— Furniture Today,
Blue Ocean Waters’ Shaw also was corporate exec; more stores in works

HOUSTON — Mattress Firm, a leading specialty mattress retailers, has agreed to terms with a new franchisee, Blue Ocean Waters, which is headed by a veteran bedding executive who previously worked at Mattress Firm.


Blue Ocean Waters recently opened its first Mattress Firm store in Alabaster, Ala., a suburb of Birmingham. The company plans to open several more units throughout the Birmingham region over the coming months and years, including three additional stores before the end of 2014.

This marks Mattress Firm’s entrance into Alabama, its 21st state.

Blue Ocean Waters President Mike Shaw previously served as Mattress Firm’s director of marketing and advertising for five years, leaving in 2013 but remaining involved as a consultant.  Prior to that, Shaw was a Mattress Firm franchisee in Hartford, Conn., from 1999 to 2001, operating seven stores in the region.

“I am extremely excited to once again be working with the Mattress Firm team in a full-time capacity, and to be a part of the company’s plans for future growth,” said Shaw. “As a former franchisee and from my previous role with corporate, I know the respect the Mattress Firm brand commands in markets all across the country.”

Gary Fazio, CEO of Mattress Firm, said, “Given his industry knowledge and previous experience as both a franchisee and as a key member of our corporate team, we are confident that Mike will be an excellent representative of the Mattress Firm brand and will quickly achieve success in this new venture.”

Mattress Firm currently operates 400 stores in 36 markets. The Birmingham market is the first new franchise market to open since 2004.