New Disney Stores

[themoose]

I received an email today about the new Disney Store at the Natick Collection in Natick, MA. I live near there and they use to have one less than a half mile from there about 6-7 years ago. I guess Disney is taking a stab at the retail stores again. Hopefully it'll be cool and work out for them. Maybe I'll go buy my WDW tickets there.

 

[UrbanDonovan]

Maybe I'll go buy my WDW tickets there.

My experience with buying park tickets at a Disney Store is that it's just a waste of time. A few trips back I thought I'd be slick and buy the tickets at the local mall and then just be able to cruise into the park with waiting in line for tickets. Doesn't work like that. Still have to wait in line to redeem what you get at the Disney Store for real tickets.

 

[unkadug]

My experience with buying park tickets at a Disney Store is that it's just a waste of time. A few trips back I thought I'd be slick and buy the tickets at the local mall and then just be able to cruise into the park with waiting in line for tickets. Doesn't work like that. Still have to wait in line to redeem what you get at the Disney Store for real tickets.

You didn't when Disney actually ran the stores. There were several times that I bought my actual theme park tickets at the local mall before Children's Place took the stores over.

 

[themoose]

The stores are not run by disney?

 

[unkadug]

The stores are not run by disney?

Quick historical recap:
Disney sold the stores to Children's Place a few years back. CP reneged on their contract. Disney took them back over and closed most of them.

 

[stitch & lilo]

when is the one in MASS opening? and did disney really buy them back?? in 2003 i bought a ton of 7 day hoppers plus 4 water/quest, no expiration b4 the price and everything went up and changed. i love using them!! i hope disney owns them, i hate going to NYC for the store...:hurl: as a red sox fan!

 

[WDW Vacationer]

Great. I live right between the 2! Right in the middle!!!

 

[NiarrNDisney]

I hope so! the Disney stores here are so far from where I live that I usually opt for going online, also I miss the store that was in the Caesars Palace Forum shops in Las Vegas it was so well done. All they have now to my knowledge is a crummy Disneyland Character Shop at the outlet mall.

 

[Rob562]

when is the one in MASS opening? and did disney really buy them back?? in 2003 i bought a ton of 7 day hoppers plus 4 water/quest, no expiration b4 the price and everything went up and changed. i love using them!! i hope disney owns them, i hate going to NYC for the store...:hurl: as a red sox fan!

You already have a Disney Store closer to you than Natick... The one at the Solomon Pond Mall in Berlin, MA never closed. (I drive right by there every day on my way to/from work)

With the "upscale" nature that they're trying to develop at the Natick Mall (can't stand the name "Natick Collection"), I wonder if they'll bring back the Art of Disney section like the old Store did when it was out in the stand-alone building in the parking lot.

(And as a fellow Sox fan, I have no problem with going to Manhattan. You just won't see me heading into the Bronx )

-Rob

 

[xtimMOOthyx]

They recently opened a new one in Ross Park Mall in Pittsburgh, PA. All of our area malls had a Disney Store in them (4 or 5), all but 1 which closed after Disney sold them to the Children's Place. The new one opened a few weeks ago and is extremely disappointing. On a rather odd note, the sign above the store entrance just said "Disney" and not "The Disney Store". The store was basically a white room with character flags/tarps/curtains hanging along the walls. Personally, I think it is worse than the Children's Place version of the Stores. Our new store has no Theme Park merchandise, which I thought was supposed to be a part of the new stores. Most of the merchandise was for children and included toys, plushes, costumes, and pajamas with a few adult shirts in the mix. Overall, very disappointing, but I am hopeful that this is just a transitional phase and that the store will close for remodeling once business picks up to turn it into a "real" Disney Store.

 

[lazyboy97o]

You didn't when Disney actually ran the stores. There were several times that I bought my actual theme park tickets at the local mall before Children's Place took the stores over.

When the Disney Stores were owned by Children's Place they sold actual admission media. The only items that needed to be exchanged were the Annual Passes.

 

[Birdie757]

They just "reopened" our Disney store with the new design. It just seems like a remodel. Besides the decor everything is pretty much the same. Still chock full of Halloween costumes, stuffed toys, plastic dinnerware and cheap t-shirts. (Don't get me wrong. I love the cheap t-shirts. I am not talking quality here, just in monetary terms...lol.)

 

[rkelly42]

There is also a Disney store in the Emerald Square mall in North attleboro Mass, and the Silver City Galleria in Taunton Mass.

 

[themoose]

Natick one opens on the 12th. Hey maybe they bring back the idea of putting a disneyquest in natick.

 

[Figment632]

Quick historical recap:
Disney sold the stores to Children's Place a few years back. CP reneged on their contract. Disney took them back over and closed most of them.

I believe it was less than 10% that were closed.

 

[disneynut4u]

Oh, Man, do I wish they'd reopen the one in Shreveport, LA. I used to work at that one, and we were ALL devastated when we had to close. There are NO Disney Stores close to us - the closest one was either Dallas or New Orleans/Baton Rouge. I miss my Disney Store!!!!

 

[sublimesting]

They recently opened a new one in Ross Park Mall in Pittsburgh, PA. All of our area malls had a Disney Store in them (4 or 5), all but 1 which closed after Disney sold them to the Children's Place. The new one opened a few weeks ago and is extremely disappointing. On a rather odd note, the sign above the store entrance just said "Disney" and not "The Disney Store". The store was basically a white room with character flags/tarps/curtains hanging along the walls. Personally, I think it is worse than the Children's Place version of the Stores. Our new store has no Theme Park merchandise, which I thought was supposed to be a part of the new stores. Most of the merchandise was for children and included toys, plushes, costumes, and pajamas with a few adult shirts in the mix. Overall, very disappointing, but I am hopeful that this is just a transitional phase and that the store will close for remodeling once business picks up to turn it into a "real" Disney Store.

I think they closed after Disney took them back from Children's Place. Never-the-less, it sounds like the one at South Hills Village. Why can't we get a decent one like at the Orlando airport - where I was a few weeks ago. I went bonkers with my spending there.

 

[unkadug]

I believe it was less than 10% that were closed.

Are you sure? I don't feel like researching it right now, so I'll go along with you if you think that's right! :wave:

I remember the list was quite long, but then again there WERE a lot of stores to begin with. :shrug:

 

[Figment632]

Are you sure? I don't feel like researching it right now, so I'll go along with you if you think that's right! :wave:

I remember the list was quite long, but then again there WERE a lot of stores to begin with. :shrug:

To be honest I've never researched that is what we were told as CM's. My store in Freehold NJ closed, I am at a new store but my store in Freehold is reopening as an Imagination Park store!

 

[Lucky]

They recently opened a new one in Ross Park Mall in Pittsburgh, PA. All of our area malls had a Disney Store in them (4 or 5), all but 1 which closed after Disney sold them to the Children's Place. The new one opened a few weeks ago and is extremely disappointing. On a rather odd note, the sign above the store entrance just said "Disney" and not "The Disney Store". The store was basically a white room with character flags/tarps/curtains hanging along the walls. Personally, I think it is worse than the Children's Place version of the Stores. Our new store has no Theme Park merchandise, which I thought was supposed to be a part of the new stores. Most of the merchandise was for children and included toys, plushes, costumes, and pajamas with a few adult shirts in the mix. Overall, very disappointing, but I am hopeful that this is just a transitional phase and that the store will close for remodeling once business picks up to turn it into a "real" Disney Store.

We have a new one in Montgomery Mall in Bethesda MD. It's a lot like you describe. It's small, and doesn't sell much except costumes and toys for young kids. Definitely inferior to the ones that closed a few years ago.