Department stores

Illustration of stores in colour.
Sydney's home furnishing stores

Mark Foyʼs

Most Sydneysiders associate Mark Foy’s with its impressive former home, now used as the District Court

Sydney's home furnishing stores

Grace Bros

From its location just outside Sydney’s main business district, Grace Bros grew to become one of the city’s largest department stores.

Sydney's home furnishing stores

F Lassetter & Co

F Lassetter & Co started life as an ironmongery business, becoming one of Sydney's largest 'universal providers' by the end of the 19th century

Sydney's home furnishing stores

Bebarfalds

Bebarfalds was a retailer of home furnishings and manufacturer of furniture, trading for many years from its landmark location opposite the Sydney Town Hall on the corner of George and Park Streets.

Sydney's home furnishing stores

Simpson Lee & Co

Starting in 1910 James Simpson-Lee (1883-1963) and a group of businessmen established a home furnishing store called H L & S Simpson & Co.

Black and white photo of a painting
On This Day

24 May 1838 - David Jones department store opened

On 24 May 1838 David Jones opened a department store on the corner of George Street and Barrack Lane in Sydney

Sydney's home furnishing stores

JA Booth & Co

Although J A Booth & Co was a Sydney furniture and furnishing retailer for over 50 years, the company started life in a very different manner: as tea merchants.

Cover of catalogue
Sydney's home furnishing stores

RH Gordon & Co

RH Gordon & Co was a retailer of home furnishings, credited with introducing to Australia an installment payment system known as cash orders.

Sydney's home furnishing stores

Sydney's home furnishing stores, 1890-1960

This online exhibition has been inspired by the trade literature from Sydney’s furniture and furnishing retailers, with all the illustrations sourced from the Caroline Simpson Collection