The trouble with puns and Dad jokes is that the more clever they are, the more your audience is going to groan — even if the joke is funny AND true. So when William Wellauer came up with the perfect pun to describe the bargains at ESC Mattress Center, he had to mumble it.
“It’s a fire sale,” he almost whispered.
Why is it a perfect description? Because the Everett store owned by Wellauer and Joshua Rigsby has just reopened after a fire. Luckily, flames from the restaurant next door didn’t spread into their store, but smoke damage did force them to close from Jan. 15 to May 15.
“Our advisors guessed that between the insurance paperwork, store cleaning and restocking, we’d likely be closed for six months to a year. But Joshua and I were determined to re-open in just four months, and we did it.”
These days a ‘fire sale’ usually describes a business in serious financial trouble. Back in the day, it described goods discounted due to fire damage. Thankfully, neither of those descriptions fit ESC Mattress Center — they just have a lot of really great products on clearance, so there are amazing prices storewide.
“We do have a few products for sale that were present during the fire, but it’s all been cleaned and sanitized. We’ve sold about 30 mattresses that were professionally cleaned, and not a single person has mentioned any smells or issues,” Rigsby says.
Bouncing back better than ever
During the store’s brief closure, Rigsby and Wellauer were busy researching new products, and negotiating better deals with their suppliers. The result is a store filled with exciting new products, plus deep discounts on clearance stock.
- Cool sleeps: New Tempur-PEDIC mattresses keep your bed as much as 10 degrees cooler for a long, deep sleep.
- Impressive warranties: King Koil mattresses offer one of the best warranties in the business — if you measure a dip of just half an inch within the first 15 years, King Koil will replace it.
- Custom comfort: With 40 independent cells, you can customize your mattress firmness so it’s not only different from your partner, but also adjusted for pressure zones throughout your body.
- Sturdy base: New adjustable bases with a 1000 pound lift capacity (industry standard is 600 lbs).
- Luxury foam: The best Italian memory foam for pressure relief, support and softness all in one.
“We’ve been through fire, a global pandemic and even had floods in our stock room. Joshua and I have been through a lot, but that experience gives us confidence that we can handle almost anything. And we know we’re not the only ones facing adversity, so we try to keep costs down for our customers as much as we can.”
Find ESC Mattress Center on Facebook and online at www.escmattresscenter.com, or shop in person at 10121 #30, Evergreen Way, Everett.
