HUNTSVILLE, Alabama -- "The Mattress King" is 62, about a week or so from retirement. The prospect of leaving business causes him some "nervous excitement," as he puts it, but "The Mattress King" knows a good deal when he sees one.

He has almost 40 years in the mattress or bed business, first as a partial owner of The Bed and then as the owner of Mattress King, which he and his wife, Kay, founded in 1989.

But it has been only in the last 10 or so years that Wayne Koswoski has been known as "The Mattress King," a nickname that has made him something of a legend in local marketing.

He and an advertising representative at a local television station - WAFF-TV, Channel 48, as he recalls - were considering a variety of concepts for a commercial. Their goal was to "come up with a slogan that would last forever," along with some ideas that would brand his company's name.

The result was advertisements that were "real, real big" in Mattress King's success, in Koswoski's estimation.

"We wanted to catch people's attention," he said. "We thought tapping on glass would do that."

Just then, he describes the sounds from the opening moments of his original television ads, the sound of his knuckles rapping on the glass of a television camera.

Knock, knock, knock.

"That worked out well," Koswoski said.

But the commercial also needed a face - some "talent," in TV terminology.

"I worked cheaper than the other talent we could find," Koswoski said. "It didn't cost anything to hire (me)."

So that settled it. Koswoski would be the Mattress King, fully dressed in a king's costume.

"Our marketing director at the time ran into the king costume and bought the crown and dressed me up," Koswoski said. "We eventually bought it. It seemed like to me it was kind of expensive.

"She found the king's cloak, got the crown and the rest is history."

Mattress King, now with 19 locations in North Alabama and Birmingham, has this kind of history:

The Koswoskis opened their first Mattress King on Jordan Lane in 1989. In 1990, there was a second location, then a third in 1991.

Ultimately, there were stores in Nashville and Birmingham. In 1998, Koswoski sold the Nashville locations, leaving him with only the Birmingham, Tuscaloosa and North Alabama stores.

Soon, the commercials began, and Koswoski was "The Mattress King."

The ads began with Koswoski rapping on the TV screen and saying, "We want you to sleep better and save you money."

The punch line came at the end: "Remember, at Mattress King, we'll save you money," Koswoski said.

Recently, the Koswoskis had more and more opportunities to retire. Four years ago, a couple of companies approached them about buying Mattress King, but the couple declined, believing the timing wasn't right.

About a year ago, Innovative Mattress Solutions of West Virginia made an offer. The deal was announced last week.

"All of the employees are staying on, which is important to us," Koswoski said.

Also important to the Koswoskis: Saying thank you to North Alabama and Birmingham for "allowing us to serve them and give back to our communities through charitable events."

Their son, Joseph, will join Innovative Mattress Solutions as a corporate executive.

"It is good for us and our employees," Koswoski said. "We will be able to spend more time with our family."

More time with family means more time at home, which is where the king costume remains.

"It's in my closet," he said. "All I can do is be honest. I was going to hang it up in my living room, but Kay said we couldn't."