Mattress Factory Lofts

Worst place I have ever lived. You hear neighbors coughing and sneezing, so anything louder than a whisper at all times makes for an uncomfortable living situation. In other words no privacy. Management here (mary) is prone to extreme mood swings and difficult to deal with even just for packages or occasional servicing. Two weeks in my roof began leaking and ruined my flatscreen. Took multiple weeks for my room to be serviced and had to deal with the rain for a while. Would be hard to recommend any Braden Fellman property with this amount of incompetence

I have to agree with other posters and thought that the negative reviews couldn’t be as bad as they said they portrayed. Unfortunately, I was wrong. I lived in the north end of phase 2 near the Marta and railroad tracks.
Pros:
— Great vibe and looks awesome
— Parking was usually easy to find
— Rooftop deck provided great views
Cons:
— Security/​Courtesy officers did little, if anything to prevent break-​ins in parking lot. Even with nothing in my vehicle, my car was broken into to. Mary and Edna always blamed the break-​ins on the residents rather than dealing with the issues — poor lighting in lots and gates that didn’t work.
— The units have very poor insulation which means noises and smells travel very easily through floors/​walls. I could smell my neighbors smoking weed, cooking dinner, and hear them playing video games and arguing.
— Admittedly, Mattress Factory Lofts can’t control the trains, but the noise of the trains is pretty unbearable and will shake your windows and wake you up out of a dead sleep.
— There was always trash/​clothes/​furniture left in the hallways, usually for months on end.
— The maintenance issues were not addressed in a timely manner. In March 2015, we were without gas for over 5 days. Which meant we had no heat or hot water. Mattress Factory Lofts and Braden Fellman did not care to address any issues with Atlanta Gas Light and took no responsibility for the matter. They did not refund any rent during this time despite the fact that people couldn’t take hot showers during the 5 day outage.
— I was without air conditioning for over 4 days in June 2013 because they couldn’t figure out what was wrong and refused to replace the AC unit. The AC units are well over 20 years old and beyond their expected use.
— The water and gas management company charges a high base fee per month. You are required to use them. Fees for a single person were usually $ 75/​month.
— The rent increased over $ 100 each month each year. When I signed my lease in April 2013, the rent for a 2 bed/​2 bath was $ 1465. When I left in April 2015, they wanted $ 1675.
Overall, if you are a someone who values sleep and keeps a regular schedule; then the Mattress Factory Lofts is not the place to rent.

I’ve been in MFL for one year and decided to renew for another year in a different unit in the building.
Pros
— Location: Walk to MARTA in minutes with easy access to Decatur, Downtown, GSU, Midtown, Buckhead, etc). Super close to Edgewood. Easily bike to Inman Park. Short drive to EAV and other Atlanta neighborhoods.
— Gorgeous apartments: I actually live in the unit with posted pics by Truman D. While the apartment might not look as good as Truman had it, the exposed brick, hardwood floors, beams, etc, really add a lot of character and charm.
— Nice staff: Mary and Edna are super nice and mostly accommodating. We’ve had several maintenance issues and they are generally quick to respond.
— Rooftop deck: Easy to impress your guests with expansive views from Downtown to Buckhead to Stone Mountain.
Cons
— Noise: I think we’ve been lucky with our neighbors because they aren’t very noisy, but the times when music is playing or a party is happening, sound definitely travels easily and it can get quite loud. I also live on the northern side of the building and hear MARTA and the freight line, but you can get used to that noise.
— Not energy efficient: This might be my biggest gripe about MFL. It’s currently 92 degrees outside and my AC is set at 78. Our apartment can’t get below 80 right now which will end up costing us a decent amount because the AC is constantly running. The winter is rough as well. I could feel the cold draft from my window while laying in bed.
— Security: It’s true that we get letters after any incident whether it be a car break-​in, theft, apartment break-​in, etc. They are more frequent than I’d like, but I never leave anything in sight that could tempt someone (car chargers, docking stations, aux cords, sunglasses, loose change, etc).
There are a few other small things I could nit-​pick about, but overall this is a decent and affordable place to live for what you get.

I have to pretty much agree with the negative comments about the noise and the car break-​ins. I could literally hear my upstairs neighbor rolling around in bed. It sounds nit-​picky but when it happens all the time it is irritating. When she had sex or fought with her boyfriend it sounded like we were all in the same room.
We would get a letter under the door from the leasing office «reporting» another car break in about every two weeks. None of the pedestrian or vehicle gates shut correctly. There was broken glass in the parking lot pretty much all the time.
The biggest problem though was that these other problems influenced the type of people who lived in the building. Very few adults lived there. It was mostly college students who trashed the pool and surrounding area. In the 6 months I lived there we had three separate 2 am false fire alarms. After six months I had to find a new apartment. If the rent were $ 200 less each month it would have been bearable.

BEWARE!!!
Prior to moving in the Mattress Factory Lofts I read the reviews and most were negative. I thought maybe people were over exaggerating about their experiences. THEY WERE NOT EXAGGERATING!!!
I can literally hear my neighbors phone conversations. I can hear them moving their pots and pans when cooking. Not even to mention their sex life. (disgusting!). Not only can I hear my neighbors next to me but also above me! I CAN HEAR THE PEOPLE ABOVE ME WALKING AND THEIR CONVERSATIONS.
Don’t call your bank while at home, your neighbors or people walking past your door can steal your information!
I HAVE TO SLEEP WITH EAR PLUGS
Not only is there no privacy. But there are car break-​ins every other day. The leasing management hasn’t done anything about it besides putting letters under your door letting you know there was another break-​in. Why not get surveillance in the parking lots!!!
When it’s almost time for you to move out, the leasing office will start showing your apartment with you still residing there. You won’t know who they’re letting in your place while you’re at work.
People leave trash and unwanted couches in the stairwells and they stay there for months. I’ve seen stuff from car bumpers to nasty couches to smelly trash bags.
Yes it’s the most affordable in the area, but its obviously for a reason! Don’t do it to yourself

We have lived here for over 2 years now. The Loft itself is at a great location. Convenient to the expressway, close to a number of bars and restaurants, and close to L5P and the East Atlanta Clubs. The Oakland Cemetery is right across the street and is a great area to take walks in. The Loft building itself is a old warehouse factory space that has been converted into loft spaces. The ceilings are high, with exposed duct works, wood floors, exposed brick, and many interesting curves and details you’d expect in a «loft» sort of space. Almost all of these lofts have huge windows which allow a lot of light in but which also lose heat in the Winter and coolness in the Summer. Our electric bills and heating bills are a little higher but surprisingly efficient overall consider the high ceilings we have.
The Loft staff is awesome and have always been friendly and helpful. The maintenance staff is also good and has fixed any issues we have had in a timely manner.
We have a few complaints about living here as follows: the sound carries over from neighbors and you can hear a lot of what is going on upstairs from you and the parking can be tough at times (even with gated parking areas, it can be hard to find parking in an area close to your loft). Our bathrooms are also lacking in the looks department and are pretty standard given the scale of the look of the loft itself.
However, given the fact that the Loft has a great price point (probably the best value of ANY loft space in Atlanta), a great staff and maintenance team, and is in the inner city with a great location (we don’t think even one child lives in this building!), and the building itself is older (the way a Loft is supposed to be!), we love this place despite these flaws. While we know the area has had a number of car break-​ins (we get letters from the Office every time there is an incident-​which shows how much they care), we have never had any issues ourselves (and we have high end cars). Compared to a lot of other loft spaces in ATL we have been to, these lofts are overall a great place to live.

The lofts are cool but the people who live here suck. It’s very noisy and the neighbors are really inconsiderate. There is a party going on IN THE HALLWAY as I type this. No thought for the other people who live here. They leave trash in the hallway and all over the grounds, which doesn’t get picked up for days/​weeks. You’re basically just paying for location (which is the only great part), and a place that «looks cool» but is kind of shabby. My ceiling forever leaks every time it rains, which I have mentioned to management, but no repairs yet (after almost 2 years here now). Oh, and don’t live here with a nice car. It will get damaged in the parking lot by a**hole parkers, broken into, or straight up stolen! AND, your rent is guaranteed to go up every year.

PROS
I love the building. It’s an authentic re-​purposed loft– not one of these «newly built from the ground up apartment buildings but we’re calling it a loft» buildings.
The architecture and individual loft layouts are interesting and beautiful.
The location is ideal. Super close to 20, 75, grant park, downtown, EAV.
The view from the roof is amazing. And even on New Year’s Eve or the 4^th of July, it’s not overly crowded.
CONS
There is nothing «green» about the units. The cost to heat and cool them is ridiculous, and when it rains, it usually rains inside.
The water, sewer and gas are managed by an outside company, and there is no rhyme nor reason to their rates.
There is zero insulation, meaning you can hear EVERYTHING your neighbors do…
At times, the place feels like a frat house. Just in the past year, I had my doormat stolen (YES, SERIOUSLY), had to suffer through a few 3 a.m. fire alarm pulls and had the pool closed because folks trashed all the furniture. There have also been occasions when the smell of weed was so pervasive throughout the building that I was genuinely concerned about smelling like it when going to work.
Maintenance is basically a joke. There are ZERO preventative measures, and when called upon to fix a specific problem, something is typically left unfinished.
My number one complaint, and the one that is giving me cause to consider not renewing my lease, is the lack of concern over safety. As I type this, the parking gate is going on its second day of being wide open. No coincidence, there happened to be a car near mine in the parking lot this morning with a smashed window and belongings strewn throughout the parking lot. This happens ON AVERAGE 3 times a month.
It’s very difficult to stomach the rent rate increases when considering all the above factors.

The lofts themselves are nice and so is the rooftop area. The parking however, is not the best. A friend of mine dated a guy that lived there and all of her tires were stolen off her jeep! Sketchy part of town.

I’ve lived in two lofts here for three years, and I love the location and the look and feel of the place. Mary Floyd does a wonderful job as the Asst. Property Manager (?) why she isn’t just the Property Manager I don’t know. She’s good people and gets things done.
The missing star is for Braden Fellman — I don’t think corporate cares. So I wouldn’t suggest living in one of their other properties — just the one with Mary — she deserves a raise — if she leaves — lots of us will also.

I have lived in the Mattress Factory for a little over 2 years. I love my loft, the rent price is really fair especially for how much square footage you get. The building is really unique and has a great rooftop view of the skyline. It is super close to multiple highway entrances, making it easy to get to any part of Atlanta quickly. If you are looking for an alternative to crappy cookie cutter post or amli apartments, the mattress factory is definitely a great option.
The most negative thing:
You can hear your neighbors do EVERYTHING. I hear them fuck, shit, piss, sneeze, cook, whatever. If you are sensitive to noise, you really want to consider living somewhere else. Most of the time, It doesn’t bother me but for the last year or so I have had a really obnoxious white trash neighbor. When he and his girlfriend are home, they are constantly having sex. Their favorite time to pound each other is usually at 6:45 am. Their bed is super squeaky and the girlfriend screams like a porn star. Kill me.
Also, there have been quite a few break-​ins since we moved here 2 years ago, but neither me or my boyfriend has ever had our car or apartment broken into.

I currently live at the Mattress Factory Lofts and have been here for over 6 months and while my stay here has been relatively peaceful, the last month the property has had SEVERAL break ins and the management company being Braden Fellman has yet to adequately address the security issues with the property.
The most the management company has done is hire two overweight and seemingly non existant security people and change the gate code. Unfortunately, the last 5 break ins happened AFTER the gate codes have been changed. I STRONGLY suggest you speak to the local police department before considering to move to this location because Braden Fellman seems NOT to care about the increasing crime plauging the community.

AMAZING PLACE!
Edna and Mary are the best leasing agents!
I have lived here for 2 years, and loved every minute of it! I even had problems with utilities, due to a slow leak which ultimately got sorted out. So I have had to test the management on making things right and they did.
Apartments are never too loud next to you, sure on saturday night you can hear the drinkers stumble in around 3am, but that’s not a big deal.
Great pool, amazing units, AMAZING maintenance crew who can fix anything. You cant beat the roof top!
They crack down on parking if you dont have a permit, which is great, because it keeps non-​tenants in the guest parking for fear of being towed.

My wife and I lived in a second story 2-​bedroom loft in this complex for 18 months. The staff, Michael the property manager, and Jarvis, the head maintenance guy are the two nicest and most professional folks I’ve ever experienced in these positions in the many complexes I’ve lived in. Both know the residents by name and are always friendly and ready to help.
The units are beautiful and unique, and that goes for the people living here as well. Everyone from rastas to artists to old folks. It’s quite an eclectic mix, but everyone is friendly. It’s a close walk to several good resturants and bars and the MLK marta station is literally right outside the back gate. The views from the units in the back (north side) of the building are awesome. You get a great view of downtown if your on the 2^nd floor or above. The rooftop deck is also awesome. It’s frequently filled with residents and their friends and it’s pretty much a party up there every weekend that the weather’s nice.
I won’t BS and say there aren’t downsides. There are a lot of people that live here, and parking can be an issue because visitors tend to not use the visitors lot. It can be noisy, but I never had a problem with my neighbors not quieting down if I had to ask (which I usually didn’t).
Overall, had I not bought a house, I’d have lived here for quite a while, and I would recommend it to anyone, especially if you enjoy the urban arts scene, are a college student, or work in the downtown area (7 minute commute for me when I lived here!)

Best Place to live
I love living in these Lofts. Braden fellman owns these. the manager of my building, michael, has been here for years. i swear he knows everyone by names and is so sweet and professional. We are more of a community than random people living in the same building. I checked all over atlanta for spacious affordable lofts. these were the best choice for the bang for the buck! It’s surrounded by six feet under and daddy d’s. it’s a short step away from ⁷⁵⁄₈₅ and 20. it’s convenient to little 5, underground, ponce, inman park and downtown Decatur. what more could i ask for. this place is PERFECT!

A true beautiful loft building with three floors of high ceiling, exposed ceiling lofts that make you want to have a fashion shoot or a artsy magazine spread instead of moving your Ikea futon in.
For sure the prettiest place (well, pretty if you like the loft-​ish/​industrial look like I do) I have ever set residence. A well run complex with a super nice and energetic property manager that will graciously do whatever he can to have a good experience for his residents. I rented from Braden Fellman for a total of five years (the other four years being at a different property) and was very pleased overall. They also take care of maintenance issues promptly, the grounds are well-​kept, too. There’s an awesome rooftop deck and a small pool, too.
As far as the actual apartments, they have studios all they way up to some way bigger spaces that I couldn’t afford. My apartment faced West, so I did have some issues with cooling/​heating the place (read: costly bills) but talked to other residents that lived here too, and they didn’t experience this at all (some didn’t even have to turn their air on in August!). But that can only be expected with those 17 foot high ceilings and original windows, I guess. Another great thing is that though they are lofts, the fixtures are all very clean & new, like the fridge, cabinets, etc. This neighborhood is about to explode with new development, so get in to this ‘true loft’ space while you can to not be stuck with a cookie cutter apartment!

What a cool place to live! I have lived here now for about 6 months, and I love it. My studio loft has 17 ft ceilings exposed brick and huge windows. I love that i actually enjoy my landlord„ Michael, he is such a charmer.
The best thing about living here is the amazing view of the city on the rooftop. The only complaint I have, is the walls are somewhat thin. A little noise doesn’t bother me so much, but sometimes I worry about how much privacy I have.
Overall I love living here

Mattress Factory is a true loft. 17 foot ceilings, 10 layers of paint, exposed brick and piping. Built in the 1870s, it was made a historic building, and therefore can’t be ripped down to put up the kind of fake lofts going in all over ATL.
I lived here over 3 years, and loved it. The people here are for the most part really great. Mostly artists, musicians, and their fans. The view from the roof is the best you can have for the price range. Of course the neighborhood is wonderful too, with Eyedrum, Atlanta’s best contemporary art gallery, right next door.
On the downside, only the oldest building (A) does not have horribly thin walls. People who live in the others complain frequently of the noise. The lead paint will flake off into your coffee in the morning. I ran the AC at 78 degrees for my first summer, and it cost me over $ 800 bucks.

i just moved in here about a month and a half ago. we searched all over to look for a place, utilising the best websites (including Unilocal!) and apartment-​search assistants, and finally found a place that was affordable and not a cookie-​cutter blasé residence. the ceilings are high, the windows are huge, and it’s such a creative community. the bare concrete floors and exposed concrete posts in the apartments give it that old-​time feel but the renovations make everyhthing state-​of-​the-​art. i have a lot of faith in this building since it’s been around so long, and can take extra comfort in the fact that the landlord, michael, even lives on-​site! (plus, he’s absolutely charming.) very close to MARTA, lots of parking, the place even has a pool!
every great thing has it’s one downside, though, and the only thing i can really complain about is that sometimes the walls are a little thin. when my neighbor has loud friends over, i can’t say they have much privacy as i can hear their conversations fairly clearly. however, it doesn’t happen much that the noise is noticeable and sound-​proofing the apartment more might cut down on that, too.
overall, it’s a great place to live – i highly recommend it!

I lived in the Mattress Factory for a year after spending about a month searching through the various Atlanta rental loft options. There is a wide variety to choose from in downtown Atlanta, obviously, and it is only expanding. Mattress Factory was by far the best of these options that I found. The lofts are very nice and immediately impressive– all that I’ve seen have hardwood floors and brick walls mixed with drywall. It is from a restored Mattress Factory, hence the name, so it has an updated industrial feel. The layouts of the units are all different, ranging from studios to 2 bed 2 bath in various styles. The view from the roof, which has a huge deck and tables, is known as one of the best in Atlanta, and for good reason. You can see for miles. It’s a great place to relax. There is also a pool and a small workout room, nothing fancy, but nice to have.
I can’t say my time at MF wasn’t without trouble. The walls here, as with many lofts, are very very thin. The main reason I decided to leave after a year was due to the fact I was pretty much living intimately with my upstairs neighbors. The woman wore heels at all hours and walked around in circles to the point I would yell up for her to sit down. The man had an office right above my bedroom and liked to talk on the phone endlessly. I could hear them breath, sigh, check their email, listen to awful music (everything from pop country to ridiculous r&b), fight (sometimes violently), sneeze, whimper, vacuum, watch TV, giggle, have sex (usually shortlived), and everything else you can imagine. It became a living nightmare. I was glad I had no neighbors, as I lived next to the stairwell. Supposedly this kind of sound-​sharing occurs in most lofts, but I’ve never had such an experience.
Though it is a gated community, there isn’t much security. Anyone can walk in through the car gates when they open. The entry doors to public areas have codes, but again, people can easily slip in. My car was broken into by a crackhead twice in 2 days, though they only took pocket change (crack does not come via the barter system). The area surrounding Mattress Factory is definitely sketchy (it’s right next to Marta so people are always trickling past) but I never felt unsafe. If you’re looking for rental property in the Grant Park area, it won’t get much better than this, but worrywarts and those with sensitive ears should probably steer elsewhere.