New York— Bedding purveyor to the rich
and famous.That's one way of describing Long's Bedding & Interiors,
which has sold mattresses to literally hundreds of celebrities over the
years. But there are others. Such as: Historic New York City bedding
retailer. That's appropriate for the longest continuously operating bedding
showroom in Manhattan, which is as tough a retail market as you will find
anywhere in the world.
Or you could use this label: A family-owned business that
has survived some challenging times. Long's is currently in its fourth
generation, exalted territory for any family business.
Finally, you could call Long's The Accidental Bedding
Retailer. Harry Long, the son of company founder Max Long, didn't plan
to get into the retail bedding business. But the stock market crash changed
his mind.
Long's, which has been located on West 72nd St. for more
than 42 years, has been a bedding landmark in Manhattan for decades.
'Trust is the brand'
"People come to Long's Bedding not to buy an 'S' brand,
but to buy our integrity," said Bob Long, Harry Long's son, who is president
of the company these days. "I hear that all the time. Consumers trust Long's.
Long's is the brand."
That's not to say that Long's doesn't have some strong
bedding brands in its stable, an appropriate term for the company. (More
on that later.) The lineup includes an S brand — Simmons — with which Long's
has a (pardon the pun) long history. The retailer also carries bedding
by Aireloom, Therapedic and Englander.
It also has its own bedding line, Long's Landmark, designed
by the Long family. And the newest brand is Relyon, a British brand established
in 1858. Long's is the first and only U.S. dealer for that brand, which
it says is "synonymous with the very highest standards of product design
and manufacturing." Long's is interested in talking with other retailers
who might want to carry that brand.
But back to the "stable" part of the equation.
Max Long, the founding father of this business, started
it all in 1911 when he opened a mattress factory, building new mattresses
and reconditioning old ones. He used horsehair and cotton, bedding staples
of the day.
Today, Long's still has a horsehair mattress in the store,
but it is an oddity these days. The business has changed tremendously over
the years, but the Long family is still steering the ship.
Bob Long didn't plan to enter the family business. His
goal was to become a dentist, but when that didn't look too promising he
joined the business. He started on the delivery truck, earned his father's
trust, and ended up waiting on customers.
Judie, Bob's wife, joined the business as a bookkeeper,
but "grew tired of the books and numbers," according to a history of the
business. She "dropped her pencil, slammed the ledger closed and declared
herself a salesperson," a job she still holds.
Their daughter, Terri, worked in the photography business
for a while (her mother is a talented photographer), but decided to join
the business, too.
Selling celebrities
Given its location on the Upper West Side of Manhattan,
as New Yorkers like to call it, Long's is in the middle of a good neighborhood.
And, since New York is a magnet for celebrities of all types, Long's has
found itself with a healthy roster of celebrity customers.
John Lennon, Mick Jagger and former president John Kennedy
all shopped at Long's. When Bob Long took stock of all of Long's famous
customers, he came up with almost 400 names.
He's got some interesting bedtime tales to tell.
Legendary Rolling Stones rocker Mick Jagger had a special
request for Long's: He wanted a wall-to-wall bed that would cover his entire
bedroom floor. Exactly what he wanted to do with a bed of that size he
didn't say. Long was smart enough not to ask, but he had the bed manufactured
to Jagger's exacting specifications.
One of Long's favorite stories deals with financier and
Revlon Chairman Ron Perelman, who, at last count, had 10 homes around the
world. Perelman, being a firm leader, wanted custom-made, extra-firm mattresses
at each of his homes. But — and this was the catch — he also wanted one
in his Los Angeles hotel room right away.
Long found a trucker to drive the mattress to the hotel
— thus pleasing the picky Perelman.
Long's has found favor with celebrities by working closely
with interior designers throughout the city, many of which have celebrity
clients. But Long and his staff also work directly with some of the celebrities
themselves — helping their company develop a reputation for exceptional
service.
The list of satisfied celebrity clients includes Jerry
Seinfeld, Steve Martin, Carly Simon, Matt Lauer, Connie Chung and Diane
Sawyer.
