Salt Lake City, UT — Sugar House
Since 1875, seven generations of the Madsen-Williamson family have cared for Sterling Furniture Company. While most of the Sugar House area has been updated and renovated, Sterling’s iconic blue window awnings at 2051 South 1100 East have endured the decades.
A Legacy That Began in Denmark
Hans Madsen and his family emigrated from Denmark in the 1870s and settled in Utah. “When they arrived, they started a furniture store and manufacturing business, selling directly to the public,” said Mark Williamson, the sixth-generation General Manager. “In the 1940s, they moved out here from downtown.”
At the time, furniture stores flooded the block, and the area became known as the furniture capital of the West; South East, Rockwood, and Granite stood with Sterling, attracting customers from all over the valley. One by one, these businesses were sold or shuttered. Today, Sterling is the last one standing. How have they endured? “If you’re going to do it, you’re going to do it right,” Mark said.
Over the generations, the family has shifted from manufacturing to retail. Still, they remain fastidious about quality, placing priority on longevity (no composite wood frames here!) and craftsmanship. “You’re not paying for the name,” Mark Williamson said. “You’re not getting disposable furniture. You’re getting something that will last a good while. You’ll get tired of the look before you get tired of the quality.”
A Commitment to Quality and Community
Sterling keeps their values and money close to home. “All the sofas, chairs and sleepers are made in the US,” Williamson said. “It’s the best way to go financially and with quality and scale. We have better quality control.”
The store also helps preserve other small businesses in the area. By owning many of the surrounding properties, they have intentionally rented to other small businesses, even as many former Sugar House shops have shifted to national retailers. All About Coins, their longest-standing tenant, Fankhauser Jewelry, and Central Book Exchange are just a few of the remaining businesses in their corner.
Surviving Change in Sugar House
Despite their enduring operation, the changing landscape of Sugar House has presented unique challenges.
“The city was tearing up 11th, including the sidewalk,” Rebekah Williamson said. Rebekah married into the family a few years ago and is now the Assistant Marketing Director. “It went on for six months, and it was really difficult for people to get into our store. People would call and ask how to get in.”
Change is ongoing, but the Williamsons remain hopeful about the future. Mark Williamson says their relationship with the city is “workable.”
“There are aspects of the construction I don’t agree with,” he said, “but I’ll be happy when it’s all done.”
Road renovations will continue for the foreseeable future, but the Sterling family wants the public to know they are open and there are still ways to get to the store.
Competition with online and big-box retailers can be tough on small businesses, but those shopping options come with limitations. Most of the manufacturers Sterling works with offer warranties on their furniture, and the store handles any issues directly. “If a person has a problem with a chair, they come to us and we deal with the manufacturer,” Mark Williamson said.
Customers also benefit from being able to try out the furniture in person and see how it fits their body and space. “Not everybody has the same length of legs or torso. People can see the quality and craftsmanship, instead of letting price dictate their decision. Our motto is ‘A good quality product at a reasonable price.
Like the family that runs it, the store itself carries echoes of the past — from the concrete and steel vault once used by the original bank that occupied the space, to 1940s receipts listing $25 couches, to vintage Snelgrove hanging lamps.
Sugar House and shopping online have transformed retail in the last 150 years, and will continue to evolve. Businesses like Sterling will endure, sustained by the dedication and passion of small-business entrepreneurship.
Feature Image: Mark Williamson, General Manager of Sterling Furniture. Photos by John Taylor.
