20 Years Of Old Fashion Craftsmanship at Harbor Springs Mattress Company

Michigan-based Harbor Springs Mattress Company Celebrates 20th Anniversary in 2024

One of Harbor Springs’ many claims to fame is that it is the hometown of Harbor Springs Mattress Company, one of the country’s few handcrafted and all-natural mattress creators. Its Harbor Springs showroom also includes its workshop, where mattresses are handcrafted to order. As company president Dar Charlebois comments, “Your mattress will not come from a warehouse. It will be hand-made fresh just for you and you alone.”

The evolution of Harbor Springs Mattress has included expansions of showrooms in Traverse City and Rochester, and, on the occasion of the company’s 20th anniversary, a showroom in Naples, Florida, where many Michiganders reside during the winter months.

Harbor Springs Mattresses creates handcrafted mattresses with the centuries-old technique of hand-tufting. The two-sided luxury mattresses are created with 100% natural fibers and are meant to last a lifetime. There are five mattress selections, including the best-selling Bed of Roses and Trillium mattresses, both made with hand-tufted layers of pure cotton, natural latex and wool made in Michigan.

According to Charlebois, “Customers often comment on the beauty of our mattress ticking, notably the vintage-inspired quilted texture of our signature Bed of Roses and the organic cotton on our Trillium mattress with its hand-euro-stitched micro-mattress topper.”

Customers are also impressed with the materials that go into the beds, from the fresh-spun woolen batting washed in natural soap to the unbleached cotton that retains tiny specks of the cotton’s boll.

“Because of our organic and natural fibers, there is no harmful off-gassing or chemicals in our mattresses,” said Charlebois.

“Our box springs are like good shocks on a luxury car. We spare no expense toward making a mattress last 25 years,” said Charlebois.

Harbor Springs Mattress celebrates their 20th Anniversary and old fashion craftsmanship this month along with their outdoor display for Halloween. For the month of October, the community is invited to come see their display of over 20 skeletons sitting at vintage sewing machines, where you can also hear the sound of the sewing machines whirling. Cider and donuts are served inside and workshop tours are welcome.



Harbor Springs Mattress Company Background

Harbor Springs Mattress Company was founded in 2004 by Detroit native Rory Karpathian after decades of senior positions at major U.S. mattress manufacturers, a career that involved extensive travel throughout the country for hands-on supervision of factory operations. “I loved it,” he said. “I loved being on the floor with workers, trouble-shooting production and machines and making improvements.”

“Then everything changed,” Karpathian said, sharing that the mattress industry began to “churn out chemical-laden, poorly made foam-based mattresses. Springs were removed from box springs and mattresses became one-sided.”

With a leap of faith and conviction, Karpathian launched Beds by Design in Harbor Springs, Mich., the original name of Harbor Springs Mattress Company. His intention was to bring back the lost art of hand-tufting to guarantee comfort and longevity, and to use natural fibers to ensure health, strength and sustainability.

In 2015, a milestone event transformed the company and expanded its trajectory: Karpathian’s partnership with Dar Charlebois. According to Charlebois, “I fell in love with both the man and his company.” Charlebois now serves as President for the company and has overseen the company's successful growth as a quiet luxury brand for more than a decade.

To learn more about Harbor Springs Mattress Company visit HarborSpringsMattress.com.