better known as Brazilian iron wood. I would soon be looking to Brazil for the simple wooden parts for my chairs," he said. Massey met 'Wernie', as he calls Amschwand, in his retail store. Amschwand commissioned him to create a room full of furniture for his apartment. Massey created furniture for every room. A bed with incorporated night tables, a dinning room table and chairs with a serving trolley, and a huge L-shaped sofa with end tables and coffee tables. Massey's experience with Gorsky's molding operation led to his using dimensioned lumber with specs that he still uses, in part, to this day. It also acquainted him with Brazilian woodworkers. "Wernie set me up with several parts manufacturers who were making parts for the likes of Winchester rifles and Stanley tools. Big factories," he added.

Massey went to Brazil and began doing business with a factory owned by Dr. Mario Britto. "I was able to get all the cut pieces for a chair for $3.25 each. We would finish the pieces and shrink wrap a complete set (of chair pieces) on to a printed cardboard backing for sale at retail," he said. During this time Massey had also hooked up with two investors and through a series of unfortunate circumstances, during the next two years, even this apparent success ended in disaster. "We were flirting with a major piece of business, but things just didn't work out. In late August of 1976 I was locked out of my factory and my business was gone," he said.

1976: Never Say Die

By the 1976 Christmas season Massey, ever the determined entrepreneur, was back again with a new edition of his three-quarter inch slat, sling back chairs and tables. "Everything was KD (knock-down), all put together with carriage bolts, hanger bolts and acorn nuts. At that particular time I didn't have a retail store but I was selling to several small retailers as well as Import Bazaar, a Canadian "Pier 1" type store," he said.

The following year was a time of major transition and growth for Massey's business. It was also the year he began to create seating products for futons with the 2.5" X .75", and 1.25" X 1.25" dimensioned maple lumber which would show up again in his T.H.I.S. frame of 1984.

"By the winter of 1977 my company was situated in the buildings of a former auto dealer. The showroom was our retail space and the garage was our production area. That Christmas (1976) we showed our products at the Handicrafts Show in Montréal. I reconnected with Hershey Siegal, the owner of Le Chateau, a clothing store I'd worked in years before, and he made a retail space available right next to his flagship store on St. Catherine street in Montréal. This became the first of five Environmenthe furniture and accessory stores we opened between 1977 and 1983," said Massey.

It was during this time (winter 1978) that Diane Bisaire, of Simply Cotton, asked Massey to create a futon frame. He responded with a frame that looked like a stationary, early version of the T.H.I.S. convertible frame of 1984. Massey also developed a futon lounger he called the Shibumi. The back rest, seat and footrest were all connected and were adjustable with a piece of sisal rope. The ends of the rope had a wooden block attached to them and this block, when fitted at different points between the slats, stopped the frame from collapsing and thereby allowed it to recline in several different positions. This frame was also part of the evolution towards the Shibumi II, which was renamed the T.H.I.S. in 1984. It was also at this time that Massey opened a retail store in Manhattan, and where he came into contact with futon pioneers Shinera. "We never did connect or do any business," he said.

Things went very well for several years on the business end, but personally things were not as good. By 1983, once again, Massey was out of business and back to square one in Montréal. Fortunately our story doesn't end here.

1984: Focus on Futons

"In June of 1984 I met my wife Dianna," he said. He also had been working on a wide (75") version of the narrower reclining frame he had dubbed Shibumi 1 back in 1982. This new frame, the Shibumi 2, became the booth furniture for the showroom of the company Massey was working with at the time, Bois Franc Royale, at the K-Design show in New York in September of 1984. The Shibumi 2 utilized a 7/8" dowel pin to lock the frame into both the seating and sleeping positions. This mechanism was the first simple bi-fold mechanism, and was the catalyst for most of the other early designs that followed.

"This show was a defining point in my futon career," says Massey, "The Shibumi 2 idea was seen and sold to Pranji Lodhia, of Shamiana, on the West Coast and Randy Young, of New Moon, on the East Coast. Bob Fireman and Tara Pearl were there looking at these frames too." The frames were being made by Bois Franc Royale at the time, but the ultimate producer of the frame became National Woodcraft of Montréal. "I decided to ask Ted Goldman, whom I had met and worked with on several projects over the years, to come with me to High Point in October of '84. I wanted him to meet Michael and Randy Young of New Moon who were showing my frame. They got an exclusive territory for the products. At that time I had named the frame the Aparté which means 'an aside.' Randy didn't like the name so I told her to call it THIS frame not THAT frame. Hence T.H.I.S.," he said.

1985 was show time. "We went to the Spring High Point show, the Summer San Francisco show, and the Dallas show," said Massey. Futons were flying everywhere. "It was during this time that I designed the Dove," he said. The T.H.I.S. was good. The Dove was great. In fact the Dove graced the cover of the Futon Life (Volume 2 Number 1) in the Spring of 1990. "At the Dallas show in the summer of 1985, Paula Sonner, now of Castle Bay, said I should try to design something that didn't look so much like a fence. In about five minutes I came up with about ninety-five percent of the details for what would become the Dove," Massey said.

1987: Designer to Distributor

The years from 1985 to 1987 were great, but things were about to change again. In 1987 Massey and National parted ways with lawsuits flying. Massey had designed a new upholstered futon frame called the Aliz. With the lawsuits pending he made contact with a new factory, and also decided to take a more active role as distributor not just designer/salesman. "Paula Sonner had become disenchanted with New Moon so I asked her if she wanted to rep my new line. She said yes and Dianna and I decided to deliver the first shipment of frames ourselves," he said. The trip took them from Montréal to Rochester and on to Buffalo, New Brunswick, New Jersey, Charlottesville, VA and finally High Point. "Driving that grumpy old twenty-four foot U-HAUL truck was a trip we will never forget," he said. This trip brought Massey into his customer's stores and confirmed for he and Dianna that they were in the right business, at last. "As soon as we returned I started looking for a factory to make our wooden frame, The Chelsea," said Massey. Massey found the perfect factory and production began during the winter of 1988.

1989: Distributor to Manufacturer & The UPS Factor

Several things happened at this point that once again changed Massey's direction. Massy's new frame "Le Baiser à Dianna", which along with the other offerings were shipping, in total, at about one thousand frames per month, was doing very well. The new frame was displayed at the spring FANA Futon Expo in New Orleans. It was then that the new factory owners raised prices twenty-five percent and concurrently the US dollar began to weaken significantly. "The effects of all the lay-offs in the high tech industry of New England, our major market, were taking their toll. The small specialty stores were dropping like flies and so were we," he said. Later that year, after a party given by Jean Marclay of Evensong Futon, in Amityville, NY, and after talking to several other customers, Massey concluded that he would have to begin to manufacture the frames himself. "Based on our talks with Jean and other customers, one thing became obvious; no one was buying in quantity any longer. That was okay with us because we wouldn't be able to start a large shop anyway," he said. As Ron and Dianna were heading home to Montréal they drove through a part of Quebec called the Eastern Townships, a region just over the border from Vermont and New Hampshire. They decided to take their remaining nest-egg and make a down payment on a small farm house in the town of Coaticook, Quebec, just over the border from Norton, VT.

1991: New Beginnings

"The first frame I made was called the Honeymooner. The whole thing came in one UPS shippable box. Because it was not very high off the ground, as a bed, it didn't do very well. By late June, just as Dianna and I were finishing the second batch of sixty-five frames, our shop caught fire. By the time we fixed things up we had already lost most of the good selling season," says Massey. The next batch they made was a remake of an older more conventional "peg frame" styled after the Chelsea which was UPS shippable. In December of 1991 Massey linked up with Bob Fireman who had just parted ways with From The Source. Fireman asked Massey to design a totally new mechanism that he could patent. The mechanism Massey designed is his most elegant and the one he still uses on the frames he and Dianna make today.

"Although we were unable to work together with Bob very long we did have a chance to show off the new frame at the FAI Expo in Houston in the Spring of 1992," Massey said. "After the success at the show and by running an ad in Futon Life, which Joe convinced me would work, sales grew to a point where we had to move out of our garage workshop into a bigger industrial space in town," he added. Horndove, Ron and Dianna's company showed for the first time, as an independent manufacturer, at the Futon Expo in Orlando in 1994, and again at the Futon Expo, in Minneapolis, in 1995.

1996: Older Yet Wiser

Today the Massey's operate their business at a "comfortable" pace, and despite the ups and downs of the economy, they are grateful that the factory is presently sitting on a solid foundation. "We are in a great position to keep growing and to do so while having more fun than we've ever had," says Massey, who added, "I sincerely thank everyone we've ever dealt with for everything we've learned and everything we've shared."

Publisher's Forum

A Classic Business Redemption Story

One of the classic business chain reactions is the one that occurs when an industry leader changes hands. The established management is eventually replaced by a new regime and the new regime all but destroys the company. Three years ago, From the Source and New West were sold to Loewenstien Furniture and subsequently Loewenstein was bought by Winston Furniture. The new company, WinsLoew, brought with it several companies in the casual furniture, contract furniture, lifestyle furniture and RTA furniture industries. Over the next two years people came and went at the futon division of WinsLoew now called New West/From the Source. In fact the new management team was featured on the cover of Futon Life (V6N4 Winter 1994-95). Unfortunately things were not that rosey back in Cookeville. By the time the Spring 1995 High Point Market rolled around things looked bleak for the company, now named, simply, New West.

Ultimately, focussing on mass merchants as a source of new business was probably the straw that broke the camel's back. This move tied up New West's production time with a very low margin product and also caused the company to lose sight of its core business. Things were seriously breaking down.

During late summer of last year the WinsLoew upper management team made some major decisions. By October of 1995 they had hired a new President for New West, Richard McLeod. Since then a startling turn around has occurred at the company which will be evident to the industry this spring. McLeod, a furniture industry veteran, quickly established himself as a leader who listened. He wanted to discover any and every problem the company had, at every level, then solve it. He is succeeding.

At first, my reaction to all this was skeptical, but as this man made promise after promise and commitment after commitment I began to believe him. He didn't know "squat-didly" about futon furniture, but he had personal integrity.

At our first meeting he didn't have a specific plan as it pertained to the futon frame, futon mattress and futon cover business he'd inherited, but he did have a generic plan that included a deep seated commitment to producing quality goods, delivering them on time and backing the whole operation with a "for real" customer service department and some workable sales tools for retailers -- all at the right prices.

McLeod then hired furniture sales veteran Tom Aders. Aders' direct style and honesty impressed me. He also had an uncanny ability to quickly decypher the industry's secret code and make the translation easy to understand for the average furniture rep, a rep who was already doing a million to a couple of million dollars in sales per year.

At a recent sales meeting in Cookville, attended by the company's service and sales team, I was treated to a day long meeting designed to show off the company's new line. In actuality, with the product nicely styled (by Paula Sonner, of Castle Bay) behind them, McLeod and Aders were the ones on display. The men and women at the meeting had heard it all before, but not from these guys. These men were willing to be honest about what they were doing and they demanded the same from us.

I was flattered that they invited me to be there and I was impressed with their desire to be the best they could be. Bottom line: New West is for real and their commitment to excellence can only help our industry continue to grow and prosper.

Retail Perspective

by Gary Boden, Concensus Research

The number of valid responses evaluated here is 54, which is relatively small and produces a rather large margin of error (plus or minus about 13 percent). These results, however, are generally consistent with FUTON LIFE surveys conducted in 1991 and 1992. With the caveat that the conclusions reported here are subject to change with additional data, the results of this preliminary analysis give a broad view of futon retailing in 1995.

\1. Respondent's characteristics

Ratio of male to female was 4 to 1. Replies come from 27 different states (plus two from Canada). Two-thirds of respondents are retail outlet owners, with managers and buyers comprising most of the rest.

2. Respondent's outlet characteristics

Three-quarters of all respondents are involved in specialty stores: Futon specialty at 44 percent; Bedding specialty at 22 percent; and Waterbed specialty at 11 percent Over half operate only one outlet; three-quarters operate one or two outlets.

3. Amount of retail floor space devoted to futons and frames

The median area falls between 1000 and 1999 square feet.

4. Total retail sales for futon furniture in 1995

About one-third under $200,000; one-third between $200,000 and $500,000; remainder over $500,000 in 1995 futon sales. The dollar per square foot for this survey is about $266.67 per sq. ft..

5. Customer characteristics

Two-thirds are in the 21-35 year group. Over 90 percent are in the moderate and low knowledge categories.

6. Most common end use of a futon purchase

Highest response is guest room at 54 percent, followed by living room at 20 percent.

7. Price points

Most responses for a full/double size futon mattress were either at $100-149 (46 percent) or at $150-199 (41 percent). This also means that about 67 percent are probably selling a full/double size futon mattress for more than $130. For a full/double size futon cover, half of all respondents marked $ 40-79; about one-third marked $ 80-119. For a full/double size futon frame, almost half of all respondents marked $ 150-249; one-third marked $ 250-349. (This would lead us to conclude that the average price point for all respondents, for a mattress, frame and cover is between $349 and $449. The actual response to the last question agrees with this analysis, and in fact shows a slightly higher average.) For a full/double size futon grouping, half of all respondents marked $ 300-449; about one-third marked $ 450-599.

8. Mattress construction

The cotton with foam mattress construction was most commonly sold. About two-thirds of respondents indicated that 61 to 100 percent of their sales were of this type. Innerspring, all cotton, cotton with polyester, and cotton with wool also had significant representation, but not as much as cotton with foam. All foam, polyester, and other types of mattress construction were rarely sold.

9. Frame construction

The finished hardwood frame, unfinished pine, and imported metal frame construction were most commonly sold. A majority of respondents said that these three types comprised up to 40 percent of their sales. The Imported wood frame, oiled hardwood, and unfinished hardwood had smaller representation. Painted hardwood and domestic metal frames were rarely sold by the respondants to date.

The remaining questions reveal a favorable response to Futon Life as a trade journal supplying vital information and educational materials to retailers about the futon industry, its trends and its products.

Flammability Testing Reveals High Violation

Levels of California TB 117 Standards

According to the California Department of Consumer Affairs (DCA), futons sold in California must meet Technical Bulletin 117 upholstered furniture flammability standards. However, when tested as furniture, only 17% of futons tested for flammability last year by the DCA Bureau of Home Furnishings and Thermal Insulation complied with TB 117 standards.

The Bureau conducted flammability tests on 89 futons in the California market that represented a wide variety of styles, sizes, and construction materials. "Our purpose was to assess the types of futon products on the market and their level of compliance with applicable flammability and labeling standards," says Karen Hatchel, Bureau Chief.

In addition to testing for TB 117 standards, the Bureau also subjected the futons to the test for the federal smoldering standard (16 C.F.R. 1632, which is equivalent to TB 106).

The results? "The Bureau found that violation levels of both the mandatory federal cigarette standard and the California flammability standards are unacceptably high," says Hatchel. "They pose a hazard to consumers and potential liability problems for futon manufacturers and suppliers." Fifty-two percent of the futons passed the federal smoldering standard test; and, as mentioned above, only 17% passed the TB 117 test (Figures 1 and 2, "Compliance with Flammability Standards").

Recently, the futon industry has questioned the Bureau's requirement that futons meet TB 117 standards. Some industry members believe that futon mattresses should not be categorized as upholstered furniture, and should, therefore, be exempt from TB 117.

"To address the industry's concerns, the Bureau of Home Furnishings and Thermal Insulation asked the DCA Legal Office for an opinion on this issue," says Hatchel. "Their findings support our policy that, under California law, a futon must be treated as upholstered furniture." The following summarizes the basis for the Department's decision.

Upholstered furniture is required by Bureau regulations (4 C.C.R. 1374) to meet TB 117 standards. Upholstered furniture is defined in Business and Professions Code Section 19006. The four elements are:

• 1. It is an item of furniture
• 2. It is either itself stuffed or has cushions (either loose or attached) which are stuffed
• 3. The stuffing is concealed by some fabric or other covering
• 4. It is an item which can be used to support a human being when sitting or resting in an upright or a reclining position.

Applying the above definition to a futon, Consumer Affairs observes that a futon contains the elements that make up upholstered furniture. "Therefore," explains Hatchel, "futons, as an item of upholstered furniture, must comply with the TB 117 standards."

Further, the law considers a futon mattress, when sold individually without the futon frame, to be upholstered furniture. The Attorney General's office has previously ruled that a chair cushion or pillow itself when sold alone is within the definition of upholstered furniture. The legislative intent was to cover those situations where the pillow or cushion might be separated and sold separately from the structural frame (7 Ops. Cal Atty. Gen 186, 187)

Regulations pertaining to flammability standards for upholstered furniture are found in 4 California Code of Regulations Section 1374. Hatchel says, "We recognize the complexity of the regulatory environment for the upholstered furniture industry. The Bureau's flammability research can assist the industry with gaining compliance."

For example, Hatchel notes that "The use of boric acid fire retardant add-on increased the sampled futons' ability to comply with TB 117." Increased levels of boric acid correlated closely with increased compliance with the Section B, Part 1 of TB 117, the open flame test for cellulose battings. All cottons containing between 0% and 2% boric acid failed TB 117, while those containing greater than 10% were in total compliance (Figure 3, "Compliance with Technical Bulletin 117 Section B Part 1").

"Our first priority is to protect consumers from flammability hazards as defined in our rules and regulations," concludes Hatchel. "We want to continue working actively with futon industry members to help them understand and comply with both federal and state upholstered furniture standards."

For more information on flammability compliance, you may request the booklets "Practical Strategies Toward Complying With 16CFR 1632" and "Practical Strategies Toward Complying With Technical Bulletin 117" by writing or calling: Bureau of Home Furnishings and Thermal Insulation, 3485 Orange Grove Avenue, North Highlands, CA 95660, (916) 574-2041.

Response from the Futon Association International, Chico, CA

The attached article is published here at the request of the California Department of Consumer Affairs (DCA). The article reflects the interpretation of the DCA regarding the application of Technical Bulletin 117 (TB117) standards to futons. While the Futon Association International (FAI) is currently consulting with legal counsel as to whether we agree with DCA's interpretation, we wish to make it clear that we are very concerned with consumer safety matters, and that we will work closely with DCA and the DCA's Bureau of Home Furnishings and Thermal Insulation (the Bureau) to insure that reasonable safety standards are applied. In the meantime, we want to present DCA's position to the industry.

We encourage our members to comply with all applicable state and federal regulations. We work with our members to educate them and to make them aware of statutory and regulatory requirements for futon manufacturers and retailers. Moreover, we acknowledge that the need for such efforts is ongoing as evidenced by the Bureau's poor test results. FAI would welcome the Bureau's assistance in communicating with our members concerning the complexities of the issue of flammability. In that regard, we plan to invite representatives of the Bureau of DCA to attend our upcoming industry Expo in May in Providence, Rhode Island and to participate by setting up an educational exhibit and/or addressing the attendees.

We encourage the Bureau and DCA to work with us to further communicate with the futon industry to achieve greater overall compliance.

Mr. Robert Naboicheck, FAI President

For more information, please call the Futon Association at 916-534-7833

Response from the National Cotton Batting Institute, Memphis, TN

The National Cotton Batting Institute, which represents cotton batting manufacturers throughout the country, has dealt with the flammability issue for many years and can certainly understand the dilemma that futon manufacturers must be experiencing right now. However, we have a simple solution to the problem. Although nobody likes the threat of mandatory regulations on this issue, it is a proven fact that cotton batting treated properly with boric acid performs quite well for the ASTM 5238-92 flammability standard and California Technical Bulletin 117. NCBI has had a voluntary Quality Assurance program in place for more than two years using this flammability test, and we would welcome the opportunity to work with the futon industry to show how we launched this program. When an industry makes a good-faith effort to improve its product and deal with problems candidly, all parties benefit. The flammability issue will continue to be with us for many years, and NCBI stands ready to do everything it can to help the futon industry deal with this issue.

Response from Mr. Chet Stoler, of Casual Lifestyles, Minneapolis, MN

I have recently received a letter in regard to California's understanding of the flammability standards set by the state and compliance to their Statute #117. Casual Lifestyles, as a conscientious manufacturer of futons, is in total agreement with their declarations of this compliance. Several months ago, several of our futons were tested by the State of California, and even though what we stated on our Law labels was 100% in the truth, we still did not comply because we were not using a fire retardant in the foam. This, along with the movement in California and federal thinking to have futons be considered upholstery items, prompted us to decide to manufacture our entire line of mattresses to meet or exceed these tests and to use FR foam on our entire line. We, as a manufacturer and, also, as a retailer (the Futon Gallery Stores), know that 99% of our products are sold as a complete unit to the consumer. As manufacturer, our commitment is to make not only the highest quality product, but also the safest for our industry.

Response from Mr. Tony Wolf, of Wolf Corporation, Ft. Wayne, IN

Wolf Corporation, as both one of the largest processors of cotton in the U.S. and as a leading producer of futons, has taken great interest in understanding and complying with the laws and regulations concerning both the upholstery and bedding industries. While we may not agree with the classification system in all states, we have always met or exceeded regulations. We take very seriously our role as a good corporate citizen; and believe that, if the law is there, all manufacturers affected must comply. Wolf has installed a wide array of equipment to produce a highly safe and reliable futon. In addition, Wolf has established an in-house testing lab to ensure that quality is maintained in a variety of areas, including flammability, loft, fabric, foam, and steel integrity. All of this, they feel, adds up to comfort and peace of mind that comes from delivering consistently on their promises of quality.

Wolf Corporation (219) 749-9393; Fax (219) 749-5829.

Response from Mr. Bob Pecoraro of The Big Sleep, Commerce, CA

As one of California's newest futon manufacturers we are currently, and will continue, to manufacture in full compliance to TB 117 standards for all futon mattresses sold or distributed within California.

Response from Mr. Chip Lerwick of Heartland Futons & Fibers, St. Louis, MO

In response to the California Department of Consumer Affairs (DCA) finding that futon mattresses must comply with Bulletin 117 upholstered furniture flammability standards, Heartland Futons & Fibers is in full compliance with all futons sold in the state of California. The interior components of our recycled fiber filled futons gives us a clear advantage in meeting the standards set forth by the DCA. However, we feel that this standard is clearly inappropriate for a product originally designed as a sleeping mattress. The Federal smoldering standards are a fair and appropriate standard by which all futon manufacturers must strive to meet.

To classify futon mattresses as upholstered furniture, and, therefore, make futons comply with TB 117, would overburden an industry that already must meet a Federal standard. It would do little to ensure the safety of consumers.

SInce it's inception in 1989 Futon Life has always had a vigorous proponent of industry wide compliance to all state and federal laws that apply to the products our industry produces.To our knowledge, in these past seven years no advertisers or members of the Futon Association International has ever been fined or shut down by the CPSC or any other regulatory body for any violation of the federal flammability laws.