The DavisWorld Story

In 1960, Al and Bea Davis started a small antique and used furniture store, Al Davis Furniture, in the Hillcrest section of San Diego. After a few years, they began selling high quality furniture, mattresses and carpeting, mostly from catalogs and manufacturer's samples. The store became well-know in Southern California as "The place to go to" for ordering great home furnishings at substantially reduced prices. In 1980, their son Bob launched Mattress World, a specialty store within Al Davis Furniture. Mattress World has become a great source for discounted prices on fine mattress brands like Simmons Beautyrest, Aireloom Handcrafted Mattresses, Spring Air Back Supporter, and other generic brands. Our newest division, GentleHome.com is a great source for organic, chemical-free mattresses and other items, also at discount prices.

Today www.DavisWorld.com is your one-stop shopping site for fine discount home furnishings. Our "Brick and Mortar" store is on University Avenue in Hillcrest, two blocks west of Park Boulevard and contains many catalogs of furniture and a limited selection of furniture samples in the store. Many samples of mattresses are on display for you to try out. While many furniture items amd mattresses can be shipped to other parts of the country, please check with us for more information before placing your order.

Al Davis

Al Davis got his first taste of the home furnishings business as a salesman at the Quality Tire and Appliance Company in downtown San Diego in the 1950s. Later he managed the housewares department at "Fed-Mart", the first store owned by the legendary Sol Price of "Price Club" and "Costco" fame. One of Al's favorite stories is about how one day he thought up "Fabric World" in one corner of the store. A couple of days later Sol Price walked up and gruffly asked, "Whose idea was this?" When told it was Al Davis he walked off. A couple of weeks later there appeared in other parts of the store, "Baby World," "Tool World," "Shoe World," etc. Later, Al and Bob Davis started "Mattress World".

Al and his wife Bea found a small shoe repair shop for rent in Hillcrest in 1960. They moved in and converted it into a used furniture and antique store. Al soon started selling new furniture out of catalogs. The store he started has now became known all over Southern California as a great place to get quality furniture, carpet, window coverings and mattresses at the lowest prices around. Al was well-known in Hillcrest for his giant rubberband ball. It's gone now since rubberbands don't do well when exposed to air. And no, Al did NOT own the Raiders! Al passed away in November of 2000 after a long bout with cancer and is sorely missed by his family and friends.

Bob Davis

Bob Davis has been working in the home furnishings field since he was a young child. After his father, Al Davis, opened his used furniture store in 1960, Bob would spend his after school hours rummaging through the treasures his father and mother had collected at estate sales, auctions and warehouses. Many times, Al and Bob closed the store at 5:00 PM and then started delivering sofas, dressers and mattresses to customers all over the city until 10:00 at night.

Bob started Mattress World next door to Al Davis Furniture in 1981. The first major lines of mattresses discounted by Mattress World were Sealy and Spring Air. Back then, name brand mattresses were not generally discounted but Bob has always believed in fair, discounted prices. Over the years, brands have changed and the internet was invented which has increased our customer base outside of the San Diego area. Our current discounted mix of brands include, SIMMONS BEAUTYREST, AIRELOOM HANDCRAFTED BEDS, LAND AND SKY natural all cotton & wool beds, pure ORGANIC LATEX RUBBER beds from and other manufacturers with all natural quilting and ticking, SWEDA VISCO-ELASTIC AND ORGANIC LATEX BEDS, DIAMOND LADY AMERICANA BEDS and their own brand of GENERIC VALUE BEDS. Loyal customers started telling their friends about the great deals on furniture, carpet and mattresses at that little store on University Avenue in Hillcrest. Today, even with competition from big East Coast mattress chains and Superstores from Los Angeles, Mattress World is successful and growing.

Bob is the father of two wonderful children, Sarah who graduated from Pomona College in Claremont, California with a degree in Black Studies and a minor in math, and his son Taylor who graduated from the University of California at Santa Cruz with a degree in Earth Sciences. Sarah is a Certified Professional Midwife specializing in natural home birth who owns "BIRTH ROOTS", a natural birth center in the San Diego area. Taylor is a project estimator and designer at SUNPOWER, a large solar panel company in Berkeley, California.

In his spare time, Bob enjoys printing black and white photographs of the Southwest and the Pacific Northwest in his home darkroom, although lately he has been 'spoiled' by Photoshop and Lightroom and spends too much time working with photos on his computer! Bob's wife, Antonia, is an artist who's current passion is leading a "Street Theater" group called the San Diego Puppet Insurgency. They are becoming well-known in the community for helping to bring attention to various social causes. Bob & Antonia's dog is named "Trudy "and is a Bichon Frise.

Our Team

Mary Perry runs the computer and makes sure the bills are paid. She loves playing with her wonderful grandchildren and has a husband who builds computers and loves playing bass in a rock and roll band.

Rob Myerson is a salesman in both the furniture and mattress departments and arranges same or next day deliveries to customers. Rob has years of experience selling home furnishings and helps advise customers so they can purchase just the right items for their homes and the best beds for their backs. Rob and his wife Teresa enjoy their dog, Diego, and enjoy traveling throughout the Southwest and beyond.

Bob Schraer manages all floor covering departments and arranges and supervises installation of carpet, wood, laminate, and vinyl floors. Bob always enjoys taking sales away from the large warehouse stores by offering lower prices and better service.