Stearns & Foster opened in 1846 when the company was founded by George S. Stearns and Seth C. Foster in Cincinnati, Ohio. They were makers of fine upholstery for high-end horse drawn carriages. Stearns was the inventor of a new process for cotton bunting, which provided a more comfortable alternative to the upholstery used at the time.

Seth Foster recognized that the emerging bedding market was an ideal place to expand use of Stearns & Foster’s cotton technology. As with their other products, the company focused on making only the very best mattresses.

By the early 1920’s, the company had built its reputation on the manufacturing of top-of-the-line luxury mattresses sold in the most discriminating of retailers.

The superior product positioning helped Stearns & Foster gain exclusive partnerships with high-end retailers, such as Marshall Field & Co. in Chicago, Bloomingdale’s in New York and Sterns Department Stores in New Jersey, while competitors were forced to sell in more down-scale retailers.

Stearns and Foster consist of three main mattress lines. The top of the line Estate Innerspring Mattress is luxurious on both the inside and out. This Innserspring mattress has Stearns and Foster Intellicoil on the inside. The practical Luxury Innerspring collection has individually wrapped coils for affordable luxury. The Latex collection represents Stearns & Foster’s alternative mattress sleep sets which are all made with the smart latex foam core.

Although acquired by Sealy in 1983, Stearns & Foster still lives up to the rich heritage of luxury that is the hallmark of the brand.