DALLAS_The San Antonio mattress store made infamous for advertising a "Twin Towers Sale" with a video parodying the Sept. 11 terror attacks announced Friday it's closing indefinitely.
"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," Mike Bonanno, the owner of Miracle Mattress, said in a written statement.
The advertisement was posted to the company's Facebook page Thursday to announce a sale offering any size mattress for the price of a twin.
In the video, which was later removed from the page, store manager Cherise Bonanno, the owner's daughter, says there's no better way to remember the terror attacks than the sale. Behind her two employees stand in front of two stacks of mattresses.
At the end of the video, Bonanno swings her arms and knocks the two employees into the stacks of mattresses, toppling both.
Cherise shrieks, turns to the camera and says, "We'll never forget."
Miracle Mattress later apologized for the advertisement, calling the video "tasteless and an affront to the men and women who lost their lives on 9/11."
The company said Thursday that it would donate 30 percent of its sales this weekend to a Sept. 11 charity but then opted to close indefinitely on Friday.
"Miracle Mattress will deliver a public statement next week highlighting accountability actions taken within the company," Mike Bonanno said in a written statement Friday.
Bonanno said next week's statement will also describe the company's plans to offer support for 9/11 memorial and victims' funds.
"There is very little we can do to take away the hurt we have caused, but we can begin with silence through the anniversary and then do our best to follow up with actions that reflect the seriousness of our mistake," Bonanno said.
When news of the advertisement first came out, Miracle Mattress was inundated with harsh criticism.
"I'm from NYC and live in San Antonio now, and you will never get my business or sell to anyone I know if I can help it," said one Facebook user whose outrage matched that of other commenters. "Disgusting how you mock the deaths of others in order to make a quick sale."
But by Friday, with the announcement of the store's closure, social media users seemed to have come closer to accepting Bonanno's apology for his employees' ad.
"I can respect this," Matthew Crump said. "It was not your fault that commercial was made but you're dealing with the consequences. That's unfortunate. The thing that was the most offensive was the last comment your daughter made in the video. That will resonate with people for a long time."
Cherise Bonanno apologized for making the advertisement in an interview with San Antonio NBC affiliate WOAI-TV.
"It was stupid," she said. "It was a stupid idea that we sent out, and we apologize for our stupidity, and we really hope you forgive us for what we've done."
Miracle Mattress closed Thursday after receiving death threats, according to WOAI-TV.
"We are not hate; we are love," Cherise Bonanno said. "We're Miracle Mattress. We make miracles happen. For our lives to be in danger, that's not what we ever wanted."
