If you ever drive by Dillon Plaza in High Ridge during the day, chances are you’ll encounter a man with a great big smile and goofy dance moves along Hwy. 30.
That’s Ed Williams of Arnold.
Ed Williams, 55, of Arnold, who promotes Sleep Eazy Mattress Gallery in High Ridge, is known as the “dancing mattress store guy,” but he admits he has no dance moves. Read more about Williams on myleaderpaper.com
He said the dancing gig just kind of fell into his lap.
About a year ago he was hanging out with his friend, Mike Light, who co-owns Sleep Eazy Mattress Gallery with Cory Prsha, and Light mentioned he was looking to hire someone to hold a Sleep Eazy sign to bring in customers.
“And I said, ‘Well I could do something like that,’” said Williams, 55, who also works as a host at the Bob Evans restaurant in Festus. “I was supposed to hold the sign and wave. That was kind of boring, and it was difficult. It was heavy and the wind (was) blowing, so I put in some earbuds and started dancing a little bit. People just started honking and clapping.”
Having “the dancing mattress store guy” has been good advertising for the store, Light said.
At the beginning of the year, the store moved from 11 Dillon Plaza Drive where it had been for about five years to 4 Dillon Plaza Drive, which is not as visible from the highway.
“Everybody loves Ed,” Light said. “He’s happy-go-lucky, you know. He brings a lot of people to Sleep Eazy.”
Light describes Williams as fun, outgoing, easygoing.
“Carefree,” he added. “That’s what everybody sees. He’s out there having a good time, not caring what anybody thinks, and that’s what everybody wishes that they could do. I know I sure wish I could be out there dancing like nobody’s watching.”
Light said sometimes people come in just to say, “Hey, that guy is awesome. He’s making our day and I just wanted you to know that.”
“Every single day, he’s making somebody’s day better, and if you can do that, oh my God, you’re doing something really well. If you can put a smile on one person’s face and turn a frown upside down, you’re doing a good thing.”
Williams said most of the motorists passing by ignore him, but many others smile, wave or honk.
If they honk, Williams said he gives them the peace sign, and he salutes first responders who drive by.
What music is he listening to?
Williams said he likes all kinds of music.
“This will surprise some people, but everything from Charlie Chaplin to a band called the Lacs. John Denver. Neil Diamond. Charlie Daniels. It’s a wide variety, and the only reason I brought up Charlie Chaplin is nobody knows him as a musician. But he wrote a song called ‘Smile’ that is just absolutely incredible. It’s not really one you can dance to. But yeah, rock and roll, country, oldies, a little disco, Bee Gees, whatever, I like it all.”
Williams said he doesn’t have any great dance moves.
“I don’t think I can dance at all,” he said. “I don’t know if they’re laughing at me or with me, but either way as long as we’re laughing.”
Williams said he is not on Facebook or social media, but his wife is, and he recently read a couple of comments on Facebook about him.
“The one comment a lady wrote actually made me tear up,” he said. “It was about her little boy saying he likes to dance all the time, too, and he just wants to dance and have fun and wanted to be like Ed.”
Jeannie Ketcherside of House Springs posted that comment on Facebook.
“My son asks me every day on our way home from day care if we will see Ed, and when he is there, my son gets so excited to see him dancing,” Ketcherside posted. “He says, ‘See I am not the only one dancing all the time. Ed does, too, and I wanna be just like him, happy and dancing.’ Well, who am I to argue with that? We love you Ed!”
Ketcherside said Williams brightens the day.
“I have never seen someone bring people together with such positivity as this man has done, which in this very opinionated society is no small feat,” she said.
Ketcherside posted one of the hundreds of comments on Christy Reichardt Howland’s post about Williams on a Facebook page this month.
“Dear Dancing Mattress Guy (Off of Gravois in High Ridge),” she said, “I’ll have what you’re having. Your energy level is off the charts! Not to mention the giant smile on your face. I couldn’t fake a smile like that if I tried. You make my daughter and I laugh every time we drive by. You do you.”
Christy Ragsdale Hempen of High Ridge was one of the people who recommended the Leader write a story about Williams, saying he spreads so much joy and positivity.
Williams said the dancing job is fun.
He doesn’t have set hours and estimates he works anywhere from 15 to 25 hours a week during the mattress store’s hours.
“I’ll always call and say, ‘Hey, you guys want me today,’ and they always say yes,” he said.
Williams stays cool on hot days by bringing along several frozen bottles of Gatorade.
“I don’t want him out there if it’s too hot,” Light said. “I’ve got to make him come in or he’ll stay out there.”
In the winter, you may see him wearing a mattress costume.
“And then it’s really goofy dancing,” Williams said, adding he’s only worn it once so far.
Light said he hopes to hold a meet and greet in the near future so customers have the chance to meet the owners and Williams, their only other employee.
Light said he is glad to provide something positive for the community.
“It’s such a grim world,” he said. “To see somebody smiling and just being so free, you know carefree. It makes people happy. It makes me happy to see him out there dancing. I think everybody who drives by and sees that, it gives them a smile and picks up their morning.”
Williams, who is married to Kristen, was born and raised in St. Louis. Immediately out of high school, he served in the Army National Guard for six years as a radio mechanic.
“I was never involved in (any action), but I did happen to be in Panama when we got (Manuel) Noriega,” he said.
Williams also gets to show off some of his fun personality as a restaurant host at Bob Evans.
“I dressed up as the Easter bunny on Easter and hopped little kids to their table,” Williams said. “They loved it. I dress up like Uncle Sam on the Fourth of July. Yeah, I had fun with it.”