King Koil

Illustration of a character made of a black spiraling spring like shape wearing a yellow crown and holding a wand on a white background

United States Bedding was founded by Samuel Bronstein, a Russian immigrant, in 1898. Initially, he and his family worked out of their home in St. Paul, MN, but business grew, and they built a factory. Wanting to rebrand, they mounted a naming contest. The winner, Era Bell Thompson from North Dakota, suggested “King Koil” and won $25. An artist created the Koil Man logo seen on this button, and a King Koil sign is still on the side of the factory at Vandalia Street and I-94. The company still makes mattresses, but they are now based in Arizona. Era Bell Thompson went on to a literary career and spent 40 years as an editor for Ebony magazine. Years later, Samuel Bronstein Jr. was thumbing through a copy of Ebony and saw her name on the masthead. He immediately wrote her a note and received a “warm and gracious reply” from Ms. Thompson thanking him for the $25 which she used to further her education.