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…