Editing Gottschalks (section)

==Beginnings==

[[File:Gottschalkslogo.PNG|thumb|250px|right|The second Gottschalks logo used until 2001.]]
[[File:Gottschalk's Building Fresno 1914.jpg|thumb|Gottschalk's new, larger store in Fresno, CA, shortly after it opened in 1914]]
Gottschalks was founded by [[German people|German]] Jewish immigrant Emil Gottschalk in 1904 as a [[dry goods]] store in downtown [[Fresno, California]].<ref name="Fresno Bee Gottschalks">{{cite news|url=http://www.fresnobee.com/local/story/1130183.html |title=Gottschalks history |date=January 14, 2009 |work=The Fresno Bee |access-date=2009-01-15 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090125223726/http://www.fresnobee.com/local/story/1130183.html |archive-date=January 25, 2009 }}</ref> Ten years later, the store grew enough to move into another building downtown with ten times the amount of space.<ref name="Fresno Bee Gottschalks" /> Before his passing in 1939, Emil passed control to his brother-in-law, Henry Korn and his nephew, Abe Blum. The company opened its first branch store in [[Merced, California|Merced]] in 1961 and new stores in [[Visalia, California|Visalia]] and [[Fresno, California|Fresno]]. In a strategy to win over teenage [[baby-boomers]], Gottschalks launched Bobbie West, a chain of junior apparel stores, in the late 1960s. Village East shops, which offered plus-sized women's clothing, were launched in 1970.

Irving (Bill) Levy served as the 4th of seven presidents in the 105 years that Gottschalks operated. Upon Irving Levy's death in 1981, his son Joseph Levy became CEO and chairman of the board until James Famalette was elevated to these positions in 1999 and 2007, respectively.