This is the Dixie Mattress Company. I have lived in this neighborhood for over thirteen years and it has always been there with its weird junk sitting behind its dusty windows. I've only seen people inside there once in all those years and that was a few weeks ago. The door was open and there were two people sitting in the dimly lit chaos of the shop on folding chairs not doing anything that looked related to making a mattress. Apparently, there was some chatter about this place on blogs about town and The Oregonian ran this article, which is the first bit of real info about the business I'd ever read.

Personally, I find the shop ugly and its Union Jack flags offensive but I also love that it's still there. It's a weird and largely inexplicable local business. It is my theory that it is one of the last remaining elements that keep this section of Belmont from being entirely overthrown by painful hipness. That, and the shootings. Sean confirmed that there was not only one, but two shootings behind Belmont's, the corner bar. One was after a Tree Frog's show (Sean's old band). The bartender was killed. The other was after a hip-hop show and while remaining unconfirmed, ended live music at this bar. That was all a decade or so ago. Sadly, the convenience store has now taken up the slack in gun violence along the street. I joke about it being the Dixie Mattress Company's fault, but really, I'd be sad if I walked by one day and found a high-priced t-shirt shop had replaced the dusty relics and stained mattresses.