Over Sixty years ago, in the mid 1940’s, Joe Parker became the first Parker family member to sell a mattress in Vancouver. His store offered a full selection of home furnishings, including mattresses. At that time, a good quality Sealy mattress could be purchased for $39.95 He was joined in business by his brothers, Sam, Jack, Ben and Bill. Isaac, the youngest of 6 brothers, was too young. Years later, in the 1950’s, Isaac, known as Izzy, opened his own store. All mattresses were sold in furniture stores, and all prices were the same in those days. In fact, there were price cards printed up by the mattress factories and given to all sales people in all stores. The prices were fixed and non-negotiable. Over the years, Izzy noticed that of all the products he sold, the mattresses caused the least problems. They did not get scratched during delivery. They did not malfunction and need repairs. They did not require operating instructions. In the 1970’s, Izzy took an extremely bold and financially risky step. He converted his furniture store “Pride Furniture”, whose logo was the catchy “Furnish your home with Pride” into Vancouver’s first “mattress specialty shop.

He took the official selling prices and reduced them by 25%, incurring the wrath of both his suppliers and competitors. Vancouver’s first “mattress specialty shop” was open. It was called “Mattress City”. The concept caught on. His early success in the mattress business resulted in the opening of 4 more stores, including an expansion into Langley. Now, in 2011, Parker’s is one of the oldest continuously operating businesses in Langley. Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. In the following years, many people opened similar stores. Many of them failed. In the 1980’s, one of Izzy’s competitors opened a store with a name very similar to Mattress City. A decision was made by the Parker Family to add their name to the company to distinguish it from the other stores. Izzy encouraged his son Phil, to obtain a college degree rather than enter the mattress business. The long hours of business ownership are difficult on a family and he wanted better for his son. His Son took his advice and got an Operations Management Diploma from BCIT.

Little did they know that years later, this useful education would become the cornerstone of their successful operation of a mattress factory and retail business. As Izzy neared retirement age, in the 1980s his son was drawn into the family business. Phil, with his operations management background, embarked on an ambitious expansion program. He felt that if the company could both manufacture and sell mattresses, customers could benefit from factory direct prices, and the company would have the advantage of control over quality and supply. Vancouver’s first and only factory direct mattress company was opened in the early 1990’s and the company name was changed to “Parker’s Mattress Factory Stores.” In 1997, Parker’s factory mattresses were named “BEST NEW PRODUCT” by Business in Vancouver magazine. Izzy and Phil continued to expand, buying out a competitor.

Phil concentrates on the manufacturing however, has not forgotten his roots and can still be seen unloading trucks, selling mattresses and washing the windows. With the future of the business now stable and secure, Izzy retired in the late 1990’s. He died of cancer in 2003 at the age of 72. Today, the business is still 100% Vancouver owned and operated. All products are made in Canada, with Canadian materials, by Canadians

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