From left: Lynn, Ashley and John at John’s Bedrooms
NANAIMO – John’s Bedrooms owners sleep well, knowing they’ve been helping their customers on Vancouver Island sleep well for over three decades.
“This is our company’s 33rd year in business in Nanaimo and 16 years in Courtenay,” says Ashley Dunn of the company started 33 years ago by John, which her Mom, Lynn, joined in 15 years ago in what is now a second generation family-owned business. “We promote solid wood furniture made in BC and various foams made in North America, so our customers never have to worry about off-shore products or off-gassing.”
Ashley says the stores enjoyed great successful with its original mattress line-up of all flippable mattresses, designed by John and made in Vancouver.
“We have zippers in all our mattresses so you know that when we tell people what they are made of, they can see it,” she notes. “The most popular mattress is our latex line, which we offer either Talalay or Dunlop. It is the most cost effective way for long term use. . .it is supportive, yet comfortable, and dust mites and bed bugs cannot live in it. It is a cool sleep, which is always a great thing.”
Another top seller at the stores are their solid wood bunk beds of various sizes, which are made in Phoenix, Arizona. They are sturdy and can support up to 250 pounds on each bunk.
Ashley points out that the store researches and invests in locally-made products that are environmentally friendly.
The company experienced growth during the pandemic, as customers who were not travelling decided to treat themselves to unique comfort and design
“We have experienced new growth due to the pandemic and customers who were not travelling, but decided to treat themselves to comfort and design they would find in a first-class establishment,” she says. “Whether it be a king bedroom suite or mattress they always loved away from home, they now invest their travel money into their own bedroom.”
Ashley started in the business at age 14 and has done various jobs in the store, and she’s proud of the team they’ve assembled.
“Our main foam cutter, Dennis, has been with John for over 30 years and is experience is all types of foams, products and applications. He is probably one of the best in his field,” she states. “With me coming on full-time, and with my nursing background, we will be adding more medical/health products to our line-up to assist those with medical needs.
“Besides Dennis and my Mom and Dad, we have John’s assistant Lorri, who is a valuable part of our team and is also great on the sales floor,” she adds. “Our delivery team Luka, Cody and Iskander share in the belief that they are the last people you will see from our store, so they want to make a great impression with installation and time efficiency.”