All In The Families

Old Company Sold

FRIDAY MAY 10 1974

By Dan McLeister

(Business-Labor Reporter)

The Ann Arbor Bedding Co... which has been operated by a member of the Colvin family for 52 years, has been sold to another local family business, Renders, which has been in Ann Arbor for 47 years.

The purchase does not include the Ann Arbor Bedding building at 1002 Pontiac, although Rendel’s will occupy the three-story structure. The Ann Arbor Bedding Co. building, which was built in 1936, is next to a building at 1001 Broadway which is also owned by Thomas Colvin Jr. and his mother, and is one of the oldest buildings in Ann Arbor.

Colvin, who has run the small custom design business for 27 years, said he felt now was the time to get out of the firm since his partner and only other employe recently, Maurice McGee, was retiring.
Colvin said he will go to work for Stein and Goetz Sporting Goods store.

The two men became partners 27 years ago in the business, which was started by Thomas Colvin Sr. in 1927. Colvin said the business has been steady, although there was more pressure and more competition in recent years. “We were a small business which specialized in odd sizes.” The company sold directly to consumers and did not go through any middlemen. It also did renovation work of mattresses and pillows.

The Ann Arbor Bedding Co. was purchased because “I hate to see an old business end. It has been a craft and I wanted to keep it going in a society which has gone to computers and left the human element out,” said Allen Rendel, who operates his business with his wife, Eleanor and two sons, Mark and Gary.

Rendel noted that the bedding company does tie in with his home refurnishing and interior decorating business. The facilities at 731 Lakeview include a showroom store, warehouse and an upholstery shop for a total amount of space of approximately 4,500 square feet.

The Ann Arbor Bedding building has approximately 3, 600 square feet on its three floors, and will be used to expand both the present Rendel business and the bedding business, Rendel said.

Rendel said he has not had a chance to make any definite plans since the whole idea of purchasing Ann Arbor Bedding came about in an few days. “But the business will maintain the same tradition and quality. Hopefully our experience will add to and improve the business. We plan to keep up with the new trends.

Building
and
Business

We will probably specialize in foam mattresses but we will still do custom work.”

Rendel said he would add more employes, probably three or four persons. Maybe there will be more later, he said. “We will keep the name Ann Arbor Bedding Co. now as far as I can see.”

Rendel said, “I am really interested in keeping the business going. I hate to see it die out. There is poor quality from the big factory today. Quality seems to have gone down the drain in the machine age. Salesmen say you can order something special but you get the same thing.” he said.