“Beautiful dreamer, wake unto me, Starlight and dewdrop are waiting for thee.”
Steven Collins Foster, 1864.

VANCOUVER (WA) When Don Thompson opened America The Beautiful Dreamer showroom nearly 30 years ago here, he introduced new ideas and products to this picturesque town just outside of Portland, Oregon.
Now, one of these new products—futons—accounts for roughly one third of the company’s volume. The company grew by twenty-five percent last year, propelling it onto the “Top 100 U.S. Furniture Stores” at number 87, in the annual survey conducted by the furniture trade publication Furniture Today.
It is the only Northwest-area based company included in this year’s listing of furniture, bedding, and decorative accessories retail sales volume leaders.
The chain today includes 57 stores in major shopping malls throughout the Pacific Northwest and central California. Maybe old Steven Foster’s song lyrics (above) need a rewrite from Ellen Sturgis Hooper: “I slept and dreamed that life was beauty; I woke and found that life is duty.”
Because with sales approaching the 40 million dollar level, America The Beautiful Dreamer’s responsibility to residents in their market areas has grown exponentially. This duty includes putting folks on furniture and mattresses that the company’s management believes in personally.

Selling “Super Premiums”

Mike Gallawa, Vice President of the chain’s twenty-four store Futon Division notes, “We’re successful in selling premium futon mattresses because we sell what we show and know. We show five futon mattresses, three of which are super premiums. Initially, Don and I were concerned that one of them (Gold Bond’s SofTouch) was too expensive to do real volume but our sales staff is trained to offer comfort and benefits, and it turns out people simply love that product.”

Sales Training and Incentives Are Key

The company also shows the ultra plush Wool Wrap and CottonCoil, an eight inch cotton with double foam core futon mattress, all from Gold Bond, and a four inch starter futon mattress.
All three premium units are priced the same, and without giving away any retail secrets, the company believes it is successful for them because their sales force spends two days twice a year with Gold Bond sales executives - who take them through every aspect of construction, raw materials, and minute technical details including all the features and benefits of the mattress line.
“Then too, we offer our sales associates prizes like trips, bonuses, and contests which motivate them well,” Gallawa says.

Sales People Able to Handle “Esoteric” Questions

“They know their futons and may be the best educated and trained sales force in the business,” said Stuart Glasser of Tampa’s The Glasser Group. “I’ll give you an example: a consumer came in and said her futon mattress is not as ‘white’ in color as one she saw somewhere else. This salesperson pointed out to the shopper that America The Beautiful Dreamer’s futon mattress’ ticking material contains more cotton and less poly, so it has a natural off-white color, in keeping with the natural color of cotton. She added that the fabric is also substantially heavier than materials used by many other manufacturers.
“Clearly, a sales associate who has the in-depth knowledge to field such an esoteric question shows a level of product knowledge our customers appreciate. Natural fibers being generally more desirable, this knowledge was powerful,” Gallawa observed.

“Knowledge is Power”

This sales person was able to take a question that, without any training, may have cost the company a customer, and instead she easily turned it around. This comprehensive knowledge about the futon furniture, mattresses and every product they sell makes for a powerful sales force, who can think on their feet, a team that is the trademark of this progressive, growing retailer.
Gallawa said the company emphasizes features and benefits and always includes “warranty” dialogue in the presentation. “We’re approaching sixty percent upgrade sales in the futon mattress program we have, and our people have supreme confidence in the products we offer.
“We tell the buyer: ‘If you have a complaint four or six years from now with this futon mattress, we’ll replace it,’ he said. It simply does not happen, and if we do get one, the manufacturer credits us and the customer is bowled over.”

America The Beautiful Stresses Benefits

America The Beautiful Dreamer is the original store brand of The America Group, Inc. which also operates America for Kids, Mattressland, Waterbeds West, and Leather Express.
Owner Don Thompson says, “Our company’s growth and success can be attributed to superior designed merchandise, excellent pricing and a growing group of franchise owners who began with the company as sales people.
“We offer the perfect solution in any room where comfortable seating space is limited. Overnight guests can easily be accommodated plus futon bunks are great solutions when space is at a a premium,” Thompson said.
The company’s advertising is handled by Barbara Davidson-Miller. She points out one constant in the company’s message: “We always—always—show the futon in both its sofa and bed configurations. We show how quickly a futon converts. It may seem basic but consumers won’t know what it is unless we make it very simple and clear for them.”
Mike Gallawa, who began with the company as a sales and delivery man before moving into management, is an old friend of Don Thompson’s. He joined the company nine years ago. “We are very pleased with the performance of our futon division, and we see good things down the road in the futon category. The future looks bright,” he said.
The company donates futon mattresses to the community and supports Oregon’s Public Broadcasting Corporation as well as the Children’s Wish Foundation.

Mike Gallawa, Vice President of America The Beautiful Dreamer’s twenty-four store Futon Division.

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