Gimbel, Isaac (1856–1931)

US businessman and a member of the Gimbel retailing dynasty. With his eight brothers he opened successful retail stores under the name of Gimbel Brothers in the cities of Milwaukee (1889), Philadelphia (1894), and New York (1910), the latter of which he managed. In 1922, persuaded by his son Bernard (1885–1966), the brothers incorporated as Gimbel Brothers, Inc., with Isaac as president until he was succeeded by Bernard in 1927. Under Isaac's presidency, and persuaded by Bernard, Gimbel Brothers acquired two Saks & Company stores (1922) and Pittsburgh's Kaufmann & Baer (1925). By the time of Isaac's death, the Gimbels owned seven stores, with $123 million in sales and 20,000 employees.

Isaac Gimbel was born in Vincennes, Indiana, one of eight sons of Adam Gimbel. The latter, a German immigrant, opened his store The Palace of Trade in Vincennes in 1842 and attracted clientele with the promise of ‘customer satisfaction’. When he moved to Philadelphia in 1865, he left his eldest son, Jacob, in charge of the store. Isaac, the second son, began clerking at age 13.