Oftentimes we find ourselves walking into local businesses, finding what we are looking for, purchasing said item and then we walk out the door, without any further thought as to who/where they came from. Sometimes I do find myself wondering about the company as I drive home. Asking myself, “I wonder how they were founded?” or “Are they local?” to which the thought eventually fades away, and I let it go. But for others, we get curious, and we start to research, and if that is you, then the following paragraphs are for you.
Christian’s Solid Wood Furniture Inc. dba Christian’s Mattress Xpress was founded in 1992 by Ron and Deanne Gonzales. They originally opened a Christian’s Unfinished Furniture in Visalia CA to which you as the consumer, would come in and pick out your furniture (which was unfinished) and then go over to a wall of paint/stain samples where you would choose your finish. The piece of furniture would go back to the finishing shop (ran by Ron after hours) and your item would be sanded, stained, and then finished before Ron and Deanne would deliver the piece of furniture to your house, most likely with their eldest and only child at the time, in the car seat waiting to head home for the day. In 1994 the Gonzales Family would welcome their second son into the family and business.
As time went on, Christian’s grew into a Solid Wood Furniture outfit, where you could still find some unfinished product, but for the most part, you were purchasing already finished items to outfit your home. A few years later, Christian’s Solid Wood Furniture began to sell Furniture at Costco Wholesale during 10 day long road shows. The company would set up displays inside the warehouses for 10 days, and sell items to Costco Members all up and down California. As the furniture industry started to change, mainly by going overseas for production, Ron needed to pivot again and decided that Mattresses were the answer. By 2007 our Furniture Retail location had transformed into a Mattress Only Retailer. And in 2008, during a recession, Christian’s developed a partnership between Costco Wholesaler and Tempur-Pedic to replace the 10 Day Furniture Roadshows that we were doing previously. At that time, Tempur-Pedic wouldn’t sell to Christian’s Mattress Xpress, as we were too small.
In 2011, Christian’s Mattress Xpress was approached by Dale Carlson from Sleep Train, a 300 + Mattress Retail Chain right here in California, to acquire Christian’s which at this time was the best decision for the company. The Gonzales Family had to sign a Non-Compete, but the Non-Compete didn’t include the Central Coast of California, we weren’t quite done.
This brings us to 2012-Present. Originally headquartered in California's Central Valley, we have expanded to the beautiful Central Coast with 6 convenient locations. We are now located in Lompoc, Santa Maria (2 stores), Arroyo Grande, San Luis Obispo, and Paso Robles. Along with our large inventory, we have brought our decades-long reputation as a leader in service, selection, and price. Our friendly, knowledgeable staff and well-organized showrooms offer customers an extraordinary shopping experience unlike any other. We are happy to now call the Central Coast our home, where we get to service our clients and friends alike.
