Exhibit 31.1


    Certification of Chief Executive Officer Pursuant to Section 302 of the
                           Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002

I, Michael D. Fisher, certify that:

1.     I have reviewed this quarterly  report on Form 10-Q of Stein Mart, Inc.;

2.     Based on my knowledge, this report does not contain any  untrue statement
       of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary to make the
       statements  made,  in  light  of   the  circumstances  under  which  such
       statements were  made, not misleading  with respect to the period covered
       by this report;

3.     Based on my  knowledge, the  financial statements,  and  other  financial
       information  included in  this  report, fairly  present  in all  material
       respects the financial condition, results of operations and cash flows of
       Stein Mart, Inc. as of, and for, the periods presented in this report;

4.     The  registrant's  other  certifying officers  and I are responsible  for
       establishing  and  maintaining  disclosure  controls  and  procedures (as
       defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e)) for the registrant
       and have:

       a.     Designed such disclosure controls and  procedures,  or caused such
              disclosure  controls  and  procedures  to  be  designed  under our
              supervision,  to ensure that material information  relating to the
              registrant,  including  its  consolidated  subsidiaries,  is  made
              known to us by others  within those entities,  particularly during
              the period in which this report is being prepared;

       b.     Evaluated  the   effectiveness  of  the   registrant's  disclosure
              controls  and   procedures  and  presented  in  this   report  our
              conclusions  about the  effectiveness  of the disclosure  controls
              and  procedures,  as of the  end  of the  period  covered  by this
              report based on such evaluation; and

       c.     Disclosed in this  report any change in the registrant's  internal
              control  over  financial   reporting   that  occurred  during  the
              registrant's  most  recent  fiscal  quarter  that  has  materially
              affected,  or is  reasonably  likely  to  materially  affect,  the
              registrant's internal control over financial reporting.

5.     The registrant's other certifying officers and I have disclosed, based on
       our most  recent evaluation of internal control over financial reporting,
       to the  registrant's auditors  and the  audit committee  of  registrant's
       board of directors (or persons performing the equivalent function):

       a.     All  significant  deficiencies  and  material  weaknesses  in  the
              design or operation of internal controls over  financial reporting
              which are reasonably  likely to adversely affect  the registrant's
              ability   to  record,  process,  summarize  and  report  financial
              information; and

       b.     Any  fraud,  whether or not material,  that involves management or
              other employees  who have a significant  role in the  registrant's
              internal controls over financial reporting.




Date:  December 15, 2003                   /s/ Michael D. Fisher
                                           -------------------------------------
                                           Michael D. Fisher
                                           President and Chief Executive Officer