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HelloMikey
08-29-2006, 06:32 PM
This is by far my favorite land. I love the beautifull cast iron and architecture and the whole ambiance of the land. I remember they used to have some interesting shops (talking like over 10 years ago) but when I visited 2 weeks ago they sucked. One shop was dedicated to pins, another was the jewelery, and a very small ornament shop that barely had anything, then there was the pirates store that was carrying some generic pirate stuff you could find anywhere. The bat en rouge was closed.

The only store that was unique was the crystal one. And the nightmare one was lame. (to me, no offense anyone.)

I have an old souvenier book of disneyland, and from Walt said, they had "imported antiques and rare culinary items from around the world."
Where did they go? The stuff they sell now you could get in any other land in the park...they even had pirate stuff at the star trader! :rolleyes:

doombuggy driver
08-29-2006, 06:37 PM
Commercialism is evil!
:mad:

HelloMikey
08-29-2006, 07:00 PM
Yes, everything is so commercialized.

I Heart Disneyland!
08-29-2006, 08:19 PM
I SOOOOO miss those old shops too. The pin shop used to have such unique things, I used to purchase a trinket there every trip. I've not shopped the jewelry store as I can't afford it and the crystal stuff isn't my style. I miss the old shops too. :( The NBC store is cool, but, I remember buying beignet mix and New Orleans coffees there in past years.

Another Dimension
08-29-2006, 09:21 PM
Why?

The same reason so many talented NOS and Main Street bands are getting brutally canned.

TDA - Middle - Management - Sucks!!!

johnx112
08-29-2006, 10:12 PM
I agree, going down that alley as a kid, they always had the coolest stores. Now, I'm not that impressed. Maybe I'm getting too old :(

Opus1guy
08-30-2006, 01:01 AM
Here's a photo of the old "One Of A Kind Shop."

http://members.aol.com/opus1guy/uploads/oneofakind.jpg

Wonderful antiques were sold there and sales were very good. A lot of people don't know that Walt's wife Lillian was secretly one of the buyers for this shop from it's opening and for many years after.

Yep. A lot of shops in Disneyland have suffered the fate of cookie cutter merchandising over recent years. There used to be such great selection.

spectromen
08-30-2006, 06:52 AM
I love that picture. Can you imagine buying a crystal chandelier at Disneyland today, and having it sent up front for package pickup? Sigh.

AVP
08-30-2006, 07:50 AM
I love that picture. Can you imagine buying a crystal chandelier at Disneyland today, and having it sent up front for package pickup? Sigh.Nope, because Disneyland ended the Package Express service. Now you'd have to buy it and haul it up to the front gate yourself to be "held" for you.

AVP

Skunker
08-30-2006, 08:02 AM
Nope, because Disneyland ended the Package Express service. Now you'd have to buy it and haul it up to the front gate yourself to be "held" for you.

AVP

Yes and I for one am not happy about that service ending! I used to purchase a lot more when 1. There was unique merchandise and not the same stuff in every store, and 2. They had package express and could send those items up front to be held for me. (of course they will do it if you are a Disney hotel guest)

DorisZ
08-30-2006, 08:18 PM
I remember the when the Christmas Shop was in the Castle. The tree topper I use every year was purchased there. I love the Disney items, but there was so much more variety at that shop.

I agree that the stores should offer unique mechandise in the stores, but I still manage to spend plenty of money anyway. The Dept. 56 shop gets most of my vacation spending money these days, tho.

Sub Maniak
08-30-2006, 08:36 PM
I feel a petition coming up!

The old man
08-31-2006, 08:28 AM
I feel a petition coming up!
Or flowers!

wardkimballfan
08-31-2006, 09:21 AM
Anyone notice how the changes to the Park since 1984 aren't really as great as some people claim?

Old Disneyland: Low Prices, Wide Variety, High Quality of Service

New Disneyland: High Prices, Small Variety, Low Quality of Service

Which of these is better?

The problem with the Eisner era (which is still a major influence on the company) is that it exploited Disney's monopoly on Disney entertainment and put the Almighty Buck before being on the creative cutting edge, turning dreams into reality, and satisfying the public's desire for quality family entertainment. Does Disney really benefit from owning ABC/ESPN, other than financially? I don't think so. We don't even get a quality Disney Channel. Everything became about money and profit and ROI for investors and all that boring financial junk that Walt let his brother Roy get headaches over. And that core corporate mindset seriously needs to change, philosophically, back to what drove Walt.

tod
08-31-2006, 10:02 AM
Anyone notice how the changes to the Park since 1984 aren't really as great as some people claim?

Old Disneyland: Low Prices, Wide Variety, High Quality of Service

New Disneyland: High Prices, Small Variety, Low Quality of Service

Which of these is better?

The problem with the Eisner era (which is still a major influence on the company) is that it exploited Disney's monopoly on Disney entertainment and put the Almighty Buck before being on the creative cutting edge, turning dreams into reality, and satisfying the public's desire for quality family entertainment. Does Disney really benefit from owning ABC/ESPN, other than financially? I don't think so. We don't even get a quality Disney Channel. Everything became about money and profit and ROI for investors and all that boring financial junk that Walt let his brother Roy get headaches over. And that core corporate mindset seriously needs to change, philosophically, back to what drove Walt.

Yeah right. The place is now driven by accountants, who veto every possible expenditure -- except hiring more accountants.

--t

Opus1guy
08-31-2006, 12:45 PM
I remember the when the Christmas Shop was in the Castle.

Yep. And inside that shop on one wall...was a wonderful original piece of art by Eyvind Earle (http://www.visionsfineart.com/earle/aa_index.html)...painted right on the wall. Priceless. Signed! (A Disney rarity on it's own) And some boob said to paint over it! One of the Imagineers found out and saved it just in time after informing the "powers that be" that they had a priceless piece of art there. But still later it was simply covered up by a big shelf unit to hold more merchandise.

Every time I walk in that shop, even today, I look over at that wall and say to myself..."What a cryin' shame." :(

Bytebear
09-01-2006, 12:00 AM
As I recall, the old shops were leased to outside vendors, so there was variety and originality. Then, in the dark era, they were booted out and replaced with Disney owned and run stores. Hense the pin store. There is talk of bringing back outside vendors, but I am not holding my breath.

I Heart Disneyland!
09-01-2006, 01:19 AM
Here's a photo of the old "One Of A Kind Shop."

http://members.aol.com/opus1guy/uploads/oneofakind.jpg

.
Wow! What a memory. Thanks Opus. :)

darph nader
09-01-2006, 08:22 AM
Or flowers!

( note to self,open flower kiosk @ DTD ):cool:

Chelsie
09-05-2006, 10:36 AM
Dare I ask? Does anyone know what happened to Fortune Red? I can remember getting fortunes from him in the '60s with my grandfather and continued to make it a tradition to always visit him up until he disappeared. :crying:

wardkimballfan
09-05-2006, 12:08 PM
Yeah right. The place is now driven by accountants, who veto every possible expenditure -- except hiring more accountants.

--tSo you're saying it doesn't need to change, tod? Then I guess Walt's dream died with him and the parks now are just money pits.

Perhaps the accountants can shutter Disneyland, bulldoze it, and then they can build Accountantland on top of it. Or convert the existing rides into accountant-themed ones, say, Pirates of the CaribBean-counters.

GrouchoMarx
09-05-2006, 12:25 PM
Anyone notice how the changes to the Park since 1984 aren't really as great as some people claim?

Old Disneyland: Low Prices, Wide Variety, High Quality of Service

New Disneyland: High Prices, Small Variety, Low Quality of Service

Which of these is better?

The problem with the Eisner era (which is still a major influence on the company) is that it exploited Disney's monopoly on Disney entertainment and put the Almighty Buck before being on the creative cutting edge


As most anyone who follows the antics of the WDC knows, Roy E. Disney finally got Eisner to leave because of it. Specifically -
"... criticizing Eisner for mismanaging the company, neglecting the studio's animation division, failures with ABC, timidity in the theme park business, instilling a corporate mentality in the executive structure, turning the Walt Disney Company into a "rapacious, soul-less" company..."

I guess as things slowly changed for the worse, so they also take time to change back for the better, if, in fact, they ever do.
Anyway, I remember those great little shops, too. Here's hoping they get their soul back.

Another Dimension
09-05-2006, 12:35 PM
I feel a petition coming up!


Anyone notice how the changes to the Park since 1984 aren't really as great as some people claim?

Old Disneyland: Low Prices, Wide Variety, High Quality of Service

New Disneyland: High Prices, Small Variety, Low Quality of Service.


I feel something else coming up, and it's not the money in my wallet. :eek:


It's getting easier and easier to see why Matt Ouimett so quickly and easily left for other horizons.... it's hard to soar like an eagle, when you are surrounded by turkeys. :p


I wish I could take heart in knowing quite a bit of the fowl in TDA would be gone after Thanksgiving, but I seriously doubt it's going to happen.
Unfortunately.

:mad:

adriennek
09-05-2006, 12:38 PM
when I visited 2 weeks ago they sucked. One shop was dedicated to pins, another was the jewelery, and a very small ornament shop that barely had anything, then there was the pirates store that was carrying some generic pirate stuff you could find anywhere. The bat en rouge was closed.

The only store that was unique was the crystal one. And the nightmare one was lame. (to me, no offense anyone.)


Ok, disclaimer: I am NOT a jewelry person. I really don't spend a lot of our budget on jewelry, I don't wear a lot, I don't shop for it or covet it. SO. That said...

Didja GO into the jewelry store? I can guarantee you that you won't find any other jewelry like it anywhere in the park. That store isn't even owned by Disney. It's an outside company that has an agreement to do business inside of Disneyland. The owners are Dianne's Estate Jewelry which is headquartered in San Francisco. The pieces in that store are unique.

Now, I know this because, me who does not "do" jewelry, owns a ring from this very store! I have three pieces of jewelry worth any value (and by value I don't mean much!) My sapphire solitare from that store is one of them. I have many friends who have pieces from there, too. We call it the "Sparkly Store".

The staff there is terrific. They know their jewelry. Some of the pieces have rare stones in them. You can go in and they'll let you try the jewelry on (be careful - it's dangerous! That's how I ended up falling in love with my ring!)

That jewelry store is one of the true remaining "gems" in NOS, pun intended. They DO carry antiques in that store and the merchandise IS unique.

Adrienne

GrouchoMarx
09-05-2006, 01:07 PM
Didja GO into the jewelry store? I can guarantee you that you won't find any other jewelry like it anywhere in the park. That store isn't even owned by Disney. It's an outside company that has an agreement to do business inside of Disneyland. The owners are Dianne's Estate Jewelry which is headquartered in San Francisco. The pieces in that store are unique.
That jewelry store is one of the true remaining "gems" in NOS, pun intended. They DO carry antiques in that store and the merchandise IS unique.


When I'm at DL, I usually go into that store and look at the old wristwatches (they're on the top shelf in the display case in the corner between the entrances/exits, in case you're interested).
They're great pieces. Maybe one of these visits I'll ask to try one on so I can leave the store with it! :)