Our Story

Growing up the last place I wanted to end up was the Mattress business. My father had either been an executive for a manufacturer or owned his own mattress factories since before I could remember, and while it was fun to jump from a 20 foot stack of foam to a four foot one at age 7, (sorry for anyone who ended up with size 5 shoeprints in their mattress. Studies have shown that childhood fun has no bearing on mattress longevity) the profession didn`t offer the same glamour of say, Professional Baseball. So as my dad went on producing white rectangles I went on to pursue other dreams. I enrolled in Clemson University and decided I wanted to become a Lawyer (we could interject legal jokes here but we will refrain for your sanity). While studying both History and Economics at Clemson a funny twist of fate happened, my dad decided to get out of the manufacturing side of the business and open a retail store in of all places Clemson, SC. I was poor and it was work so I went to work for him beginning with convincing my friend Lauren Hardy to help unload the first truck in June of 2001. This was the first time that I had ever been introduced to the retail mattress industry and at first glance it probably ranked somewhere between the profession I was pursuing and a used car salesman. I never had to buy a mattress so I had no idea what sheer pain consumers were going through.

To say that I know the mattress business is an understatement. To say that I liked the retail side of things is a complete abortion. The retail mattress industry is probably the only group that would try to have a 100% off sale while increasing the margin if that were mathematically possible. The overlying thought process seems to be, I only see you on average once out of every 8 years, so why should I even think about a growing consumer relationship? I will just take everything I can using any questionable tactic I have and in 8 more years when you need another mattress I`ll do it again because you will have forgotten by that time. I decided at that point that the legal profession would be just fine without me and I set out to grow and develop a retail sleep and comfort company that was the antithesis of the preexisting characteristics of the industry. What could I possible do to change this? There was only one thing to do, buck the trend.

So in 2005 I took control of the store in Clemson and recruited the only person in the industry I could trust, my brother Christopher, and my best friend from college who had collected about every degree that Clemson University gives, Blake, and together we set out to build MDO. With Blake`s background with a degree in Computer Science and an MBA we figured that the fastest way for us to get this off the ground, without having to leave the college town that we love so much, was through ecommerce. He guides our internet operations while Christopher and I try to cut through the traditional tricks of the industry and deliver honest, factual information from two guys that have known this business their whole lives, as opposed to some sales guy who was trained by a factory to gimmick you into their product. Combined with our ample workforce of local Clemson University students, we are able to operate a full-fledged ecommerce company. We knew that being on the forefront of our marketplace in terms of internet retailing would present many challenges; after all if it were easy then everyone would have already done it. But we decided to move forward with the mindset that as problems arise, we will go to all lengths to resolve them in a satisfactory manner for our customers and therefore there would be nothing we could overcome. We integrated our office and showroom together in Clemson so that we can see, try, and approve any product we sell before it arrives in your home.

Our goal is to teach people about the importance of sleep and comfort to their everyday lives, deliver quality information and products, and do all of this in an honest manner. As we grow we will make sure that every person who becomes a part of MDO understands this dedication and commitment to our customers. We feel that if we stick to this and manage our company responsibly, the business end will build itself and we will build relationships that have people remembering MDO long past 8 years.

Michael Wade