Sydney Cromwell
Ensley Fairfield Mattress Company
Perry Barnett and Jillian Holtzclaw Barnett inside the future location of Ensley Fairfield Mattress Company, a 103-year-old family owned busines.
Ensley Fairfield Mattress Company has been in business 103 years, through four generations of family ownership.
The locally owned mattress business is opening a store in Homewood this summer, in the former Your Pie location at 1831 28th Ave. S. The newest generation of the company, Jillian Holtzclaw Barnett and husband Perry Barnett, are hoping to distinguish themselves from other mattress sources through their lengthy Birmingham history and expertise in the subject.
Ensley Fairfield Mattress started in 1915 first as a mattress refurbishment company, then later as a manufacturer. Perry Barnett said the company used to deliver its mattresses in a Model T van. Jillian Barnett’s grandparents started to develop the retail side in addition to wholesale manufacturing, and they lived in an apartment at the back of the factory to “eat, sleep and breathe it every day.”
Many members of the Holtzclaw family have been part of the business over the years, Perry Barnett said, including expansion to six retail stores at one point. The company switched from manufacture to retail sales entirely in the 1980s, though the Barnetts said they continue to handpick manufacturers “that can do the work we have done.”
The Ensley Fairfield Mattress Company is currently in its sole location on Pelham Parkway. Perry and Jillian Barnett are relatively recent additions to the company, having established their careers and raising kids in Huntsville before choosing to move back to Birmingham and help run the business in December 2017.
Jillian Barnett’s mother runs the business but is looking toward retirement in the near future, with the next generation taking over the reins. Perry Barnett said Ensley Fairfield Mattress’ 103 years in Birmingham have made them a trusted source for businesses and individuals, and he’s hoping to build on that reputation.
“We feel our mattresses are better than everybody else because we hand pick the stuff,” he said. “We’re gonna give it all we have and we’re gonna do it the old-fashioned way.”
Jillian Barnett said they have competitors both in other stores and online sales, but she feels they offer a level of expertise that will help people get a better night’s sleep. Perry Barnett said they are often the company people seek out when their first mattress purchase leaves them disappointed.
In addition to mattresses, the company also offers bed frames, iron beds and cribs, specialized “wellness” beds, fitting for odd mattress sizes and home decor such as pillows and candles.
Perry Barnett said they chose to open a second store in Homewood because many of their customers are in the area, and Homewood has the same sense of history and support for local businesses that Ensley Fairfield Mattress has built its business on.
Construction on the former restaurant is underway and the Barnetts are hoping to open around June 1. The Pelham store’s hours are 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m. Monday-Friday or 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday, though Jillian Barnett said they may adjust the hours for the Homewood store.
Visit ensleyfairfieldmattress.com for more information.
