Chattanooga’s Main Street has an interesting history of manufacturing along its long, east/west route from Missionary Ridge to the Tennessee River.
Originally called Montgomery Avenue, Main Street has been the address of the makers of soft drinks (Royal Crown Cola), water heaters (M.M. Hedges), wheelbarrows (Chattanooga Wheelbarrow), and wreckers (Ernest Holmes, prior to moving to East Lake), One could even purchase a custom-made mattress on Main Street from the Powell Mattress Company.
The Powell Mattress Company was founded by William Irving Powell in 1928. Not much could be found on the founder, for his January 9, 1960 obituary focused primarily on his survivors, memorial service and burial. From the Public Library’s on-line photograph database, we can find that the business began at 350 East Main Street, and had other addresses before ceasing operation in 1965.
Powell’s longest tenure was at 615 Main Street. Several painted signs adorned the mattress-maker’s brick-veneered shop, including “Mattresses and Box Springs Made to Order.”
A long-running advertisement for Powell Mattress in the Chattanooga city directory told of its other offerings. Old mattresses could be renovated and sterilized. Gliders and box springs could be recovered. Have an old mattress that you want to be converted to a modern innerspring? No problem for the Powell employees. Satisfaction was guaranteed, according to the advertisement.
In addition to mattresses, the Powell business also reupholstered chairs, and recovered porch swings.
Following the passing of William I. Powell, his widow, Dorothy, assumed leadership for the remaining few years that Powell Mattress was in business. The Atlas Bolt Company has been listed at 615 Main Street since at least the 1970 city directory.
If you have information on the Powell Mattress Company, please send me an e-mail at jolleyh@bellsouth.net.
Powell Mattress at 615 Main Street. Click to enlarge.
- Photo2 by courtesy of The Public Library