Stewart Dry Goods - Louisville, KY.

Stewart's Dry Goods was opened April 1907 at 501 S. 4th at the corner of Walnut  by Louis Stewart. Stewart’s was a full line department store known for both the Orchid Room and the Luncheonette dining facilities.

 A downtown landmark, the main store had seven stories plus basement of retail shopping, with everything from custom services to a needlework instructor.  By 1958, Stewart’s was owned by the Division of Associated Dry Goods Corp. They opened a branch in the Mall St Matthews in 1966 and a store in Oxmoor Mall in 1970. Stewart’s merged with L.S. Ayres in October 1985. At that time there were seven stores: four in Louisville, two in Lexington, and one in Evansville, IN. In June 1987 Ayres sold to Snyder’s, then in October 1987, Hess’s bought Snyder’s. In April of 1990, Hess’s closed the Fourth Street flagship store abruptly and never reopened. The building is now a Hilliard Lyons Brokerage.