Uncovering the Lost World of Stern Brothers: A Deep Dive into Retail Royalty

I know we have a lot of East Coast transplants out here in Texas Hill Country..

The Origins: From Buffalo Peddlers to Manhattan Moguls
Stern Brothers—Louis, Benjamin, and Isaac Stern, sons of German Jewish immigrants—kicked off their empire in 1867 as a modest dry goods operation in Buffalo, New York. By the 1870s, the trio had set their sights on the booming Manhattan market, where the post-Civil War consumer boom was turning shopping into spectacle. They opened their flagship store in October 1878 at 32-36 West 23rd Street, smack in the heart of what's now Chelsea but was then the epicenter of "Ladies' Mile"—New York City's premier dry goods district. This wasn't just any shop; it was a temple to textiles, specializing in ready-to-wear clothing for men, women, and children at prices that democratized fashion for the emerging middle class.

Photo - The Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Division of Art, Prints and Photographs: Picture Collection, The New York Public Library. “Stern Brothers’ Dry Goods Establishment, West 23d St.” New York Public Library Digital Collections. https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/510d47e1-05ac-a3d9-e040-e00a18064a99

The brothers' timing was impeccable. As cast-iron architecture exploded along 23rd Street (between Fifth and Sixth Avenues), their store became a symbol of innovation. The original building, designed in a neo-Renaissance style with ornate facades and expansive show windows, drew crowds with its mix of luxury imports and affordable staples. By the 1880s, Stern's had expanded to fill 32-46 West 23rd, gobbling up adjacent lots for a sprawling emporium that employed hundreds and catered to the carriage trade. Imagine: gaslit interiors, elevator service (a novelty then), and seasonal extravaganzas that rivaled today's Black Friday madness. The store thrived through the Gilded Age, surviving economic dips and even a 1902 expansion that added Beaux-Arts flair to the mix.

The 23rd Street Icon: Architecture, Ambition, and Fade to Memory
At its peak around 1905, the Stern Brothers building was a seven-story behemoth—over 200 feet wide, with cast-iron piers, arched windows, and a mansard roof that screamed opulence. It wasn't just retail; it was social hub, where ladies in bustles haggled over silks while gentlemen eyed woolens. The facade, adorned with terracotta details and the Stern name in bold lettering, anchored the block's "Rialto of Trade." But by the mid-20th century, as shopping shifted uptown to Herald Square (hello, Macy's and Gimbels), Stern's Manhattan presence waned. The chain was acquired by Allied Stores in 1960, rebranded as Stern's, and the 23rd Street flagship limped on until the 1980s.

Today? The building endures, but Stern's ghosts linger in repurposed spaces. The ground floor hosts a Home Depot—ironic for a store once synonymous with high fashion. Upper floors house offices and co-ops, with faint traces of the original ironwork peeking through modern facelifts. It's a poignant reminder of how retail revolutions (hello, online shopping) eclipse even the sturdiest landmarks. The Skyway Diner product shines here, offering vintage postcards, floor plans, and "then-and-now" comparisons to visualize the magic that's mostly gone.

Branching Out: Stern's in Paramus, NJ—A Suburban Powerhouse
As Manhattan's shine dulled, Stern's pivoted to the burbs, with Paramus emerging as a crown jewel. The chain opened its Paramus store in 1957 at the Bergen Mall (then Garden State Plaza's neighbor), a modernist concrete-and-glass palace that embodied post-WWII suburbia's car-centric dream. This wasn't a footnote; by the 1970s, Stern's had relocated its buying headquarters to New Jersey, effectively making Paramus the nerve center while NYC stores shuttered. The location sprawled across acres, with escalators zipping shoppers between floors stocked with everything from appliances to teen fashions— a one-stop haven for Garden State families.

At its 1993 heyday, the Paramus Stern's glowed under neon signage, surrounded by packed parking lots and holiday light displays that drew regional crowds. But the '90s retail reckoning hit hard: Federated Department Stores bought Allied in 1994, converting most Stern's to Macy's or Bloomingdale's. The Paramus flagship closed in 1995, its site now a shadow of itself—demolished or absorbed into mall expansions, leaving only nostalgia in old photos. The Skyway Diner item captures this perfectly, with aerial shots and demolition timelines that underscore Paramus's role as the chain's swan song.

Legacy: Why Stern's Still Matters (And Why You Should Spread the Word)

Stern's operated for 130+ years, peaking with 40 stores across NY and NJ before folding into Macy's oblivion in the '00s. It wasn't just commerce; it mirrored America's story—from immigrant hustle to mass-market modernity, then to the big-box era that devoured it. These "places not there anymore" remind us how shopping districts evolve, leaving architectural echoes and cultural voids.

Our sister website.com has a tribute mug available:  https://skywaydiner.com/product/23984340/the-stern-brothers-building-at-32-46-west-23rd-street-in-nyc-and-sterns-in-paramus-nj

Stern's Paramus also had a very popular restaurant, the upscale Restaurant and lunch counter (essentially a diner):

Stern's Paramus Lunch Counter

Stern's Paramus NJ Fancy Skyline Restaurant in the Bergen Mall, Paramus, NJ.

Browse our abandoned Tri-State area Diner's and Restaurant collection