New Mattress King store opens in Anderson Crossing
Kenny Price, left, is owner of the new Mattress King bedding store in the Anderson Crossing shopping center in Norris. Shown with him is sales manager Jamie Loveday. (photo:G. Chambers Williams III )
Mattress King, owned by Kenny Price of Gametime Pizza & Subs in the Anderson Crossing Shopping Center, has opened just a few doors down in the same center.
The store, which opened Aug. 28 in the Andersonville Highway location, sells a variety of quality new mattresses at prices generally about half-off regular retail, Price says.
Mattress King is also a U-Haul rental agency, and can rent out U-Haul trucks, trailers and car haulers for local or long-distance use.
That could come in handy for people who want to haul their own new mattresses home, but Mattress King does offer delivery service, as well, Price said.
Jamie Loveday is the store’s sales manager. Business hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday.
“We do offer easy financing,” Price said.
Before buying the former Tobacco Depot and Gametime Pizza business last December, Price and his wife, Cindy, owned mattress stores in Maryville and Rockwood.
“We sold those stores after we got the pizza store,” Kenny Price said. “But we decided we wanted to get back into the mattress business, so we decided to open this one in Norris.”
Loveday had worked for the Prices in the previous mattress stores for about four years, and they recruited her to come to work in the new store, she said. Loveday lives in Powell.
The Prices live in Halls with their four children, ages 17 to 2. They are looking to move soon to Norris or Andersonville.
“All of our mattresses are brand new in plastic, and they come with 10- to 20-year warranties, Kenny Price said. “All are mom-and-pop brands made in the U.S., such as Bedboss, Sleepwell. Kingsdown and Corsicana.”
Loveday said the store is still trying to build up its stock, and when fully stocked, she expects to see a very busy operation. Mattress stores throughout the area have been slow to get new stock delivered during the pandemic because of factory shutdowns and transportation delays.
The Prices bought the tobacco and pizza store and quickly dumped the tobacco side of the business, while expanding the pizza side. Where it was takeout only, they have added inside dining, and recently received a beer permit from the city of Norris for on-premises consumption. Previously, the store was licensed only for sale of beer for off-premises consumption.
Both Prices have a background in the pizza business, with Kenny Price a former manager at Domino’s and Papa John’s stores, and Cindy Price a former employee at Domino’s and Pizza Hut outlets.
Kenny Price said he originally came to the tobacco and pizza shop looking to buy the pizza equipment the former owners were trying to sell, and ended up buying the whole business.
“We found it on Craigslist, and we were looking to get just the pizza equipment so we could set up our own store,” Price said.