A San Antonio, Texas mattress store will be closed "indefinitely" after a commercial it posted on social media promoting a "Twin Tower sale" days before the 15th anniversary of 9/11 ignited a firestorm of criticism. "We will be silent through the 9/11 Anniversary to avoid any further distractions from a day of recognition and remembrance for the victims and their families," the owner of Miracle Mattress, Mike Bonanno, said in a statement posted on the store's Facebook page on Friday. Employees of the store had also received several death threats after the 20-second spot was released. The offending ad for Miracle Mattress starts with San Antonio branch store manager Cherise Bonanno -- Mike Bonanno's daughter -- asking "What better way to remember 9/11 than with a Twin Tower sale?” and ends with two employees falling backwards onto two piles of mattresses with an American flag in between them. Cherise Bonanno gasps in horror as her coworkers and the mattresses topple over.
She then turns to the camera and says: "We'll never forget." Cherise Bonanno told San Antonio's NBC affiliate the ad was a mistake. "We are not hate, we are love. We are somebody that stands out. We're Miracle Mattress, we make miracles happen. For our lives to be in danger, that's no what we ever wanted," she said. Mike Bonanno claimed the video was made without his knowledge. He told the San Antonio station WOAI that they would donate 30 percent of its sales over weekend to the 9/11 Foundation before deciding to indefinitely shutter the store. "Our intentions were not to hurt anyone at all,” he said in a statement. "Our staff is full of military and some relatives have passed away due to 9/11. We are promoters of peace and love. We have given abundantly to our community here in San Antonio and wish to remain known as a company who respects and loves others. We hope you find it in your hearts to forgive us. Please accept our apology." However, their apology was not well-received.
I hope you go out of business. How any one could think this was funny is beyond me. There is no excuse for this! We will never forget that horrible day! The pain of that day and the loss of loved ones will always be with us . How sick !!!" one Facebook user wrote on the store's page. "Too bad you can't apologize to the men and woman that died on 9/11," wrote another. "When you say you are sorry that we offended you... You aren't actually apologizing for the act. You're apologizing because we somehow took it the wrong way," another added. "There is no other way to take this than as exploitive (sic), as disgusting, as profiteering on a national tragedy. A tragedy, may I remind you, that not only affected Americans but the entire world. A tragedy that changed our way of viewing the world permanently."NEWSLETTERS Receive the latest local updates in your inboxThe owner of a Texas mattress store has closed his store after apologizing for what he called a "tasteless" advertisement promoting a 9/11 anniversary sale.
The online ad for Miracle Mattress in San Antonio featured a woman screaming as two towers of mattresses topple.US Moves Parts of Controversial Missile Defense to S. Korea In a statement posted to the store's social media Friday, owner Mike Bonanno said the store "will be closed indefinitely." He said the company also "will be silent through the 9/11 anniversary to avoid any further distractions from a day of recognition and remembrance for the victims and their families." He repeated his Thursday apology, saying the online ad was produced without his knowledge by employees in San Antonio.San Antonio Mattress Store Promotes 'Twin Towers Sale'Bonanno says he will announce next week "accountability actions" taken with the employees responsible for the ad that drew widespread criticism on social media.In a statement titled "An Apology to All the Victims and Families of 9/11," Miracle Mattress owner Mike Bonanno wrote Thursday, "I say this unequivocally, with sincere regret: the video is tasteless and an affront to the men and women who lost their lives on 9/11.
Furthermore, it disrespects the families who lost their loved ones and continue to struggle with the pain of this tragedy every day of their lives."Congress to Probe Trump Wiretap Claim Disputed By FBI, ObamaThe video shows store manager Cherise Bonanno standing in front of two piles of stacked twin beds. She says, "What better way to remember 9/11 than with a Twin Towers sale?" Then, two men fall into the beds, causing them to tumble, while Bonanno mock yells in terror before uttering, "We'll never forget."Mike Bonanno said the video, which has since been removed from the company's Facebook page, was posted without his knowledge or approval and that, "Over the next several days, we will determine an appropriate response to express our regret and support for the 9/11 victims and their families."Defense Claims New Evidence in Hernandez Murder TrialCherise Bonanno said the 20-second ad was a bad idea and they didn't realize it would cause controversy."We are not hate, we are love. For our lives to be in danger, that's no what we ever wanted," Cherise Bonanno said.
It was a stupid idea that we sent out. And we apologize for our stupidity and we really hope you can forgive us for what we've done."Marines Investigated for Sharing Nude Photos of ColleaguesThe company said they'll donate 30 percent of their sales this weekend to the 9/11 Foundation. Items 1 to 9 of 22 totalNEWSLETTERS Receive the latest local updates in your inboxA San Antonio mattress store is apologizing after a video promoting a "Twin Towers sale" drew widespread criticism on social media.US Moves Parts of Controversial Missile Defense to S. Korea The video shows store manager Cherise Bonanno standing in front of two piles of stacked twin beds. San Antonio Mattress Store Promotes 'Twin Towers Sale'Mike Bonanno said the video, which has since been removed from the company's Facebook page, was posted without his knowledge or approval and that, "Over the next several days, we will determine an appropriate response to express our regret and support for the 9/11 victims and their families."
Read the complete apology letter below:"An Apology to All the Victims and Families of 9/11 from Miracle Mattress:I am Mike Bonanno, Owner of Miracle Mattress. Today, I was made aware of a social media video produced by our San Antonio team highlighting a promotional sale using the upcoming 9/11 Anniversary as the incentive. The video was posted on Facebook without my knowledge or approval from our corporate office in Houston.I say this unequivocally, with sincere regret: the video is tasteless and an affront to the men and women who lost their lives on 9/11. Furthermore, it disrespects the families who lost their loved ones and continue to struggle with the pain of this tragedy every day of their lives.All I can say is I am deeply sorry and on behalf of the entire Miracle Mattress family, I accept responsibility for this thoughtless and crude advertisement and will immediately hold my employees accountable for this serious lapse of decency.I am disgusted such a video would have been conceived as a promotional tool and even more incensed it was created and posted on any social media site that represents Miracle Mattress.Effective immediately, Miracle Mattress will review our entire marketing strategy to ensure a stringent approval process will be in place to stop this from every happening again.