Ensley Fairfield Mattress Co. withstood the stock market crash of 1929 and two World Wars to serve the Birmingham metropolitan area for over a century.
But in January, the mattress company that has spanned three generations of Holtzclaw family ownership and first delivered its beds from a Ford Model T will say goodbye to the region after more than 107 years of activity.
“We know that in this transition, it is the right time for our family to close our last retail store in Alabama,” the company said in a statement announcing the decision. “We could focus on reasons such as the economy, pandemic restrictions, rising costs, administrations or a plethora of other challenges that severely affect small businesses on a day-to-day basis. Instead, we choose to look back on all the positives we’ve had in our 107 years of operation.
Ensley Fairfield Mattress Co. was started by Louis H. and Dixie A. Holtzclaw in 1915 in a small warehouse on Avenue E in the Ensley/Fairfield area after the people of South Carolina helped the brother of Louis to open a mattress factory in Montgomery.
“When our business was started on the old factory dirt floors, Louie and Dixie had no idea of the legacy they were creating. All they had in mind was to give Birmingham the better sleep options that weren’t common at the time,” the ad continued. “They focused on what the customer was telling them and less on what needed to be sold. Each generation has carried on this legacy to the end.
The company, which now operates out of Pelham, has employed hundreds of workers over the years. Its delivery trucks have traveled millions of miles on the Birmingham Underground.
“We loved being a part of people’s lives during their happiest times or when they were rebuilding,” the company said. “No matter who walked through our doors, we thanked them for the opportunity to earn their business and thanked them for choosing to shop with a local business.”
Comments are closed.