THE DREAM CENTRE

Having first opened for business in November 2021, The Dream Centre is an innovative, one-of-a-kind, Barbadianowned store that specialises in superior quality customised beds, exclusive mattress brands, bedding and bedroom accessories.

Living up to its own tagline that, ‘Every great idea starts with a dream; every dream starts with a good night’s rest’, The Dream Centre is the brainchild of its founder/owner, Rodney Bradshaw. With over 25-years’ previous experience working in purchasing and logistics for major companies Harrisons, Pricesmart and Unicomer - including 11 years in bedding retail - Rodney was well equipped to make the pivotal transition from employee to employer.

Rodney Bradshaw

Over the years I learned an enormous amount about the retail business, including both what worked well and what didn’t. I developed a real passion for customer service and understood the vital importance of knowing what a client really needs and supplying it efficiently. And that is especially true when it comes to selling beds, because most people spend a third of their life in bed. Yet, I’ve seen far too many customers buy a bed that wasn’t suitable for their body or sleeping requirements. And that concerned me a lot.

The more perturbed I became about that situation, the more I started to formulate my own ideas of how a bed business should be managed and operated. At first I just observed the customers closely, listened carefully to their comments, and made reference notes. But later on I found myself paying a lot of attention to any global trends and new developments taking place in the industry. When I made enquiries with manufacturers about how they produced top quality mattresses, I was excited to learn how the leading designers had moved on from memory foam and started making gel and fusion mattresses. All of that innovation pushed me into developing my own designs and product lines. The fact is, in my mind I was already envisaging my own business.

About two years ago, I went on a vacation to Las Vegas and Punta Cana, but instead of sightseeing and enjoying life, I spent the entire two weeks in hotel rooms, writing down all my ideas. By the time I’d finished, I had everything mapped out - the product lines I wanted to develop and sell, how I wanted the business to function, even the kind of staff I needed to employ to provide the right level of customer service. That trip proved to be a big turning point in my life. When I got back home I took a massive step off the edge by leaving my job and launching my own company called The Dream Centre.

What sets our company apart from others in the field is that we offer a genuinely customised service. We are not just selling beds to people. Our goal is to help look after our clients’ health and wellbeing, especially people with neck issues, back problems or general difficulty sleeping. All of our mattresses are produced specially for us by a leading international manufacturer of top line brands. Each mattress is assembled with the optimum number of springs and layers of foam for maximum comfort and good posture, then covered with anti-allergy fabrics. We work with a local manufacturer to produce high quality bed frames and bedroom furniture.

We are not happy just selling beds over the phone or via online orders. We want our customers to visit in person for a one-on-one consultation and to physically test the bed. Mattresses are not a one fits all kind of item. People come in lots of different shapes and sizes, so we all need something that fits our own individual needs. And that also applies to couples. Sleeping partners need to stretch out on the bed together to test the effect of their combined weight. That way we can help improve their quality of sleep by guiding them to the right mattress that best meets their personal needs and sleeping pattern.

Every member of our team is 100% committed to delivering products and services of the highest quality and value for money. And we don’t take those commitments lightly. While we always do everything within our power to meet expectations, if we do ever let somebody down, we own up to our responsibility and do the right thing to make amends.

It seems we must be on the right track with the way we are running The Dream Centre because we have already attracted the attention of a major international brand that has expressed an interest in some form of possible future partnership. Where that goes remains to be seen. Meanwhile we will just continue doing what we do best - supplying our customers with the right bed for all the right reasons.