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All things Americana at Brand
- Thread starter Consumer
- Start date
Homemade Imagineering
Well-Known Member
I’ve basically grown up here. Love sitting by the fountain to get my PoTC bromine smell fix
Too Many Hats
Well-Known Member
It’s what Downtown Disney should be.
mickEblu
Well-Known Member
We love the Americana. My wife and I were very disappointed when they unveiled The Village (outdoor mall) at the Topanga Mall in Woodland Hills. It wasn’t a Caruso project so perhaps we should have tempered our expectations but it was a huge chunk of land that ended up being a Costco and one strip of mostly forgettable stores and restaurants. The Americana is almost like going to a version of Main Street USA without having to pay to get in. Great atmosphere. The fountain is very nice. None of the shops really interest me other than Barnes n Noble. Does anyone else have the ability to remember every movie theatre they saw a particular movie in? I saw Kingdom of the Crystal Skull there. Hard to believe it's already at least 16 years old.
The Din Tai Fung recently moved to the Glendale Galleria to be replaced by Paradise Dynasty - another dumpling place. Apparently the rooftop pool above them was leaking into restaurant so I think they used it as a way to get out of their lease. Rent must have been very expensive otherwise I cant see why they'd want to move to the dark, dungeony mall across the street. Their Americana location was nice as well as convenient right off Brand with valet. So not only did they move to a lesser location but they allowed the competition to move in.
The Din Tai Fung recently moved to the Glendale Galleria to be replaced by Paradise Dynasty - another dumpling place. Apparently the rooftop pool above them was leaking into restaurant so I think they used it as a way to get out of their lease. Rent must have been very expensive otherwise I cant see why they'd want to move to the dark, dungeony mall across the street. Their Americana location was nice as well as convenient right off Brand with valet. So not only did they move to a lesser location but they allowed the competition to move in.
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Funny, I also saw Crystal Skull at the Americana. Perhaps we were at the same showing!
mickEblu
Well-Known Member
Whoa! Are you my ex girlfriend?
Phroobar
Well-Known Member
I remember the Topanga Mall was the place my mom would drag us kids to get our yearly picture taken at some booth in the middle of the mall. It was really embarrassing being forced to do it as a teenager since the girl taking the picture wasn't much older.
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PizzaSpringRoll2017
Member
Spoken like someone who's never been to the Americana.
denyuntilcaught
Well-Known Member
I hear you, but The Grove is an under built literal tourist trap with a chronic parking problem amid an already congested area of LA. I feel many lessons from The Grove were clearly integrated into the Americana's design.
I also have a fondness for the Americana, as when I was in college I had the privilege of working two store openings there - Ruehl, the large Greenwich Village-styled clothing store where the equally-massive Apple Store is now, and Gilly Hicks, the Australian-themed store where the new Tiffany's is now, both Abercrombie & Fitch brands. I also had the misfortune of working at the West Coast A&F flagship at The Grove, what is now the 3-story Nike store. Absolutely hated working at The Grove.
The Americana truly does nail its own essence and, more notably, has been able to really preserve it over the past 15-16 years with little necessary evolution. Happy to see they're finally pulling in the luxury stores they and Glendale deserve. The new Saint Laurent, Tiffany's, and Chanel have already moved in, and Bottega Venetta, Balenciaga, and Louis Vuitton coming in soon as well - Louis is expected to take over the old Tiffany's to Armani spot along the green.
DLR92
Well-Known Member
The Grove original plans were to overtake the farmers market and much CBS properties up north of Beverly Blvd. But the local residents balked of the project being too massive.
I remember hearing Louis Vuitton plans open more stores in Southern California years back. There was original plan to make Glendale Galleria to have a full service boutique. But they ended with a small building lease inside Bloomingdales instead. I am not aware of them moving or expanding into Americana. I remember they had a pop up store.
denyuntilcaught
Well-Known Member
I didn't know that about The Grove, but that makes much more sense now why it's quite under built. Also makes more sense why Americana exists as another stab to bring that fuller vision to life.
LV has been sampling in Glendale for years. To your point, the Bloomingdales shop-in-shop, and the LV pop up, the latter of which was dropped there to see the viability of a large-scale store in Glendale, along with making sure it didn't cannibalize the Bloomingdales store. With Bottega Venetta going into the old David Yurman spot, the plan is for LV to take over the combined old Tiffanys/Armani Exchange spot, both of which are closed. If I'm thinking correctly, it'll launch next year.
Too Many Hats
Well-Known Member
The Americana out-Disneys Disney in multiple ways. Love that fountain show. During the holidays, the whole place feels warm and magical — in a way DTD never does. And now, the Americana has something a Disney theme park doesn’t even have (anymore). I wonder if they know how much $$$ they could save by cutting the trolley?