A major department store that opened in Liverpool took a gamble competing against the likes of Lewis' and Owen Owen.
Gimbles was part of an American department store chain that opened a branch in Liverpool city centre that aimed to bring transatlantic fashions to the city. The giant store launched in what was described as "a flood of commercial optimism" on Great Charlotte Street in 1976, just a stones throw away from Blacklers as well as Lewis's on Lime Street and Owen Owen in Clayton Square.
The store was part of the Gimbels (note the slightly different spelling) department chain that had its massive flagship store on the prestigious Sixth Avenue and 34th Street in Manhattan, New York. Despite having been closed for a number of years, the New York store served as the set where the much loved 2003 Christmas movie, Elf, was filmed.
READ MORE: Liverpool's lost department store that was 'one of the best in town'
Such was the popularity of the US chain, Gimbels was considered the main rival to Macy's and appeared in the film 'Miracle on 34th Street' released in 1947. Hoping to bring a bit of the magic of the Big Apple to Liverpool, the three storey Gimbles sold everything from New York inspired fashions to much sought after BMX bikes at the time.
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The company was also known for creating the oldest Thanksgiving parade, the Gimbels Thanksgiving Day Parade, originating in 1920 in Philadelphia. The success of the parade was something it attempted to replicate in Liverpool in 1977 for the Jubilee celebrations at the Lord Mayor's Parade.
On June 17, 1977, the Liverpool Echo reported: "One department store, Gimbles, will be the first store in the parade's history to break a general boycott and provide a float. In the past, city stores have refused to participate on the grounds that the parade attracted people away from the shopping area but Gimbles' general manager Mr. John Shaw is convinced the stores will benefit from the crowds.
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"Mr. Ray Jennings, chairman of the Lord Mayor's Parade Committee, said he welcomed Gimbles' participation and hoped their lead would be taken up by other stores next year."
However, just a year after opening up, the store started to run into trouble. In 1976, the Liverpool Echo reported that the store's owners had asked Liverpool Council for a reduction in its £45k a year rent on its building on Great Charlotte Street, which the council declined.
In 1977, the store was threatened with closure after its owners were put in the hands of receivers. The ECHO reported on a last ditched attempt to save the store and prevent the loss of hundreds of jobs.
Unfortunately, the bid failed and the store closed. The company was wound up in 1979 with its owners admitting that their attempt to establish their brand in Liverpool was a gamble that didn't pay off.
Why the owners of the store chose the slightly different spelling of 'Gimbles' as opposed to the US stores 'Gimbels', however, remains a bit of a mystery.
