As part of our ongoing "Getting to
Know Your Local Businesses" series, this week we sat down with Cody and
Cliff Conner, owners of BoxDrop Mattress Direct.
Tell us a bit about your business: What does your business offer, and how long have you been around?
We
sell mattresses at wholesale prices! Our goal is to provide great
mattress options for anyone who walks in the door within their budget.
We
have the same mattresses from the same national manufacturers as many
of the bigger retail stores; but, we are able to offer them at a better
price, accomplishing this in a couple of different ways. We try our best
to keep our overhead as low as possible and we typically do not have
set hours. We aren’t paying someone to sit there all day every day and
this approach allows for us to spend more time with our families doing
the important things in life, like attending baseball games, spelling
bees, and diving meets.
Yet, BoxDrop Kingwood goes astray
from the model that we originally set out with because we fell in love
with our location. We love our neighbors, including the longevity of the
great consignment store and the amazing Italian food!
Our family’s first location was opened in Spring in August of 2016 and our Kingwood location opened in February of 2018.
How did you decide to get involved in this line of work?
The
way our family became “mattress people” is quite a tale. Cliff loves
listening to podcasts. Before mattresses, he worked in oil field
services and spent a lot of time driving from place to place, listening
to endless podcasts. One of those podcasts covered the need for
mattresses, sparking an idea for a grand, new business! Cliff called his
wife Stacey to share this new idea. She did what any great wife would
do and told him to forget about it and “go to work!”. Cliff’s next call
was to his nephew Cody (aka partner in crime and adventurous things) and
told him the idea. Cody laughed and hung up on him… then, he began
doing his own research. A short time later, Cody called Cliff and Stacey
and said “Guess what, Uncle Cliff (keep in mind, he NEVER calls him
Uncle Cliff due to being so close in age)… I’m opening a mattress store
in Spring.” A few short months later, Cliff and Stacey’s circumstances
changed and they opened their own store in Kingwood, where they live.
With both stores thriving, Cliff and Cody decided to join forces and
open an additional location in Conroe.
Tell us a couple things you are proud of about your business. What are you known for? What separates you from the competition?
We
are proud of our work/life balance for our family and the people who
work with us. We’re also all about passing the savings on to our
customers. Our selection is sourced directly from our manufacturers,
keeping out the middleman. We’re known for offering beautiful, durable
mattresses and other furnishings that are designed to stand the test of
time.
What is your favorite part of running this business? Cliff
says, “I love that my kids beg to come with me to our Kingwood store. I
think the arcade games that we have at this location may be the main
reason. When a customer comes in, we joke that we offer free delivery to
anyone that can beat the 10-year-old at Street Fighter.”
Cliff
and Cody both have entrepreneurial backgrounds. Even when they had
other “jobs” in construction or oil field services, they were making
plans for being their own bosses. Each of their skills compliment one
another, making them a great team.
Who is your ideal customer/client? Who do you serve best?
We
best serve those wanting the best value for a fair price and those who
are willing to have an outside of the “normal” retail experience. To
shop at our Kingwood store, customers either call us or message us on
our
Facebook page.
Is there any other information you'd like your potential customers/clients to know about your business?
We offer daily promotions on our
Facebook page
and we always offer free delivery. We have queen mattress sets that
start at $150 and adjustable beds with memory foam that start at $850.
How do you see your business growing and improving over the next couple of years?
With
our customers being our biggest supporters, we plan to continue to
grow, becoming a one-stop shop for all kinds of furniture, including
sofas, dining room tables and so much more.
To learn more about BoxDrop Mattress Direct, visit our profile at
SpringTX.com.