In 1975, John Buster, a former civil rights trial attorney with the U.S. Department of Justice, started making platform beds for his neighbors and friends. He initially worked in a basement in mid-Cambridge before later relocating to a third-floor loft above Massachusetts Avenue in Central Square. It was there that Bedworks was established.

Seven years later, Bedworks moved to its current location at the northeast corner of Western Avenue and Green Street, where we began producing our handcrafted futons.

The following year, another Cambridge innovator, William Brouwer, would soon change the Western world’s view of the futon with his award-winning, and self-named Brouwer Bed, the world’s first folding futon frame. Bedworks became an early adopter of this frame, giving customers two options to elevate their futon mattresses: Buster’s platform bed or Brouwer’s folding frame.

Both designs were immensely popular amongst students and residents of small apartments, as they offered an ideal blend of comfort, versatility, and ease of mobility. So for those seeking stylish yet functional furniture solutions around Cambridge, Bedworks quickly became the number one destination for handcrafted and innovative designs that cater specifically to the needs of urban living.

And so, half a century later, Bedworks is still the place to go for platform beds, futons, and futon frames. These days, however, they are supplemented by a selection of sofa beds, daybeds, and analytic couches. Times it seems may change, but the spaces our patrons inhabit remain the same: small, cozy, and classically designed, not unlike the products we supply to fill them.