We pulled some old commercials out of the archive recently, and they brought back a lot for us. They star Stanley Grossman, known to South Jersey as the Sleep Doctor, who ran Kensington Furniture with his brother starting in 1967. His grandson, now working alongside his uncle Michael at the store, shares what those old ads mean to our family and to Kensington's history.Who was Stanley Grossman?Stanley Grossman was a part owner of Kensington Furniture, taking over the business with his brother, Buddy, in 1967. He'd started his career with Kensington back in 1955, working in the same building where the company operated at the time. He stayed involved with the store for decades afterward. As he put it in one of the old commercials, "For 91 years, I loved spending my life in this community with people that I love."The Sleep Doctor commercialsStanley became known around South Jersey for a series of commercials where he played "the Sleep Doctor," pitching adjustable bases with the line, "Whether you're 90, like me, or 29, you're gonna love an adjustable base." The ads were unmistakably him: playful, a little cheeky about his own age, and proud of how long Kensington had been part of the community. One line ties the store's roots directly to the boardwalk: Kensington has been around since 1912.Moving the store and building a personalityWhen Stanley and Buddy took the reins in 1967, they wanted the business to reflect who they were: bold, loving, and fun. Under their ownership, Kensington moved from its original location in Atlantic City to where the showroom sits today, on Tilton Road in Northfield. They also brought in the popcorn, cookies, and snacks that longtime South Jersey customers still associate with a visit to the store. The marketing campaigns they built during that era are still memorialized inside our Northfield showroom.Three generations, one family businessKensington has passed through several sets of hands within the same family. Stanley and Buddy carried it on from an earlier generation. Stanley's son Michael and his brother carried it on after that. Now Stanley's grandson is joining the business, working alongside his uncle Michael, continuing a line of family ownership that goes back generations.Why this matters to usStanley passed away a few years ago, but his influence didn't stop there. His grandson put it simply: Stanley "had such a big influence on my life, the person that I wanted to be," just from watching what he did at Kensington. That's part of why we wanted to share these old commercials again, not just as nostalgia, but as a reminder of the people who built this store into what it is.What this means for customers todayKensington is still a family-run furniture and mattress store, and the personality Stanley and Buddy built into the business, being straightforward, a little fun, and genuinely rooted in this community, is something we try to carry forward every day in our Northfield showroom. The names change from generation to generation. The commitment to South Jersey doesn't. Key takeaways Stanley Grossman, known as the Sleep Doctor, took over Kensington Furniture with his brother Buddy in 1967. Stanley started his career with Kensington in 1955 and stayed involved with the business for decades. Under Stanley and Buddy's ownership, the store moved from Atlantic City to its current location on Tilton Road in Northfield. Stanley and Buddy introduced the popcorn, cookies, and snacks that became a Kensington tradition, along with marketing campaigns still displayed in the showroom today. Stanley's grandson has now joined the business, working alongside his uncle Michael, continuing three generations of family ownership. Questions people ask Who was Stanley Grossman? Stanley Grossman was a part owner of Kensington Furniture starting in 1967, known locally for the Sleep Doctor commercials he starred in for the store. When did Kensington Furniture move to Northfield? The store moved from Atlantic City to its current Tilton Road location in Northfield under Stanley Grossman and his brother Buddy's ownership, starting in 1967. How long has Kensington Furniture been in business? One of the old commercials states that Kensington has been around since 1912, and Stanley Grossman himself began working there in 1955. Is Kensington Furniture still family-run? Yes. Stanley's grandson has recently joined the business and now works alongside his uncle Michael, continuing multiple generations of family ownership. Mentioned in this video: adjustable base. See these and comparable pieces in our Northfield showroom, or ask our team.
