By NEAL WAGNER / City Editor

Mattress King stores in Pelham and Hoover likely will see no changes after the owners of the Alabama bedding chain recently announced their retirement.

Wayne and Kay Koswoski started the Mattress King franchise in Huntsville in 1989, and have since opened 19 stores across the state, including one at 110 Cahaba Valley Road in Pelham and another at 5403 U.S. 280 in Hoover’s Greystone community.

Wayne Koswoski is well-known throughout the Birmingham area for his store advertisements, in which he dons a crown and robe and portrays a king.

After the Koswoskis announced their retirement, the West Virginia-based Innovative Mattress Solutions purchased the Mattress King franchise. According to an IMS press release, the company is planning to keep the Mattress King name in Alabama.

IMS Chief Marketing Officer Karen Keck said the company is planning to keep all Mattress King stores open and to retain store employees.

“We are moving forward with the business,” Keck said.

IMS also operates the Mattress Warehouse, Sleep Outfitters and Mattresses Unlimited chains in West Virginia, Indiana, Tennessee, Kentucky and Ohio.

Wayne Koswoski said Mattress King was able to expand to areas such as Shelby County despite trying economic times in the mattress industry.

“We have been blessed to see our company grow during trying times in our industry,” Wayne Koswoski wrote in a press release. “When other companies were closing stores, we were opening more.

“Kay and I are excited about retiring, almost as excited as we are for our employees,” he added. “This acquisition will allow them all some wonderful opportunities and career paths greater than what we could have provided on our own.”

Wayne Koswoski’s son, Joseph, will be a corporate executive with IMS.

“This is a win-win. It’s a wonderful opportunity for my parents as well as me and the other Mattress King employees,” said Joseph Koswoski. “Partnering with IMS allows us to take this company to a whole new level. I’m more excited than ever to see where this takes us.”