Is Mainstreet becoming to Modern and Mainstream

[WDWNutzFamily]

I miss the penny arcade that used to be on Main Street

I agree it is losing some of it's charm. Although I still take a deep breath and sigh whenever I walk in and see Main street.

 

[Chape19714]

Acutally some of my friends who still work there said that sometimes it takes as long as hand sewing because there are still as many people in line and the machine has to be set up.

Ya, it's kinda funny how that happened after it opened...:lol: irony.

 

[rictusred]

Well, here's the thing with the hats. People used to complain that getting names in hats took too long, and they had to wait in line too long to get it done, I used to hear it all day. Now they put in machines that do the job much quicker (and more precisely), and people are still complaining. Can't win sometimes.

Is Main Street a Mall...yes, but that's what a majority of the guests wanted. Most guests don't care about individual stores, and many of them would rather have World of Disney located at the entrance for all their needs. I don't agree, but that's the way it is.

Former Main Street Merchandise Host.

Here is the thing people will always complain if I was in a Mall handing out Twenty dollar bills there would still be people complaining they were'nt Fifties. It is unfortunate that people are in such a hurry that they miss what is really happening in front of there eyes.

 

[Chape19714]

Here is the thing people will always complain if I was in a Mall handing out Twenty dollar bills there would still be people complaining they were'nt Fifties. It is unfortunate that people are in such a hurry that they miss what is really happening in front of there eyes.

Yep...so true.

 

[wdwmemories]

Wow, I forgot about all the mounds of flowers to used to exist on the side street of Main Street USA.
This is still a favorite part of the park - the details and theme really take me to a different time and place.
Is it a shopping mecca - and is it designed to drain your wallet? Sure. But isn't everything there?? :ROFLOL:

 

[Animaniac93-98]

Embroidery machines don't bother me but here's what Main Street used to have:

-West Center Street with flower shop, barber shop and more decorative buildings. Now one Edwardian mess (that would be nice if viewed on it's own but backstory aside the architecture is a bit jarring placed next to the other buildings).

-A cinema that was a real cinema

-The Walt Disney Story

-Candle Shop

-Hallmark Gold Crown location

-Magic Shop

-Disneyanna Store

-Penny Arcade

The food is still nice and the buildings pretty, the music is great and so are the streetmosphere charactres and entertainment but the shopping and attraction side and drop in quality considerably.

But it didn't happen now or this decade it started in 1995.

 

[yankspy]

Embroidery machines don't bother me but here's what Main Street used to have:

-West Center Street with flower shop, barber shop and more decorative buildings. Now one Edwardian mess (that would be nice if viewed on it's own but backstory aside the architecture is a bit jarring placed next to the other buildings).

-A cinema that was a real cinema

-The Walt Disney Story

-Candle Shop

-Hallmark Gold Crown location

-Magic Shop

-Disneyanna Store

-Penny Arcade

The food is still nice and the buildings pretty, the music is great and so are the streetmosphere charactres and entertainment but the shopping and attraction side and drop in quality considerably.

But it didn't happen now or this decade it started in 1995.

You are forgetting the great joy of eating breakfast on the patio at Oscar Mayer/Hormel. I really do miss that place. Oh, and don't forget the camera shop, which used to be a proper camera shop.

 

[marni1971]

Captain Hank got it - in 2001 Emporium swallowed up Centre St West, the other cul-de-sac at the old crossroads of MSUSA. All for the sake of generic merchandice. As if there wasn`t enough floorspace on MSUSA already. Have a good read of the Omniluxe link posted above.

The Camera shop - the original - was great. The current one is a joke. They couldn`t even provide a phillps screwdriver for me to make a minor adjustment to my camcorder. And don`t forget the waste of the twin theatres back there too.

 

[yankspy]

Wow, I forgot about all the mounds of flowers to used to exist on the side street of Main Street USA.
This is still a favorite part of the park - the details and theme really take me to a different time and place.
Is it a shopping mecca - and is it designed to drain your wallet? Sure. But isn't everything there?? :ROFLOL:

Yep. This used to be a nice little quiet spot with a few tables where one could sit for a while

 

[Animaniac93-98]

You are forgetting the great joy of eating breakfast on the patio at Oscar Mayer/Hormel. I really do miss that place. Oh, and don't forget the camera shop, which used to be a proper camera shop.

Note I said nice not great. You can't eat breakfast at Tony's anymore either.

But hey we shouldn't be complainers right?

 

[yankspy]

Note I said nice not great. You can't eat breakfast at Tony's anymore either.

But hey we shouldn't be complainers right?

Gotcha.

 

[tirian]

I hate to say this, but the Emporium needed to be expanded. I know, I know, don't flame me, but it's true.

Now I don't like how the rest of Main Street has lost its identity, and Disney should restore the Magic Shop and Theater—they were Guest eaters that barely cost anything to operate. Heck, for that matter, use the "Walt Disney Story" theaters again as a WDW history retrospective—it would be a simple A-ticket to swallow Guest traffic; and anybody who claims it would be boring has forgotten that Disney used to be able to do anything. If "Donald in Mathmagic Land" can hold kids' attention, a WDW documentary could.

 

[marni1971]

I hate to say this, but the Emporium needed to be expanded.

*cough*Westward not northward*cough*

 

[tirian]

Yep. This used to be a nice little quiet spot with a few tables where one could sit for a while

To clarify, the Emporium's expansion should have utilized the backstage area behind that facade.

BTW, we're complaining that Main Street turned into a mall, but don't forget that the merchandise itself isn't as imaginative, unique, or "must-have" as it used to be. Disney blames the economy for reduced merch sales, but I insist it's also due to crappy merchandise in the first place. Why should Guests overpay for the same shirt and board game you can buy at Target?

 

[tirian]

*cough*Westward not northward*cough*

Read my next comment!

 

[yankspy]

To clarify, the Emporium's expansion should have utilized the backstage area behind that facade.

BTW, we're complaining that Main Street turned into a mall, but don't forget that the merchandise itself isn't as imaginative, unique, or "must-have" as it used to be. Disney blames the economy for reduced merch sales, but I insist it's also due to crappy merchandise in the first place. Why should Guests overpay for the same shirt and board game you can buy at Target?

Yes, I quite agree. I long for the days when Epcot sold Epcot Merchandise and MK sold MK merchandise and there was not stitch and Hannah Montana stuff at every corner.

 

[rictusred]

the worst part of the shopping portion of it is that the same products except for a couple are in every store in the park same stuffed toys,sweatshirts and hats but they felt it necessary to take up more room for this instead of making the experience better.

 

[sarabi]

I don't like to seek disappointment, so I'll look at your link after this, but for me Main Street hasn't changed a lot since my first trip. Yes, the Emporium got bigger and yes, the camera shop went away but the camera shop always bored me anyway. I mean, who goes on vacation and doesn't already have a camera these days? Seriously?

I don't feel the charm is lost. As long as you have those pretty little facades with animators names on the windows and silvery balloons swaying before a parade... the smell of popcorn, ice cream, and hot dogs intermingling, then it's heaven to me.

 

[Chape19714]

*cough*Westward not northward*cough*

That would have taken over Spectro's Staging area. That parade needs the room behind Emporium.

 

[marni1971]

That would have taken over Spectro's Staging area. That parade needs the room behind Emporium.

Not all of it; and they - if they`d wanted to - could have reconfigured the parking lot area back there. Plenty of space.