The history of Better Sleep will never be a movie or win any awards but it is something that my family is very proud of! My father retired on December 31, 2003 so my brother Robert and I continue to work as hard as we can in order to continue the deep seeded traditions of product innovations that were started by my grandfather. So hold on tight here we go!
Better Sleep Inc was started in 1951 by William Mills Emery in the basement of his home as a retirement business. From 1951 to 1954 Better Sleep manufactured and shipped Blanket Supports from William Mills home in New Providence NJ. The Blanket Support was an item designed to elevate the blankets off your feet while you were sleeping, giving you the freedom to toss and turn without tangling your feet in the blankets. It was innovative products such as the Blanket Support that started the company and that same kind of product innovation continues today with every item we design.
With the success of the company came growth, so in 1954 William Mills moved the business from his home to a small warehouse in Berkeley Hts, NJ. It was at that locations that he developed, designed, patented and manufactured a line of sleep and comfort products. It was shortly after that in 1955 that my Father Bill W Emery joined the company to help in sure the growth of this new business. Better Sleep then started marketing their products in the 1960’s via a mail order catalog that the company produced and mailed four times a year. Better Sleep also placed small product ads in publications such as Better Homes and Garden and Yankee Magazine too not only sell product but to strengthen its mailing list. It was through these ads as well as the mail order catalog that Better Sleep developed a loyal following of customers.
It was the success of the mail order business that lead to selling many of the major Department Stores, companies such as B Altman’s, Gimbels, Bloomingdale’s, Macy’s, May Co. and Lazarus to name a few. The 1960’s saw growth not only in sales but in product development as well, with the introduction of such items as the Bed Board and Foam Slants. These items firmly placed Better Sleep as a leader in the Comfort / Sleep industry. At the time of his death in 1971 William Mills Emery had a collection of over 40 patents to his name. He laid the foundation for the company, which we continue to build onto even today!
The 1970’s saw the true birth of the Better Sleep “bath business”. The world of retailing was changing, the Notions Departments were dead and the consumer was looking for a cheaper and more convenient way to shop. By 1978 Better Sleep was selling over 5,000 independent Bath Shops across the country. Even though Better Sleep had been selling our patented inflatable Bath Pillows for more then fifteen years it wasn’t until the company developed a line of high fashion colors, for those pillows, that we saw the business explode. By the end of the 70’s Better Sleep was developing several new Bath Pillow designs to satisfy the ever growing demand of the these independent Bath Shops.
The Bath Pillow “boom” would continue until 1984 when the Better Sleep patents on the item expired. Better Sleep soon had a new host of competitors and we knew that in order to survive we must now develop new and innovative products for a once again changing market place. The independents were slowing dying off with the evolution of the linen chains and the growth of the Mass Marketers such as Wal-Mart, Kmart and Target Stores. It started slowly with the growth of Linens n Things and Bed Bath & Beyond but by the end of the 1980’s it was clear that Better Sleep had to offer products that fit into these stores.
In 1982 William W came across an extra long Bath Mat from Italy that covered the entire surface of the bathtub! What a great innovative concept, an extra long bath mat with full tub coverage, yet no one else in the United States was selling such a product. This item was to be the companies first venture into the world of imports. Up until this point all of our items were manufactured in the good old US of A. Needless to say this was a big step for little Better Sleep. With this bath mat Better Sleep was on its way to building a truly innovative product line.
In 1985 Better Sleep had finished the design of our new Hang Anywhere Shower Caddy. This new caddy could hang on your showerhead [with 6 adjustable positions] or you could hang it anywhere in the shower or bath with our four adjustable suction cups. You where no longer prisoner to the showerhead, in fact everyone in the family could now have their own shower caddy if they wished. It was so innovative that we received both a design and utility patent on the item. At the same time we where also busy developing the “SuperSpot”, a clear adhesive disk that would allow you to put a suction cup on any smooth surface. Once again Better Sleep was developing products and packaging that were innovative and most important particle.
The company now had developed a solid bath product offering with our Extra Long Bath Mat, Bath pillows and now our revolutionary Hang Anywhere Shower Caddy. So look out bathroom accessories here comes Better Sleep! Through out the 1990’s we continued to design and develop a line of wire organizers, from Toy Bins to Over the Door Towel Racks along with introducing a complete line of chrome and brass plated shower caddies. Our Chrome and Brass Series would give shower caddies a whole new look of elegance. Better Sleep was also the first to offer a full one-year rust proof guarantee on all of our chrome and brass plated caddies.
In November of 2005 Better Sleep Inc moved our offices and warehouse to a larger facility in Branchburg NJ this move helped us to consolidate our warehouses so we could process orders and receive inventory more efficiently. On a personal note I had to make the biggest sacrifice of all. Since I live only minutes from our old office I now have to commute 30 minutes to work and that should be an example to you all; on what I am willing to give up in order to provide you the customer with the highest level of service possible. I am kidding of course but I really think my brother did it on purpose just to mess with me; but those are my issues and I will have to work those out with my therapist but thanks for listening. PS the therapy is going fine I have stopped crying myself to sleep over the commute thanks Dr. Chaufkin.
That leads us to 2007 and the company continues to innovate through style and fashion with our new line of Satin Nickel, Antique Brass and Rubbed Bronze shower organizers and pole caddies. Bob Emery is also working on some very exciting new items but I was told that if I said anything about these new items to you I would be fired and I certainly don’t want to lose the greatest job in the world; [well it would cut down on my commute wouldn’t it?] so you will just have to wait for the new items and see them at store near you.
I think you get my point. Better Sleep / Better Bath continue to be unique in many ways, whether we are designing our own products or improving on existing items. The company not only offers an innovative product line but we also take customer feedback very seriously so whether you are a buyer for a large retail chain or someone that has a comment on one of our products I want to her from you; I read all the company emails personally. So jump on the customer service link and let me know what you think.
If you are still reading this than I thank you for your time and I hope you have come away with the fact that we care about the products and services you receive from us. The world of retail today has placed a high value on the bottom line and less of a value on relationships with its vendors. Without good communications and the pure exchange of ideas there can be no growth within our industry. So in the infamous words of Bartels and James “thank you for your support”!
William H Emery
President