Gadzooks stores had a life-size version of part of a Volkswagen Beetle inside.

[6] In order to fill floorspace, the founders displayed an "old, white Volks-wagen bug" in the store.

[8] In 2003, in response to heightened competition, the company retooled, shifting from being a "mini-department store", and dropping its male clothing line,[5] to focus exclusively on 16- to 22-year-old females,[9] which proved a fatal shift in its viability.

[1] Gadzooks was one of the first national retail chains to adopt the teenage shopper as its target market.

[5] In February 2004, the company filed bankruptcy and announced plans to reduce its store count from 410 to 252.