Sleep Number to open Friday in Albany

ALBANY — After months of anticipation, Albany’s newest mattress and bed store, Sleep Number, is slated to open Friday.

The Sleep Number store, which exclusively sells Sleep Number beds, mattresses and other sleep-related items such as pillows and bedding, is the retail arm of Select Comfort’s Sleep Number product, which in many ways makes it unique in the bed and mattress industry, according to Sarah Reckard, a public relations manager with the company.

“We’ve been around almost 30 years, and it’s a two-fold operation,” said Reckard in advance of the store’s opening. “We’re the manufacturer and retailer of Sleep Number. We own all of our 500 stores.”

The company’s Albany store, which is located in a four-unit strip center on the corner of Westover Boulevard and Dawson Road that it will share with Aspen Dental, Chipotle Mexican Grill, and Five Guys Burgers and Fries, measures 2,501 square feet and will carry the full line of Sleep Number products.

Reckard said Sleep Number has been a leader in mattress and bedding technology for the past three decades, thanks to the company’s mattress designs. Sleep Number beds are known for adjustable firmness based on an individual’s body by using the company’s IndividualFit 3-D Imaging system.

The focus on comfort has helped the company add a number of industry innovations over the years, including its new SleepIQ technology, which provides tracking features that will allow the user to monitor certain sleep patterns and collect other data, including heat rate and average breathing rate.

The company has also expanded its technology to include the manufacture of other sleep-related products, including adjustable and customized pillows, sheets and comforters, all of which, like Sleep Number mattresses, can be outfitted with the company’s temperature-controlling technology.

Reckard said the company uses a variety of different fabrics in bedding, sheets and pillows to absorb excess heat, and some of the beds have additional temperature control features, which she said are very popular.

“It’s hot in Georgia,” Reckard said. “We offer a lot of solutions that help people who have temperature issues at night. There’s a whole slew of technology available. The company is constantly leveraging the newest and most modern technology.”

That commitment of innovating to create an optimal sleep experience is what Reckard said she likes about the company.

“(One) of things that I love about my job is the product is amazing,” she said. “I truly think the Sleep Number bed is something everybody should own. A good night’s sleep is important. It sets you up for success. A great day starts when you put your head on your pillow.”

Reckard, along with Albany Sleep Number Store Manager Angie Hardin, said she thinks customers in the Albany market will feel the same way, which is one of the reasons the company decided to locate here.

“Sleep Number saw Albany as an underserved market,” said Hardin in a recent press release. “It offers a fresh and relevant retail energy and provides convenience to local shoppers.”

In addition to Hardin, the Albany location will employ three additional “sleep professionals,” who will provide an individualized sleep experience to determine what products best suit customers’ needs.