Taos Lifestyle has served both Taos and Colfax County residents’ home needs, from mattresses to furnishings—and now appliances—for over 20 years. Owner Mary Domito was born and raised in northern California and first visited Taos about 25 years ago. There was a phenomenon surrounding the area that intrigued Domito. “The people were different. The flora and fauna were different, and there was something romantic about the place.” Around that time, Domito needed a change in her life, so she sold her California home and told her mother and siblings that she was making the move to Taos.
As a young adult, Domito had worked in sales right out of high school, and it wasn’t long before she found herself working for one of the largest mattress firms in the area, where she discovered a talent for the operation.
At a young age, Domito had very much wanted to be an actor. She was involved in school plays up until high school but was never able to make the leap to becoming a full-time actor. The experience of being on stage and performing seems to have given Domito an advantage, however. “When all things are equal—the product and price—the decision to make a purchase is influenced by the salesperson,” says Domito.
When Domito moved to Taos, she had an idea and a dream. “What really encouraged me to take the plunge was a conversation with a friend about the pros and cons of making this big life change.
Ultimately, my friend asked me: what happens if I fail and what happens if I succeed? My answer to the latter question was that my dreams just might come true.” That solidified Domito’s decision to open a small mattress store in the Albertson’s shopping center. This was something she felt the people of Taos could benefit from: a store where top-quality mattresses—and later home furnishings—were offered at competitive prices so people wouldn’t have to travel to Santa Fe or Albuquerque for their home needs.
“Initially, when I was advertising my business, I wanted to calm my nerves. Research showed that purchasing a mattress was only slightly less intimidating than purchasing a home or a car. I wanted to make the experience fun and unique for our customers.” When Domito first got into selling mattresses, her friends had coined the name Mattress Mary. “So I thought, why not have fun with it and take the edge off?” After establishing her advertising name as Mattress Mary, and further wanting to make the experience for her customers an enjoyable one, Domito brought her dog Molly into the mix. In initial advertising, Molly became the face of Mattress Mary’s.
Domito’s first store, Sleep Sanctuary, opened in 2004 and did very well right out of the gate. Soon after, in 2008, she opened her second store, called Toto, offering home furnishings, in the same shopping center. Eventually, the two stores merged and became one premier furniture and mattress store for Taos County, located in the old Sears building further south on Paseo del Pueblo Sur. The new business opened in 2012, and she called it Taos Lifestyle.
In 2015, Domito saw an opportunity to expand and purchased a family-owned home furnishing store in Alamosa, Colorado. Domito continued expansion with a business partner and opened a mattress store on Cerrillos Road in Santa Fe called Sleep and Dream. The year 2018 brought even more opportunity when Domito purchased the building where Graystone Furniture in Taos had been located. Graystone and Domito’s business had been friendly competitors for many years, so after working with the owners to purchase the building and move into the much larger space, Domito was now able to offer even more home provisions.
Around that time, Domito sold the Alamosa store, and her business partner took over the Santa Fe location. Domito could now focus on creating a space in Taos that she had been fostering for many years. After much renovation, the grand opening of Taos Lifestyle at its new location now includes a music venue, a space for food trucks, and, of course, top-quality furniture and mattresses at competitive prices. The grand opening took place in November 2023. “I wanted to create a destination for Taos County and offer a unique and fun place for people to enjoy. Brick-and-mortar businesses need to think outside the box these days to compete with the internet,” says Domito.
For 2025, Domito is very excited about continuing to offer her music venue to local and national touring artists and letting people know that Taos Lifestyle is an event space offering standing-room capacity for up to 200 people. Another thing Domito is very excited about is that Taos Lifestyle is now offering home appliances (as of October 2024). “I am thrilled about the opportunity to offer first-class appliances to Taos and Colfax Counties and continue to grow the appliance department.”
Domito has created a business that truly embodies who she is and has also created a destination for locals. “Right now, I feel comfortable leaving my employees at any time and knowing that my business is in great hands.” Currently, Taos Lifestyle has 10 employees, including store managers, IT specialists, and several salespeople—all of whom Domito speaks very highly of.
Although Domito has a great sense of humor, she is a serious businesswoman, evidenced by the fact that over the course of 20 years as a business owner, Domito has opened and consolidated seven stores! What makes her so successful is adjusting with the times and needs of people, not being afraid to take risks, doing her research, and really having fun with it.
