Gimbel Brothers, Inc. - 1940's-50's dated Department Store Company Stock Certificate

Seated female with globe and cupid. Important company. Printed signature of Bernard F. Gimbel. Rare!!! Available in Olive, Brown or Orange. Please specify color. Gimbel Brothers was an American department store chain that operated from 1887 to 1987. It was founded by Adam Gimbel, a Bavarian Jewish immigrant, who opened his first store in Vincennes, Indiana, in 1842. The company moved its operations to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, in 1887, where it established the Gimbel Brothers Department Store, quickly becoming the leading department store in the city. Gimbel expanded the business in 1894 by opening a second, larger store in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and moving the company headquarters there.

Under the leadership of Adam's grandson, Bernard Gimbel, the company expanded further, opening a flagship store in New York City in 1910. Gimbel Brothers is also credited with creating the famous Gimbels Thanksgiving Day Parade in Philadelphia, launched in 1920. By 1930, Gimbels had grown to 20 stores, becoming the largest department store chain in the world by sales revenue. The company peaked with 53 stores in 1965 but closed in 1987 with 35 stores in Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, Wisconsin, and Connecticut. Adam Gimbel, who started the company as a small general store, anticipated the need for growth to support his large family of seven sons. This foresight led to the expansion of Gimbel Brothers into a major retail empire over the course of a century.