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By Mitch, January 23, 2010 4:04 pm

Whenever I start talking about 2-tone LofaBeds, I know I confuse some people. Maybe it’s because I grew up in an era of 2-tone automobiles that it seems so natural to me, but whatever the reason…I liked that look

1957 Ford Fairlane Skyliner

THEN, and I still like it NOW!  Most customers who choose a 2-tone look, prefer a patterned fabric on the mattress and a solid color material on the rest of the LofaBed (i.e., the body). And unless you tell us otherwise, the factory will make the throw pillows match the body.  But, don’t forget, this is real made-to-order furniture…so if you want the reverse (solid color mattress with a patterned fabric body), that’s do-able too.  And it’s no problem to make the pillows 2-tone also, which means they can either complement or match whatever they’re sitting on.

The reason I don’t recommend covering the entire LofaBed with a patterned fabric is simply a case of personal taste.  I chose these prints (patterned fabrics) because I thought they’d go well with most of our solids.  Most of the prints are earth-tones, and that makes them relatively easy to complement.  But I think the LofaBed would look too “busy” if you covered it completely in a print.  Kind of like a man’s suit: A man can look quite spiffy in a solid colored suit, even if his tie is of some wild design.  But you wouldn’t want to see his whole suit made of that same wild design, would you?  Well, that’s my thinking when it comes to 2-tone LofaBeds.  Besides, most of our patterned fabrics (prints) are rougher to the touch than are the solid color ones, and since the mattress is the area most likely to be touched by skin…softness and smoothness are important things to consider.  That’s MY thinking…..YOU get the final word.

I often get asked on the phone,
“Can I order in more than one tone?”
To which I reply,
“Of course, but don’t try…..
To mix Café Multi with Bone!”

Café Multi

Rawhide Bone

Mitch Wapen
www.lofasofa.com
lofasofa@videotron.ca
877-424-1431

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By Mitch, January 21, 2010 10:00 am

Back in November of 2008, I wrote a blog about reversible mattresses.  The story is that the backs of all LofaBed futon mattresses are covered with a non-slip upholstery fabric, Rodon (rhymes with “right on”), which some customers find unattractive.

I can’t argue with that.  The reason we do it is to prevent the mattress from sliding, which is a major complaint with futon furniture.  As well as to save a few bucks. And if you’re placing the LofaBed against the wall, which the majority of people do, you won’t see it anyway.

But if this bothers you, we HAVE a solution:  for only $30 we’ll cover the back of your mattress with the same material you chose for the front.  And that includes ottomans too.  Now the question is, “But will it slip?”  The answer is, I don’t know, but it sure will look good!

The back of the mat is Rodon,
A non-slip upholstery add-on,
If not to your liking,
The price we’ll be hiking…..
And find something else to put on.

Mitch Wapen
www.lofasofa.com
lofasofa@videotron.ca
877-424-1431

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By Mitch, January 19, 2010 10:03 am

Every once in a while, a customer comes out of my past and reminds me of why it is I do what I do.  I LOVE hearing stories of how someone’s LofaBed changed the dynamics of a family relationship, or helped an insomniac get a good night’s sleep for a change, or, as was the case in this one situation…..saved the marriage!   So when Lilian Robertshaw, who purchased two LofaBeds in July of 2007, wrote me an email the other day, I was all ears (eyes, actually).

Lilian’s reason for writing had nothing to do with the actual product.  No, this was about her experience with a local furniture store and her frustration with their inability to deliver her order on time.  Her reason for writing ME at this time was because she remembered how smoothly her LofaBed delivery went, and wanted to remind me that this is not always the case with other furniture retailers.  Which is important for me to know since a common concern of many people is, “Why do I have to buy your product over the internet, when I’d much rather deal with a ‘brick and mortar’ store in my hometown?”   With this kind of feedback, I can confidently reply, “Because I give better service!”

Here’s Lilian’s email:

Subject: LOFA SOFA deserves a PAT ON THE BACK
Date: January 12, 2010 1:01:25 PM GMT-05:00
To: lofasofa@videotron.ca

Hi Mitch!!

It has been a few years, but I just wanted to touch base because Lofa Sofa deserves a PAT ON THE BACK.

We have two lofa sofas, if you recall, and both were manufactured and deliveried on time. We still love them and anyone who sleeps on one of them agrees, it is the most comfortable sofa bed they have ever slept on.

Why do you deserve a PAT ON THE BACK now? Well, you really start to appreciate the service you get when you have something to compare it to. On October 24, 2009 we ordered a Kroehler large sectional sofa (no bed in it) from Stoney Creek Furniture and put a 50% deposit down. We are getting a new sofa because we need more seating in the living room and wanted the sofa for Christmas.

First Delivery Date – Dec 3, 2009 – Sorry, the Sales Person was not informed and it cannot be made and delivered by that date.

Second Delivery Date – Week between Christmas and New Year – Fabric on Back Order…can’t make the delivery date.

Third Delivery Date – Next Week – we just called it is still not ready!

So here is your PAT ON THE BACK,

Lilian Brooker (Robertshaw)
Burlington, Ontario

Mitch Wapen
www.lofasofa.com
lofasofa@videotron.ca

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By Mitch, January 18, 2010 10:26 am

A LofaBed hinge is quite strong.
Treat it kindly, and it’ll work long.
But lift from the side,
Will force us to provide…
A replacement, and that would be wrong!

It’s been a while since I’ve written a blog, but now that I’m back at it, I’m going to make an effort to be more diligent about this in 2010.  We’ll see how I do.

The first order of business in the new year is to get on top of all the LofaBed orders I took near the end of 2009.  For some reason, the last two months of the year were crazy…..starting with American Thanksgiving and ending with Christmas…..both deadlines for many.  People were ordering multiple units, sending money even before introducing themselves, and asking for customized options that no made-to-order factory could possibly accommodate.  I even took an order for two LofaBeds to Western Australia!  That was a first.

But when you’re dealing with a small French-Canadian owned factory, like mine, you sometimes run into problems which I can only describe as “cultural imperatives.” For instance, last November the LofaBed factory informed me one morning that the distributor they’d been buying davenport hinges from for the past ten years, had suddenly decided they didn’t want to import them anymore, and that it was up to ME to find the European manufacturer of the hinges…..because they didn’t have hi-speed internet access!!!  Oh, and BTW, “We’re completely out of hinges!”  Sweet.  This was a few weeks before the holidays, mind you, and the factory’s attitude was basically, “People will wait.” This was not said with any disregard for the needs of their customers…but simply because in Québec, people WILL wait.  I, of course, having been born and raised in the good ‘ol US of A, had a somewhat different take on the situation: People will NOT wait…they’ll go somewhere else!

So I got on my horse (iMac), and located the sofa bed hinge manufacturer in Italy who had been supplying our distributor.  But when I turned this information over to the grateful factory, they surprised me again with their response:  They had found ANOTHER distributor to order the hinges for them, and asked that they be shipped by boat in order to save on freight!   Flabbergasted and frustrated, and realizing how much business I’d lose if I had to wait TWO MONTHS for the stupid hinges to arrive, I ordered 30 sets on my own to be UPSd directly to the factory.  This cost me one thousand dollars out of my own pocket, but it was the only way to fill the orders I’d been accumulating, and I figured that that would be enough to see me through until the factory’s order of hinges arrived.  WRONG!  I sold them all by early December!

So that’s where we are today.  Orders piling up since early December, and no way to make them because we’re still waiting for the hinges from Italy!  But LO, we just received some amazing news:  The hinges have arrived in the Port of Montréal, and will clear customs and be delivered to the factory in St. Anicet by the end of the week. Which means we’ll be back in business by this time next week.   HALLELUJAH!!!

Mitch Wapen                                                                                                                               www.lofasofa.com                                                                                                                     lofasofa@videotron.ca

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By Mitch, October 28, 2009 9:11 am

Sometimes customers want to discuss,
Why they have to have Packaging Plus.
We add it, of course…
‘Cause buyers’ remorse,
Is not worth all the hassle and fuss.

Below is an email I received the other day from a Canadian customer who had just picked up her Mary Miller queen loveseat/ottoman with “Premium” foam at Nesel Fast Freight’s warehouse in Bolton, Ontario. While she’s very pleased with the overall quality and comfort of her new LofaBed, she seems particularly impressed with the packaging and the simplicity with which it went together.

Packaging Plus (+$20) is something we add whenever we ship a LofaBed with a common carrier, like Nesel.  Because several of the stores (and some of my customers) the factory sells to are local and, therefore, able to pick up their orders…..Packaging Plus is not always necessary.  But we’ve learned from experience that if third party workers are going to be handling your LofaBed, we’d better assume that Murphy and his Law are lurking, and plan for the worst.

Packaging Plus, then, is our way of insuring that cross-country, or even cross-city, transport will not damage your new LofaBed.  In a future blog, I’ll talk about the video I plan to make detailing exactly what is involved in adding Packaging Plus. But for now, please take my word for it that it’s really worth the extra twenty bucks.

Mitch Wapen
www.lofasofa.com
lofasofa@videotron.ca

————————————————————-

From: deb stringer
Subject: Re: LofaBed Order ETA (factory reference #14822)
Date: October 25, 2009 8:16 PM
To: lofasofa@videotron.ca

Hi Mitch!   No worries, the communication held strong and I got a call from Nesel when the order was in on Friday. I was able to pick it up that night no problem (it fit just fine in the truck and the guys at Nesel were great about helping us to get it in the truck, finding us extra cardboard to shove in the corners, etc.) We tarped it all up and drove home through a torrential downpour. Between the lateness of the night and the rain, we got completely lost – the one hour drive stretched into two and a half! I thought I should let you know how well it was packaged – I wasn’t particularly careful with the tarp as it wasn’t raining when we left – but even after two and a half hours exposed, the contents of the boxes were completely dry! I was thrilled!

I was really impressed with how the furniture was packed up – not just to keep dry, but it was easy to move around and there were just the two of us – and me with my sore back from my old bed! I had planned to just leave everything when I got home, but it looked so easy to put together, that I went for it – even in our exhausted, frustrated, irritable state we had it all together in less than half an hour, no bickering, and had already experimented with the different positions. (the furniture’s positions, that is – he was still in the dog house for not asking directions home from Bolton~!)

Anyway, it’s beautiful – the colour is exactly true as I pictured it from the website (remember, no swatches!), and if anything, the quality just surpasses my expectations. Every detail is perfect, the ingenious storage, the luxurious fabric – and hey – that premium foam – gotta love it!  I’m thrilled, absolutely thrilled. The ottoman is a special treat – even just as a stand alone, it’s an incredible piece of furniture – unique, useful, versatile – I’m so happy!

Thanks for the awesome service and the fantastic product. How rare to find something that is even better than it’s advertising!

From the comfort of my new lofaseat (I lofa it!)- Thanks!
Deb Stringer
Guelph, Ontario

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By Mitch, October 22, 2009 8:05 pm

I just came back from a 2-day business trip to South Yarmouth, Cape Cod. I was invited to make a LofaBed presentation to a group of Vacation Resorts International (VRI) owner/managers from all over the northeast. And to make things interesting, they put me up in a room at the lovely Riverview Resort, which included a queen size Hide-A-Bed.  Which was perfect, because it gave me a chance to refresh my memory of all the things I dislike about this product, and why I developed the LofaBed in the first place.

First of all, Hide-A-Bed is really a misnomer…..it’s a proprietary name owned by Simmons.  But, like Xerox and Kleenex, it’s lost its original cachet, and now is used primarily as a generic term in most peoples’ minds, to mean any kind of “sofa-bed.”  So when I say “hide a bed,” whether I spell it with capitals, hyphens, or none of the above….I’m talking about the ubiquitous pull-out sofa bed you find in every furniture store, department store, and hotel/resort in the land.

And people hate them!  I mean, c’mon…these babies are heavy, uncomfortable (if not impossible) to sleep on…..and often quite expensive. So why are they so popular? Because, other than futons, they’re about the only game in town.  Hotel/resort managers face the same dilemma you do when shopping for a sofabed:  they have to choose between futons and hide a beds.  And since most people think of futon furniture in terms of students and the “financially challenged,” the hide-a-bed gets selected as the “lesser of two evils.”

But, of course, now that the LofaBed is available, there IS a choice to be made.  Here then, is my analysis of the differences between the two concepts of sleeper sofas…..Hide-A-Bed versus LofaBed:

1)  Hide a beds are heavy…weighing somewhere north of 300 pounds! Stories abound re people moving and leaving their sofa bed behind because it was just too damn heavy to be carried!  A double size LofaBed, on the other hand, weighs 192 lbs., and even that can be reduced significantly by removing the arms and carrying the davenport base and futon mattress separately.

2)  The hide a bed mattress is undersized.  Because it has to fold three times to be “hidden,” it can never be longer than 72″!  And when you’re talking about a queen size mattress…normally 60″x80″…that’s EIGHT INCHES of mattress that’s missing!!!  They shouldn’t be called queens; they should be called qoubles. Afterall, they’re really the width of a queen and the length of a double (less, actually, since a full/double is supposed to be 75″ in length).  LofaBed mattresses, on the other hand, are always of standard dimensions….whether it be our twin/single (39″x75″), loveseat/ottoman (54″x75″), full/double (54″x75″), or Mary Miller queen (60″x80″)….these are the sizes that fitted sheets come in, and that’s why it’s important that our mattresses be made in these dimensions.

3)  Most hide-a-bed mattresses are only 4″ thick.  All LofaBed mattresses are 8″ thick. Whether hide a bed mattresses are made that way to save money or because the thinner they are the easier it is to fold away…I don’t know.  But I DO know that, in general, the thicker the better.

4)  Many, but not all, hide-a-beds feature a design that can only be described as a “bar in your back.” From the moment you lie down, you’re aware that a masochist must have designed this sucker. There’s no other explanation for it…why would anyone design a sleeping product that actually induced PAIN…unless pleasure were derived from the thought of it?  Go figure.  LofaBeds, by contrast, employ Pirelli elastic webbing to support the mattress…providing both cushiony comfort as well as many years of problem-free usage.

5)  All LofaBeds feature storage in the base.  Hide-A-Beds do not. Storage is a tremendous asset when space is at a premium, and our storage areas are large enough to accommodate sheets, blankets, and pillows….all the linen necessary to make up a bed.  And as far as ottoman storage capacity goes…let’s just say that you’re more likely to run out of things to store than you are to fill up our queen ottoman!

6)  All LofaBeds knock down for easy handling.  Hide a beds do not. When you remove the arms from any LofaBed, what remains is the davenport base and futon mattress.  The mattress is held in place by gravity, so that when removed, you’re left with a davenport base (full/double) that weighs 118 lbs. and measures only 12″ across when carried vertically.  That means you can carry it through virtually any doorway, up any staircase, and around any corner.  Try doing THAT with a hide a bed, and you’re looking at major household renovation!

7)  LofaBeds are made-to-order in 75 upholstery-grade fabrics, 7 sizes, and 8 arm styles…in a week.  Hide-A-Beds are generally an in-stock item and selection is based on current inventory.

8)  LofaBeds are generally less expensive than Hide-A-Beds, although a lot depends on country of origin and the cost of freight from Montréal.  As an example, Sears lists the queen-size model pictured below at C$1849.99, and a Mary Miller queen size LofaBed goes for $901.  But our prices are f.o.b. the factory in St. Anicet, which means where you live will determine the final price.  Which also means comparing prices is not so easy.

9)  Hide-A-Beds require floor space more than wall space, while LofaBeds give you a choice.  Hide a beds open into a room, meaning you sleep perpendicular to a wall.  They may be only 72″ wide (against the wall), but they come much further than that into the room when opened. This can be a problem in a room with more wall than floor space. LofaBeds come in four sizes (chair/ottoman, twin/ottoman, loveseat/ottoman, and Mary Miller queen/ottoman) that mimic the wall-facing configuration of a hide a bed, but are also available in two models (full/double + “qouble”) that sleep parallel to a wall, and thus require more wall space than floor space.  These models vary in width depending on your arm selection, but only require 39″ of floor space (from the wall) in the sitting position and 54″ in the bed position.

10)  Mechanisms.  No doubt the most fundamental difference between hide a beds and LofaBeds is the way each converts from a sofa to a bed.  A hide-a-bed incorporates a heavy, pull-out metal frame that’s hidden beneath two or three cushions, which must be removed to access the mechanism.  Because of its weight, it’s a challenge to open, and close, for many.  Should anything go wrong, it would be both expensive and difficult to replace one of these mechanisms.

pull-out sofabed mechanism

The LofaBed mechanism is a set of davenport hinges.  These hinges, known in Europe as clic-clacs, have been around since the nineteen forties, and are still popular throughout the world because of their ease of use and replaceability.  To prove how easy they are to operate, I videotaped my son, Marcus, doing just that when he was only 10-years-old and weighed a mere 63 lbs.  I figured if a small boy could do it, (http://www.lofasofa.com/videos.htm) anyone could.  Should they break…and ALL mechanisms eventually break…they’re replaceable at $25 a set, plus freight.  And I include easy-to-follow pictogram instructions on how to install them.

davenport hinge

11)  The comfort factor.  No matter the cost…no matter the mechanism…no matter the look…if a sofa bed isn’t comfortable to sleep on, what good is it?  And that, right there, is the biggest difference between hide a beds and LofaBeds.  I’ve slept on dozens, perhaps hundreds of sofabeds around the world.  And, until I developed the LofaBed, I never got a good night’s sleep!  Whether it was because of the bar-in-my- back, or because my feet were hanging off the end, or because the mattress and springs made the whole thing too bouncy…..I dunno.  I just know that whoever invented this concept, wasn’t into “a good night’s sleep” as a priority.

But the LofaBed IS.  One of my motivations for making it uber-comfortable, was to accommodate my Mom when she used to come to town to visit her grandchildren.  I figured if I could make her visit really comfortable, she’d stay a while longer.  And when she woke up one morning just before noon, and paid me the ultimate compliment, “Mitchell, you’re a good boy,” I KNEW I had accomplished my mission.

Mitch Wapen
www.lofasofa.com
lofasofa@videotron.ca

queen size Hide-A-Bed

pull-out bed position

full/double LofaBed

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By Mitch, October 18, 2009 10:07 am

Are LofaBeds just glorified futons or are they really a whole new category of sofa-beds?  As the inventor of the Lofabed, as well as the former owner of Canada’s largest futon furniture factory (we made Maple and Pine frames, futon mattresses, and covers), I think I know the difference.

The futon started life in North America as a floor cushion, used by Transcendental Meditationists to meditate.  The three cities that started the futon craze were San Francisco, Boston, and Montréal.  In the beginning (1980), futon matts were made of 100% cotton batting and covered in 100% cotton muslin, and tied with cotton tufts.  This was important to TMers because it reflected their “all natural” lifestyle perfectly.  But it wasn’t yet furniture…..all it was, was an off-white foldable mattress lying on the ground.

It became furniture when a Montréal “ebeniste” (cabinetmaker) named Christian Sakoledarius came up with the idea of a bi-fold pine frame that would lift the futon mattress off the ground and allow it to open into a bed and close into a sofa.  This was 1980, and the beginning of the futon revolution.

The industry quickly divided into two camps: the purists and the business people. The purists pretty much “cold shouldered” me when I decided to add polyurethane foam to the mattress.  To them this was heresy…to me, common sense.   My thinking was, “What the hell good is ‘all natural’ when it compacts and turns hard as a rock in a matter of weeks?  I wanna SIT and SLEEP on it, not EAT IT!!!”  And thus began the futon industry.

One of the truly unique aspects of the futon furniture industry was that, from the beginning, most suppliers chose to specialize.  Some decided to make the frames, pine or hardwood…others the futon mattress itself.  And some went into the business of making removable covers and throw pillows.  The thinking was that, while limited in scope, one could still make a quality product and be competitive in the “small pond” of the futon industry.  My interest was, and remains today, to produce a well-made, practical, comfortable sofa-bed that offers an alternative to the pull-out sleeper that dominates the marketplace…..the hide-a-bed.

The industry grew phenomenally for about ten years.  And then came the Chinese invasion.  Pretty soon you could import a hardwood Chinese futon frame cheaper than a domestic manufacturer could make one in pine!  So the local frame manufacturers slowly began to disappear.  And then the same thing happened with covers and pillows.  By this time I had closed my factory and was on the road as a manufacturers’ rep.  And what I saw was that “price” had taken over everyone’s mindset…..the cheaper, the better. The problem with that is:  1) There’s no end to how low prices can go…so low that eventually it put many a supplier and retailer out of business!   And 2) You can’t have low price, a quality product and great customer service all at the same time…you simply can’t.

And so I began thinking of developing a product that would appeal to a broader demographic than futons, which were typically bought by students and the “financially challenged.”  I was motivated by my Xerox training in New York City, which taught me that there’s always a market for something “better,” especially if you accompany it with great customer service.  But it wasn’t until I attended a Futon Association trade show in New Orleans, and came across the davenport hinge, that everything came together.   The davenport hinge offered easy, front-operating convertibility and storage in the base.  The futon mattress offered an 8″ comfortable cushion to sit and/or sleep on, along with standard dimensions so that fitted sheets would fit nice and tight.  And I wouldn’t have to compromise on quality materials or workmanship because now I was competing with hide a beds and generic sofa beds, which sold at price points significantly higher than futon furniture.  And so the LofaBed was born.

The futon industry has survived, although on a much smaller scale.  Today most of the suppliers are importers and most of the retailers are bedding stores.  The quality has improved because the survivors learned that making a profit is not necessarily a bad thing.  And the LofaBed, which appeals to a much wider market, has penetrated the resort and hotel industry, where hide a beds are ubiquitous.

But I started out this blog with the idea of comparing futons and LofaBeds, and then got caught up in a little reminiscing.  Here’s my analysis:

1)  Futon furniture is COMPONENT furniture…the frame comes from one source, the mattress another, and the cover still another.  Most of the products are imported and you can never be sure they’ll all fit together properly.  The LofaBed is constructed of Canadian hardwood at one factory in suburban Montréal (Canada), where I can visit periodically and check on quality control.

2)  Futon frames support the mattress with wooden or metal slats, offering little or no comfort.  The LofaBed mattress is supported by Pirelli elastic webbing, the same as in most expensive Italian leather furniture.

3)  They both knock down for easy carrying, but a LofaBed can be assembled in ten minutes with no tools.  Futon frames need tools and quite a bit more time to assemble.

4)  Futon mattresses are generally offered ONLY with a removable cover. While this is practical for people with animals and small children, it’s also a very sloppy look…as each time you get up from sitting, the cover needs to be re-tucked.  LofaBed mattresses are button-tufted to give them a more “furniture” look.  And removable covers ARE offered as an option.

5)  LofaBeds offer lots of storage in the base….even more in the ottomans. Futon frames do not.

6)  Futon furniture features bases of exposed wood or metal…not ideally suited for all rooms and definitely not conducive to napping.  LofaBeds are fully upholstered, fit nicely in any decorating environment, and are available in multiple padded arms… some designed specifically for napping.

7)  LofaBeds are made-to-order in the size, fabric, and arm style of your choice….in one week.  Futon furniture availability depends on what’s in stock.

8)  Although there ARE some ingenious mechanisms out there, most futon frames are a challenge to operate.  The LofaBeds’s davenport hinge mechanism has been around since the forties, and is still the simplest and easiest to open and close I’ve ever seen.

Mitch Wapen
www.lofasofa.com
lofasofa@videotron.ca

futon frame, mattress, & cover

fully upholstered LofaBed

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By Mitch, October 9, 2009 6:32 pm

For some time I’ve been wanting to improve the quality of the foam we put inside our LofaBed mattresses. Not that there’s anything wrong with the existing foam, mind you…..it’s just that I feel we can do better. But I’ve been reluctant to make a move, because increasing the quality means increasing the price as well…..and in the current economic environment, how could anyone in their right mind raise prices?

Well, I’ve decided to do it anyway….mainly because it’s the right thing to do….and because I want to be able to continue being passionate about my LofaBed. Last year (2008), when oil was selling for $150 a barrel, there was simply no way. Polyurethane foam is an oil derivative, you see. But this year oil prices have stabilized somewhat, so bumping the price now wouldn’t be nearly as traumatic as it would have been last year.

Enough about prices…..let’s talk about the real, underlying issue here: How do you construct a sofa-bed mattress that people can enjoy sleeping on every night? In the beginning (1996), the goal was to introduce a product that would compare favorably with the existing competition: futons and hide-a-beds. Surveys had shown that the use of these products was “occasional,” not full time. So we selected a grade of foam (1.5 pound density, medium compression) that was better than what was in your normal futon, but still reasonably priced. And we’ve stayed with that formula for the past 13 years.

But times, they are a-changing…..and now I’m getting more and more inquiries about the wisdom of sleeping on a LofaBed every night. Whether it’s because an adult child has come home to live with his parents, or because “she who must be obeyed” has decided that hubby’s snoring can no longer be tolerated (see video below)……

or because all the bedrooms are filled with children and Mom and Dad have been relegated to the sofa bed in the living room…..doesn’t matter…..they’re all legitimate reasons. In response to these requests, I have decided to offer a better version of the same LofaBed mattress; one that will be MORE comfortable and LAST longer…by introducing a “Premium” foam option to the productline. From now on, all seven sizes (chair, twin/single, loveseat, full/double, “qouble,” Mary Miller queen, and sectional) will be available in the “Premium” foam option.

But what does that mean?

Well, it’s still a compromise. Afterall, the absolute best available foam, Memory Foam, would be much too expensive. In fact, even a 3-pound regular foam would add so much to the price of a LofaBed, that no one would buy it. So I’ve compromised with a 2-pound density, soft compression version that costs ME $55 extra for a full/double. I’m not trying to make a PENNY on this….it’s expensive enough….I’m just going to pass it on.

But, OMG, what a difference it makes!!! Now, when you sit on it, you sink in…..just like you would with an expensive piece of upholstered Italian leather. Most people’s reaction is simply, “Wow!” And just like with most Italian furniture, our Pirelli elastic webbing supports both you and the cushion, making sure that “bottoming out” is never a concern. No, there’re enough layers of cotton batting (4) and polyurethane foam (4) to keep you supported in absolute luxury, while allowing you to sink in far enough to be sublimely comfortable. And yet, when lying down, you still feel completely supported because your body is spread over a much larger area than when sitting. To paraphrase the immortal Henry Higgins, “By Jove, I think we’ve got it!”

The “Premium” foam option is just that, an option. No one is being forced to buy it. But if you’re in need of a full-time place to lay your head every night, and the other bed(s) in your home have been taken, THIS is the LofaBed for you. The higher density means it’ll last longer, and the lower compression means it’ll feel more comfortable. And if enough customers “opt” for this option, it’s only a matter of time before this becomes the way ALL LofaBeds are made.

“Premium” foam prices:

chair/ottoman = + $49
twin/single/ottoman = + $59
loveseat/ottoman = + $70
full/double = + $55
“qouble” = + $66
Mary Miller queen loveseat/ottoman = + $84

Developing Premium foam…
Met resistance like Georg Simon Ohm.
We made it much stronger,
As well as last longer…
But it took many days, as did Rome.

Mitch Wapen
www.lofasofa.com
lofasofa@videotron.ca
877-424-1431

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By Mitch, July 28, 2009 7:52 pm

I’ve always like limericks. When my kids were born, I used to entertain them at Easter time with some home-made limericks that doubled as clues for an egg hunt. But then they grew up and left, and I haven’t thought much about limerick-writing since.

But a few weeks ago a woman in Oakville, Ontario, wrote and asked me questions about the “qouble” size LofaBed, and how hard it might be to find fitted sheets for such an odd size. For some reason, I responded with a limerick (see below). She liked it so much it made me think about responding to more customers the same way. And so I wrote a few more…then a few more…and, finally, I had so many, I decided to add a limerick page to my website.

Look, they make ME smile when I’m writing them. And I figure if they make YOU smile too, what’s the harm in having a non-commercial page on the website that’s just about making people smile? So I did it. Today I instructed my webmaster in Vancouver to post the limerick page to the website for everyone to see. And here’s the limerick that got the whole thing started:

A Kiri Plum LofaBed “qouble,”
Is bigger by far than a double.
But if flat sheets will fit,
Then one has to admit,
That making the bed is no trouble.

Mitch Wapen
www.lofasofa.com
lofasofa@videotron.ca

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By Mitch, July 8, 2009 2:51 pm

It’s been a while since I’ve done a LofaBed video, and I wanted to do something special.  Actually, the ONLY time I’ve ever done one was back in 1999 when my son, Marcus, was only 10-years-old and I featured his 63 pound body in a hand-made video demonstration in my driveway.  This time I wanted it to go viral. Meaning, I wanted something so entertaining that people would forward it to all their online friends.  The problem, of course, is how do you do that and still show the feature/benefits of a sofa-bed?

I found a local Montréal production company, WatchMojo, that specializes in internet videos, and I gave them a budget of $5,000.  MY idea was to feature my pug, Kobi, in one of those “impossible to believe” videos where the dog does something dogs shouldn’t be able to do:  open and close a sofa bed.  But the boys at WatchMojo convinced me otherwise by applying the simple, but timeless deterrent, “You can’t afford that!” And so I agreed to do things their way.

Their way was to use actors…..human actors.  The idea was make two videos, each one featuring a husband and wife driving the other out of the conjugal bed because, A) the husband snores and farts, and B) the wife is tossing and turning menopausal.  I asked them to find actors that are middle-aged and, shall we say, calorically-challenged, because I find that funnier than skinny.  After announcing that “I want my LofaBed,” they each leave the bedroom, stomp downstairs to the newly-decorated home office, make up the futon mattress in the sheets, blanket, and pillows stored in the LofaBed’s base, and proceed to fall asleep immediately.  All this to the doo-wop music of a jingle I recorded twenty years ago, “Lofa makes a sofa feel SO good!”  lofasofa-jingle

I have no idea if these puppies will ever go viral….probably not, since they ARE blatantly commercial.  But they make ME laugh, and if they have the same affect on others, I’m hoping the least they’ll do is drive some more traffic to my website.  Because, y’know what?  When people FIND ME……they buy!

Mitch Wapen
www.lofasofa.com
lofasofa@videotron.ca