It incorporated as a Delaware corporation in 1983, around which time the regional clothing and houseware retailer had stores in every state in New England with a primary focus on Massachusetts.

First, the chain tried to shed its image as a reseller of leftover department store merchandise by investing in their own label.

They also invested a major amount of capital into a cosmetic overhaul of their real estate that introduced a more "Bradlees"-like color scheme.

They rapidly expanded to 26 outlets, including the purchase of Harry's of Barre, Vermont.

While other chains like Rich's were already using barcode scanners, computerized shipping manifests, and automated sales result reports, Stuarts was still doing it by hand.