Author Archives: cottoncloudfutons

About cottoncloudfutons

There are many people who have influenced my life and business, and helped shape the thriving business I have run for 25 years now. My mom was a do it herself type woman – partly because it was the 70’s and women were coming into their own power, and partly because she was a single mother of two, and had to get inventive to make ends meet. My step dad was also very creative and encouraged me to always look at the world around us and talk about what we saw. Their support of my creativity and observational skills were the solid ground to stand on to begin my adventures. I started Cotton Cloud when I was only 17 years old. Even as a teen I had a very close connection to the planet and Nature, and once I took a class on how to make your own futon, it was clear that making beds out of cotton was the perfect mesh of art and consciousness for me. I lived in a little frame house in the woods, made the covers on a treadle sewing machine, and built each mattress by hand. It was a very zen experience, and gave me the opportunity to brainstorm on contents and construction as part of the process. I transported each mattress (whether for delivery or to the Saturday Market) on the bus, and my initial client base were friends and family. My neighbor was a wood worker who built my first tri-fold frames, which we sold along with the futons at the Saturday Market (my primary source for advertising) for the first two years. My next big step was to move into a more central and roomy space – the house on Burnside – where I made futons in the basement and sold them in the little storefront attached to the house. Over the next ten years the business grew so large it expanded into the main house, and I opened a store in Beaverton as well. I was on Canon Road for 10 years, and in downtown Beaverton for 5 years, and the experience honed my skills in both building futons, and running a successful business. I also moved the business out of the Burnside house to a storefront at 1916 NE Broadway and expanded both the types of futons made, and the crew of employees who helped me make and sell them. 13 years later, we have moved again, to a much larger space at 701 NE Broadway, and shortly afterwards, moved our production to a separate warehouse to make more display room for an ever growing range of frames and accessories to go with our futons. All our mattresses are still made by hand, out of all natural materials, and my commitment to the planet and my community are still as strong and vital as ever. My business is not just about feeding my family and employees, but maintaining mutual respect with our customers and the world around us, and making products that are beautiful, functional and natural. Everything that I have created has come from the earth and all of the friends, family, customers and artisans coming together to form a community that values having a beautiful, comfortable place to live. I look forward to continuing this work, and making these connections, for many years to come.