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49-696: In June 1945, Chicago businessman Milton Reynolds was in Buenos Aires , Argentina , when he came across the first commercialized ballpoint, the Biro pen . In October 1945, Milton was able to reverse engineer the Biro pen and was the first to manufacture and sell ballpoint pens into the US market. "Reynolds Rocket" pen was introduced at Gimbel’s department store in New York City , selling $ 100,000 worth of pens on

98-415: A Stern's in 1995, and the mall was renamed Manhattan Mall . The anchor store closed in 2001 and the space was subdivided within the mall, while the upper levels were converted to offices. A new JCPenney anchor store opened in 2009, in the lower two levels. That anchor store closed in 2020 and by 2021 all stores in the mall had closed, and the building served only as office space. The building that housed

147-491: A Gimbels branch at 86th Street and Lexington Avenue remains, but has been converted to apartments. The Philadelphia flagship opened in 1893 when the Gimbel brothers bought the bankrupt Haines and Company dry goods store at Ninth and Market Streets. The store gradually expanded eastward to Eighth Street. In 1927 an extension south to Chestnut Street was completed and the store now comprised an entire city block, making it for

196-690: A century, from 1842 until 1987. Gimbel patriarch Adam Gimbel opened his first store in Vincennes , Indiana, in 1842. In 1887, the company moved its operations to the Gimbel Brothers Department Store in Milwaukee , Wisconsin. It became a chain when it opened a second, larger store in Philadelphia , Pennsylvania, in 1894, moving its headquarters there. At the urging of future company president Bernard Gimbel , grandson of

245-492: A device for marking printers' galleys. The Biro pen used gelatinous ink combined with capillary action to draw the ink out as it was deposited on paper by the rolling-ball tip. Because the pen did not leak at high altitude, the Biro venture sold a quantity of pens to the Royal Air Force for keeping flight logs, under a contract with Myles Aircraft. Subsequently, Biro's company Eterpen, S.A. licensed manufacturing rights in

294-448: A given category of merchandise. The Philadelphia Gimbels specifically offered fine jewelry, men's clothing, women's clothing, children's clothing, furniture, toys, art supplies, and appliances for the house. This store also contained The Gimbel Auditorium, Television Headquarters, a salon, and music center. With a wide variety of options Gimbels was a one stop shop that made shopping easy and accessible. Despite its limited presence, Gimbels

343-533: A much larger barrel to avoid constant refilling. The thin ink made the pens prone to leakage, but, realizing time was of the essence, Reynolds rushed them to market anyway , touting the high ink capacity. With roller balls repurposed from the metal beads used in war-surplus bomb sights and barrels machined from aircraft aluminum, the Reynolds pens had another feature that captured the popular imagination: In early ads, Reynolds claimed, “It writes under water!” The claim

392-630: A publicity stunt to promote Reynolds' pens Milton Reynolds and William Odom announced they would beat Howard Hughes's round-the-world flight speed record . They set a new record time of under 79 hours by flying the "Reynolds Bombshell" around the world while managing to pass out thousands of pens. In 1948, Reynolds expanded overseas and opened Reynolds European, and later in 1959 spun out Reynolds European SA as an independent company focused on non-ferrous metals. The Chicago-based Reynolds Pen Company closed with Milton Reynolds moving to Mexico. The French subsidiary survived as did their Indian licensee. Later,

441-483: A subsidiary company for its retail holdings. BATUS initially left the Gimbels chain in the four autonomous divisions that had been established under Gimbel family ownership: Gimbels New York, Gimbels Philadelphia, Gimbels Pittsburgh, and Gimbels Milwaukee. Each division operated independently of each other in advertising and buying. Each division offered their own charge card which could only be used at Gimbels stores in

490-415: A time the largest department store in the world . In 1977 Gimbels moved to The Gallery mall across Market Street. The original buildings were demolished in 1979-1980 except for the 1927 addition which was converted to professional office spaces, primarily a data center and medical offices. The Gallery location closed in 1986. In Pittsburgh , Starrett & van Vleck designed the downtown flagship of

539-584: Is Flair Pens. Flair markets and distributes Reynolds pens in India. Reynolds has an R&D facility in Chennai. Reynold Pens, along with Paper-Mate and Parker, are brands owned by US based Newell Brands and are sold in more than 70 countries. Milton Reynolds Milton Reynolds (1892–1976), an American entrepreneur , was born "Milton Reinsberg" in Albert Lea, Minnesota . He is most famously known for

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588-591: Is the chief sponsor of the parade. Brown & Williamson, the American subsidiary of  British American Tobacco , a diversified conglomerate based in Louisville, Kentucky , acquired Gimbels in 1973. Brown & Williamson also owned  Marshall Field's  (purchased in 1982),  Frederick & Nelson ,  The Crescent  stores, and  Kohl's  (purchased in 1972). Brown & Williamson later created the  BATUS Retail Group  as

637-621: The Pittsburgh market with the purchase of Kaufmann & Baer's, acquiring WCAE in the deal. Although expansion spurred talk of the stores becoming a nationwide chain, the Great Depression ended that prospect. Gimbel did increase the number of more upscale (and enormously profitable) Saks Fifth Avenue stores in the 1930s, opening branches in Chicago, Boston and San Francisco. By 1930, Gimbels had seven flagship stores throughout

686-431: The "Flying Printasign" after his signmaking company. Even as he was planning to exit the pen business, he bought a used B-26 bomber. He had the armor removed and retrofitted the plane with commercial engines, christening it the “Reynolds Bombshell.” He hired war-hero Bill Odom as pilot, Tex Sallee as copilot, and in 1947 the three of them flew around the world in 78 hours, 55.5 minutes, making four stops for refueling, to set

735-553: The Fisher Space Pen, decided to try to improve the pen. Reynolds sold the corporate charter to the U.S. government, which renamed it the Reynolds Construction Company and allegedly passed clandestine payments to foreign governments through the paper entity. Reynolds took his profits and indulged his hobby, a lifelong love of flying. In the 1930s, he owned a Stinson Reliant monoplane he named

784-500: The French subsidiary would be purchased. In 2000, Newell Rubbermaid acquired Reynolds Pens France and in 2007, announced they would be closing the French manufacturing plants, causing huge labor union protests. In May 2016, Reynolds' licensee—GM Pens International—in India decided to end their exclusive contract and stopped making Reynold branded pens, instead choosing to make their own Rorito brand pen. The current Reynolds' licensee

833-602: The Gimbels Department Store, which was built in 1914 at 339 Sixth Avenue. After Gimbels ceased operations in the late 1980s, the building sat vacant for several years and was redeveloped in the 1990s for retail, home to, among other shops, the first Barnes & Noble to open in Pittsburgh. In 2002, another redevelopment changed the building to offices, and is now home to the Heinz 57 Center . In 1997, it

882-585: The Reynolds International Pen Company. He shipped pens overseas while making partnership overtures, even buying a French estate, le Château du Mesnil-Saint-Denis in 1947, as an intended base of European operations. The established pen manufacturers Eversharp, Parker Pen Company , and Waterman pens were expected to compete and flood the market with much cheaper models backed up with big national advertising campaigns. Rather than compete and watch his margins dwindle, Reynolds sold

931-513: The US to a joint venture between Eversharp and Eberhard Faber . While paying a sales call to Goldblatt's department store in Chicago, Reynolds was shown one of the Biro pens and recognized it as a potentially hot consumer item for the postwar era. Working with engineer William Huernergardt and machinist Titus Haffa, Reynolds came up with a design that did not rely on patented capillary action but caused ink to flow by gravity. However, successful gravity feed required much thinner, viscous ink and

980-686: The chain went public , offering shares on the New York Stock Exchange (though the family retained a controlling interest). The stock sales provided capital for expansion, starting with the 1923 purchase of across-the-street rival Saks & Co., which operated under the name Saks-34th Street ; with ownership of Saks, Gimbel created an uptown branch called Saks Fifth Avenue . Moving into radio, Gimbels purchased WGBS in New York and WIP in Philadelphia. In 1925, Gimbels entered

1029-637: The chain, the downtown Milwaukee store where Adam Gimbel had first found success (and supposedly the most profitable Gimbel store), was handed to BATUS sister division Marshall Field's, but eventually closed in 1997. Gimbels flagship stores were located in New York City, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Milwaukee. The Gimbels New York City flagship store was located in the cluster of large department stores that surrounded Herald Square , in Midtown Manhattan . Designed by architect Daniel Burnham ,

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1078-713: The clandestine payments passed through the Reynolds Construction Company by US intelligence were part of an operation code-named "KK Mountain". Reynolds sold the "Reynolds Bombshell" in 1948. After passing through several owners, it ended up in Iran, used by Bell Helicopter as a transport. It was abandoned there at the time of the Iran Revolution of 1979 and remains on display there in the Aerospace Exhibition Centre, in Tehran. Reynolds Printasign

1127-672: The company off in pieces. European rights to the name went to a French concern, and the Reynolds pen became a well-known French brand (although the company is just as well known for its inexpensive fountain pens, which schoolchildren use for lessons in cursive penmanship). However, in Britain especially, “Biro” had become the generic term for any ballpoint pen. Many of the parts for the Reynolds Rocket were made by Fisher-Armour Mfg in Chicago. When Reynolds decided to stop selling, Paul C. Fisher , later to found Fisher Pen Company and invent

1176-443: The country and sales of $ 123 million ($ 2.2 billion today) across 20 stores; this made Gimbel Brothers Inc. the largest department store corporation in the world. By 1953, sales had risen to $ 300 million ($ 3.4 billion today). In 1962, Gimbels acquired Milwaukee competitor Schuster's , and in that region operated stores from both chains for a while as Gimbels Schuster's . By 1965, Gimbel Brothers Inc. consisted of 53 stores throughout

1225-473: The country, which included 22 Gimbels, 27 Saks Fifth Avenue stores, and four Saks 34th St. Gimbels' principles and merchandise sought to reflect the ideals of middle class America. Their principles consisted of "courtesy, reliability, good value, and enlightened management". By using middle class values Gimbels attracted shoppers to a store that also could fit their budgets. Keeping the store plain and less extravagant than some of its competitors, Gimbels used

1274-400: The first day. Demand in 1945 was running 30,000 pens per day, making it America's #1 ballpoint pen. However, within three years the price of the pen went from $ 12.50 to 50¢. The Reynolds Rocket Pen had a tiny ball bearing that let ink out only when pressed against the item you were writing on. In advertisements Reynolds claimed it had enough ink to last 15 years without refilling. In 1947, in

1323-506: The founder, the company expanded to New York City in 1910. The company is known for creating the oldest Thanksgiving parade, the Gimbels Thanksgiving Day Parade , originating in 1920 in Philadelphia. Gimbels was also considered the chief rival of Macy's with their feud popularized in American culture. As of 1930, Gimbels had grown to 20 stores, whose sales revenue made it the largest department store chain in

1372-478: The heads of all the department stores. Among these was Fred Gimbel, whose family owned Gimbels in Manhattan, the arch-rival of Macy's . Through an exclusive deal with Gimbel, the Reynolds pen debuted at the 32nd Street store on the morning of October 29, 1945. World War II had just ended ( V-J Day was on August 14), so public exuberance was high. The pen sold for $ 12.50 (equivalent to $ 212 in 2023). The day

1421-465: The intervening period, Reynolds and the China Explorer had diverted their guards, taken off from Lunghwa Field, and completed a quick flyover of K2. Reynolds family lore has it that Reynolds had made a secret deal from the outset with the US government to look for evidence of Chinese nuclear tests. No one involved with the expedition admitted knowledge of such a plan. For many years thereafter,

1470-859: The manufacture and introduction of the first ballpoint pen to be sold in the U.S. market in October 1945. He was also inventor of the “talking sign” promotional placard for retail stores, sponsor and crewman on the twin-engine propeller flight that broke Howard Hughes ' round-the-world record, and among the first investors in Syntex , which pioneered the combined oral contraceptive pill , or birth-control pill. Reynolds’ business fortunes and personal wealth rose and fell numerous times during his career . He changed his name because he believed that his customers, including major U.S. retailers, were reluctant to buy from Jews. He had previously tried several ventures that made and lost considerable sums, including trying to corner

1519-442: The market on used automobile tires and investing in prefabricated houses. A business he built around retail sign making equipment, Reynolds Printasign, was owned and operated by two generations of his heirs. A rolling-ball mechanism for marking leather was conceived as early as 1888 by American inventor John Loud. In 1938, newspaper editor László Bíró , a Hungarian-émigré to Argentina, and business partner Henry G. Martin patented

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1568-415: The parade now known as the 6abc Dunkin' Donuts Thanksgiving Day Parade . The Gimbel family saw the parade as a way to promote holiday shopping at its various store locations. Macy's did not start a parade until 1924. When Gimbels ceased operating in 1986, television station WPVI assumed responsibility for the parade, with sponsorship by Reading, Pennsylvania –based Boscov's . Currently, Dunkin' Donuts

1617-399: The pen went on sale, an estimated 5,000 shoppers stormed Gimbels, and approximately 50 NYPD officers had to be dispatched for crowd control. The Chicago-based Reynolds International Pen Company made 8 million pens in six weeks, cranking out lathe-turned pens in a manufacturing facility converted from an indoor tennis court. Thereafter came an era chronicled in the print media of the time as

1666-451: The primary rival to the leading Herald Square retailer, Macy's , whose flagship store was located a block north . This rivalry entered into the American popular argot as " Does Macy's tell Gimbels? ", an idiom used to brush off any query about matters the speaker didn't wish to divulge. To distinguish itself from Herald Square neighbors, Gimbels' advertising promised more: "Select, don't settle." Gimbels became so successful that in 1922

1715-541: The same division. In 1983, Gimbels New York and Gimbels Philadelphia were combined into a single entity, Gimbels East, in an attempt to reduce corporate overhead. Deciding that Gimbels was a marginal performer with little potential for increased profitability, BATUS in 1986 decided to close its Gimbels division and sell its store properties. Some of the more attractive branches were taken over by Stern's ( Allied Stores ), Pomeroy's ( Allied Stores ), Kaufmann's ( May Department Stores ), or Boston Store . The cornerstone of

1764-513: The second highest mountain in the world, between China and Pakistan. He renamed his retrofitted bomber the "China Explorer." He believed (wrongly) that K2 was taller than Mount Everest in the Himalayas and hoped to leverage the publicity he'd get from establishing that fact. The Chinese government detained the flight near Nanking and then sent fighter planes to escort it across the Sea of Japan. In

1813-555: The slogan "the customer pays for fancy frills." Gimbels was about the product, not the aesthetics. By offering a wide range of cutting-edge technology in its merchandise, Gimbels reflected the ideals held by the middle class of staying up to date with technologies and carrying new appliances and merchandise at an affordable price. Gimbels Department Store offered a variety of merchandise and products, including home appliances, outdoor equipment, furniture, clothing, and much more. With multiple floors in its flagship stores, each floor offered

1862-506: The structure, which once offered 27 acres (110,000 m ) of sales space, has since been modernized and entirely revamped. When this building opened, on September 29, 1910, a major selling point was its many doors leading to the Herald Square New York City Subway station. Due to such easy access, by the time Gimbels closed in 1986, this store had the highest rate of "shrinkage", or shoplifting losses, in

1911-547: The world record for twin-engine propeller aircraft. (The previous record, set by Howard Hughes, was 91 hours, 14 minutes. Both records were surpassed in 1957.) Reynolds had timed the flight to coincide with the international introduction of the Reynolds Rocket, a pen that wrote in two colors. Reynolds and crew made one more newsworthy intercontinental flight, an expedition to the Amne Machin mountain range in Tibet and K2 ,

1960-443: The world. Doors also opened to a pedestrian passage under 32nd Street , connecting Penn Station to the 34th Street (New York City Subway) and 33rd Street ( PATH ) stations. This Gimbels Passageway was closed in the 1990s for security reasons during a period of high crime. The structure was converted in 1989 to A&S Plaza, a mall named for its anchor department store, a midtown branch of Brooklyn 's A&S . The store became

2009-519: The world. The company expanded to a peak of 53 stores by 1965, and closed in 1987 with 35 stores in Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, Wisconsin, and Connecticut. The company was founded by a young Bavarian Jewish immigrant, Adam Gimbel , who opened a general store in Vincennes, Indiana . After a brief stay in Danville, Illinois , Gimbel relocated in 1887 to Milwaukee , Wisconsin, which

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2058-404: The “Pen Wars,” as latecomer Eversharp finally entered the market. Eversharp then sued Reynolds for patent infringement, and Reynolds countersued on the grounds of illegal restraint of trade. Ultimately, the main result of the legal battle was to generate reams of free publicity for both products. Reynolds capitalized on his sudden success by introducing a new model dubbed the “Reynolds Rocket” from

2107-706: Was a story of his travels in South America. In 1944 the first edition was printed by the Greenville Publishers. An alternate "special" first edition (signed and issued only for his special friends) of the same book was printed in Mexico by the Chicago Packet Company and is highly prized by collectors. Gimbels Gimbel Brothers (known simply as Gimbels ) was an American department store corporation that operated for over

2156-533: Was added to the list of historic landmarks by the Pittsburgh History and Landmarks Foundation . Saks was founded by Horace Saks in New York City. In 1923, Gimbels purchased Saks, which became a subsidiary of Gimbel Brothers, Incorporated, a publicly traded company. Adam Long Gimbel, grandson of the founder of Gimbels, Adam Gimbel , turned Saks into a national brand. In 1973, Brown & Williamson, who later formed BATUS Inc. , acquired Gimbel Bros. and

2205-546: Was bought out by his son James, and subsequently run by his grandson Thomas. Milton Reynolds retired to a hacienda near Mexico City, called the "Milton Hilton." Reynolds and investor Charles Allen speculated in land and invested in Iranian oil, and Reynolds traveled the world on commercial flights as an unofficial "goodwill ambassador" for the United States. In 1944, he authored a book entitled "Hasta La Vista", which

2254-466: Was essentially truthful because his pen wrote successfully on wet paper. Consumers had little use for this bizarre practical application, but a generation of shoppers remembered the slogan long after Reynolds passed into history. Although Eversharp had plans to introduce a pen modeled after Biro's, Reynolds introduced his pen first. Before and during the war, when he sold sign making equipment to retailers, Reynolds had cultivated personal relationships with

2303-450: Was frequently mentioned as a shopping destination of Lucy Ricardo and Ethel Mertz on the hit 1950s TV series I Love Lucy . The Slinky made its debut at the northeast Philadelphia Gimbels store. The Philadelphia Gimbels was also the first department store in the world to move customers from floor to floor via the escalator . The idea of a department-store parade originated in 1920 with Gimbels Department Store in Philadelphia with

2352-578: Was then a boomtown heavily populated by German immigrants. The new store quickly became the leading department store there. However, with seven sons, Adam Gimbel saw the opportunity to expand elsewhere. In 1894, Gimbels—then led by the founder's son, Isaac Gimbel—acquired the Granville Haines store (originally built and operated by Cooper and Conard) in Philadelphia , Pennsylvania, and in 1910, opened another branch in New York City . With its arrival in New York, Gimbels prospered, and soon became

2401-483: Was well-known nationwide, in part because of the carefully cultivated rivalry with Macy's, but also thanks to an endless stream of publicity. The New York store received considerable attention as the site of the 1939–1940 sale of art and antiquities from the William Randolph Hearst collection. Gimbels also gained publicity from the 1947 film Miracle on 34th Street , the 1967 film Fitzwilly , and

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