ALBANY, N.Y. — Metro Mattress, the 47-year-old Northeast staple for affordable sleep solutions, is calling it quits for good, filing a motion to liquidate all remaining operations just a month after entering Chapter 11 bankruptcy.
The chain, once a go-to for everything from basic twin sets to luxury adjustable bases, couldn’t drum up a buyer despite outreach to 21 potential suitors, forcing a fire sale that will shutter its final stores and erase decades of local retail history.
Launched in 1977, Metro Mattress grew into a regional powerhouse with nearly 70 locations across New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut, building a rep for no-frills shopping and solid customer service.
But the post-pandemic world hit hard: E-commerce giants like Amazon siphoned sales, inflation jacked up costs, and foot traffic never fully rebounded.
When the company sought Chapter 11 protection in September 2025, it planned to close about 30 underperformers and slim down to 40 spots, banking on a sale to keep the lights on.
That hope fizzled fast—no bids panned out, leaving Metro unable to cover advertising, inventory, or even day-to-day bills.
The liquidation motion, filed October 3 in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of New York, lays out a stark plan: Consolidate stock at five or six surviving stores for a going-out-of-business blowout with discounts up to 70% off.
Once the five-week sale wraps, everything folds—leases vacated, employees let go, and a family-owned business that weathered recessions and dot-com busts finally closes the book.
“We can no longer sustain operations,” the filing reads, a quiet admission after years of grit.
For the roughly 200-300 workers (exact figures aren’t public), it’s a tough pill—job losses in an economy where retail gigs are already scarce.
Customers, too, feel the pinch; those midtown Manhattan or suburban Jersey spots were more than outlets—they were neighborhood fixtures for late-night mattress hunts or post-move hauls.
Ongoing Challenges in the Furniture World
This isn’t an isolated tale; the furniture world is littered with recent casualties, as shifting habits and online behemoths chew through legacy chains.
Just this year, American Freight liquidated all 328 stores after parent Franchise Group filed for Chapter 11 in November 2024, blaming inflation and durable goods slumps.
Conn’s, a 134-year-old Texas-based furniture and appliance retailer, shut down 550 locations in July 2024 amid bankruptcy, citing similar woes.
At Home, the home decor player, filed for Chapter 11 in June 2025 and closed 26 stores as part of the fallout.
Even Walker Edison Furniture, a ready-to-assemble specialist, hit the skids with an August 2025 Chapter 11 filing.
Looking back, the carnage started earlier: The RoomPlace, a Chicago fixture since 1912, filed in February 2024 and closed eight stores before liquidating assets in August.
Wallaroo’s Furniture & Mattresses in the West followed suit in March 2024, tangled in Employee Retention Credit repayment issues.
Progressive Furniture, a North Carolina manufacturer, shuttered entirely at year’s end 2024, laying off 30 after 50 years.
And Art Van Furniture, with over 300 Midwest outlets, went under in 2020, a pandemic casualty that echoed through suppliers.
These stories share a thread: High interest rates stalled big-ticket buys, e-commerce undercut showrooms, and supply chain snarls lingered.
“Softness in big-ticket furnishings will persist until interest rates come down,” Neil Saunders of GlobalData told Forbes, noting consumers now favor quick home tweaks over full overhauls.
For Metro Mattress, it’s a poignant close—started by a family chasing the American dream, now bowing out in a world where dreams often arrive via drone.
Will this economic trend continue to grow?
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