R. H. Stearns and Company

R. H. Stearns & Company, commonly called Stearns, was an upper-middle market department store based in Boston, Massachusetts, United States. It was founded by R. H. Stearns in 1847.

The flagship store—called the R. H. Stearns Building from 1909—was located on Tremont Street, opposite Boston Common, a few blocks away from its primary competitors on Washington Street, Filene's and Jordan Marsh.

Stearns carved out a niche as being more service-oriented than its competitors, and it was considered by some to be the "carriage trade" store of the Boston area. By the mid-1970s the changing face of the retail marketplace caught up with the store, and it did not have the financial backing of Filene's or Jordan Marsh, which were both owned by large national retail holding companies. At the time of Stearns's demise, Filene's was owned by Federated Department Stores, and Jordan Marsh was owned by Allied Stores.