Judging by where the Flatiron Building is on the left of this vintage postcard, this looks like 23rd Street between Fifth and Sixth Avenues.
On this block, venerable department stores like Stern’s have been replaced by Home Depot and a shoe store named . . . Shoegasm.
Tags: 23rd Street 1900, 23rd Street shopping, Madison Square district, New York City 23rd Street, New York street, Stern Bros. store NYC, Stern's in New York City, vintage New York City postcards
Ephemeral New York 
August 29, 2011 at 8:12 am |
I thought that cringe-worthy whimsical store names were the worst–Flying Horsefeathers, The Purple Anchovy, etc.
I was wrong.
–Road to Parnassus
August 29, 2011 at 5:19 pm |
Yes, it’s about as bad as it gets. And there are three locations!
September 6, 2011 at 10:52 pm |
Yep, definitely 23rd between 5th and 6th – Home Depot is in the old Stern Brothers building. See http://newtownpentacle.com/2011/01/06/of-antique-workmanship/ for some then & now photos.
September 7, 2011 at 12:28 am |
Fantastic then and now shot–thank you for the link!
November 13, 2011 at 2:55 am |
[…] 1975, the famed department stores that made 23rd Street synonymous with fashion and shopping at the turn of the century—such as Stern’s and Best’s—were long […]
January 16, 2017 at 8:32 am |
[…] any trend-driven tween, King wrote about the clothes displayed in stores like Stern’s (top image) in the Ladies Mile shopping […]
January 23, 2017 at 4:42 am |
[…] was more lucrative during the day thanks to its fashionable and luxurious stores and hotels, like Stern Brothers and the Fifth Avenue Hotel across Madison […]
April 23, 2018 at 8:12 pm |
Blasphemy! The magnificent Stern’s Department Store replaced by a lowly, common, “Home Depot”. But at least “they” didn’t destroy the building, itself and I hope “they” never manage to do.