I believe they are separate. I don't think the pearl experience will be closing forever in Epcot. It may not open with the park right away but I would expect it to open eventually.
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Ah. Much appreciated.Pearl Factory at Disney Springs becomes the first casualty of the COVID-19 shutdown
Most stores at restaurants have reopened at Disney Springs following the mid-March shutdown.
It's the Pearl Factory kiosk in the Marketplace that is closing. They also have locations at the Yacht and Beach Club, Universal Studios, Universal Islands of Adventure, Universal City Walk, and Old Town. Pearl Factory is part of Na Hoku, Inc., which has its own store at Disney Springs.
I was scared at first because I thought it was the one in the Japan Pavilion that was shutting down. I love that and they make it such a great experience picking out the pearl. It is also always so crowded in that area.
Between the Y&B there was a little stall where you could get those pearls - maybe other hotels had them too and maybe still do.
Sounds like something they have at zoo near us, only it's digging for gem stones/rocks... if it is anything like that it isn't what you would expect. They seed the ground with real gem stones only they aren't of the quality that could ever be faceted as you might expect, closer to the type you might stick in a rock tumbler for a week and end up with a mildly interesting rock at the end. Though I expect they would charge enough that you could buy real earrings with real stones somewhere else based on the mark-up the typical DS store has to use to cover their rent.
