is gimbels from elf a real store

Yes, Gimbels is a fictional department store in the movie "Elf." It is portrayed as a rival to Macy's, and Buddy the Elf ends up working there during his time in New York City. However, Gimbels is not a real store. It was created specifically for the film as a comical way to add conflict and humor to the plot. The name "Gimbels" is inspired by Gimbel's, a real-life department store chain that used to be popular in the United States but went out of business in the 1980s.