Sterling-Lindner Co.

Sterling-Lindner Davis & Co.

File:Sterling Lindner Department Store Logo.png
File:SLDavis.jpg Bluebridge currently occupies the former Sterling Lindner location
Company type	Department store
Industry	Retail
Founded	1845 (originating as Sterling & Welch)
Defunct	1968
Fate	Acquired by Allied Stores in 1949
Headquarters	1255 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, Ohio
Products	Apparel, shoes, bedding, furniture, jewelry, beauty items, and household goods
Website	None

Sterling Lindner Davis (SLD) was a prominent department store located in the Cleveland Theater District of downtown Cleveland, operating from its inception in 1845 (initially as Sterling & Welch) until its closure in 1968. The store gained renown for featuring Ohio’s largest decorated Christmas tree, a tradition that began in 1927. At their height, Cleveland’s leading department stores—May Company Ohio, Higbee's, Bailey's, Taylor's, Halle Brothers Co., and SLD—collectively known as the big six, formed one of the nation’s most significant retail hubs. Prior to the post-World War II suburban expansion, shoppers would dress in their finest attire on Sundays to visit these expansive stores along Euclid Avenue, which offered a wide range of merchandise including clothing, jewelry, furniture, and household products. Although the 1983 film A Christmas Story credits Higbee's with hosting Cleveland’s largest Christmas tree, this distinction actually belonged to SLD. Higbee's, along with May and Halle, were fierce competitors who continuously sought to surpass each other through increasingly extravagant merchandise displays and bold retail styles.

Sterling Lindner Davis resulted from the merger of three separate firms: Sterling & Welch, Lindner Co., and W. B. Davis Co. Allied Stores acquired Lindner & Davis in 1947 and subsequently purchased Sterling & Welch; by 1951 the combined entity operated under the name Sterling Lindner Davis. The store quietly ceased operations in 1968 amid the rise of shopping malls and outlet centers. By the late 1990s, all of Cleveland’s original "big six" department stores had closed.

See also

• Cleveland Theater District
• Allied Stores