Has your local Disney Store closed? YES or WHEN

[Amor4Pooh]

In looking at the boards for the last year (2/03- 2/04), I have noticed a huge amount of Disney Stores closing permanently. I know that they were going to put them up for sale, but in an effort to realize the actual scope of how many have closed IN THE LAST YEAR, I am starting this thread. In the last month alone, I have read of at least 5-10. I think this might help those of us here at the DIS to see just how many and how widespread the closures have been. This also might help us to dispel the rumors that the sale that has already happened and they will be closing all the stores. (or confirm)

*** Please POST IF YOUR DISNEY STORE HAS CLOSED PERMANENTLY, AND WHEN AND WHERE.
*** Please also post if you have been told your Disney Store is going to close PERMANENTLY, and when.

Thank you for your help in advance

Amor4)

***PLEASE, this thread is not to start a discussion on the whys, only to find out the facts about the closures ***

 

[trola2]

Our store in Pensacola had a sign that said closing no later than 2/15.

 

[Goofyposter]

The whole Idea of closing/selling TDS is SOOOooooooo stupid...IMHO.......yet another example of how Ei$ner is KILLING TWDC !!!!.......

The Disney Store is for MILLIONS of Americans...."Disney"....it IS the PLACE where Disney lovers can go to buy tickets, Disney Dollars and merchandise that they want to buy....it's THE 'window' onto the Disney Ideal for those that don't yet 'get it' or who have not yet visited the parks....IMHO.....Nuking TDS is like the republican or the democratic parties eliminating their local/regional representatives.

Do you know that if you were to buy $10,000.00 of Disney Dollars from your TDS....they do NOT recieve store 'credit' for that sale???.......Even though...CLEARLY...such a purchase can ONLY be used to benefit a company holding???...be it TDS or WDW or DL!!!!!.....how 'real' is that??

 

[dzneprincess]

TDS in Columbus GA has been closed for at least a year now.

 

[Byrd]

Haywood Mall, Greenville, SC the Disney Store was closed after Christmas this year. They put a sign in the window that stated that the closest store is in Asheville, NC. This made me very sad.
Byrd

 

[Miss Eeyore]

The Bellingham, WA store, at Bellis Fair Mall, closed some time last spring.

 

[Beachangel]

The smaller Times Square Disney closed recently.

 

[bali]

Yep, the Disney Store next to the Lion King Broadway show on 42nd St. Just closed. Spoke to the manager about it and he was tight-lipped about it -- said that the bigger Disney Store on 5th Ave. was still open and they didn't need both of them.

 

[treehouse p]

The Disney Store in Lexington Ky reopened after being closed for remodeling.
Don't know of many stores that have done this.

 

[rav4lcrv]

Our store in Racine, Wi. closed about a year ago, the cast members said there numbers were always up, my guess is we were to close to Milwaukee

 

[JaxnBanditFan]

Our store closed in Jackson Ms. at the end of Oct.

 

[Donald's#1Fan]

Closed just about a month ago.

 

[Luv2Roam]

Lincoln, NE store closed last year. Spring time maybe?

When we moved to Omaha Sept '95, there were three DS in Nebraska. Now only Omaha has a Disney Store for Nebraska. The first NE DS (Omaha) closed 2 years ago last month.

I also read the Des Moines, IA DS closed probably early last winter. That was the only Des Moines DS.

My guess is if Des Moines had their store closed, others in IA did too.

It would be interesting to know from Omaha where the next closest store is.

 

[*Robin*]

I went to the mall specifically yesterday to see if ours was still there. It is, and they said there is no chance it's closing. The guy also told me that they hadn't been sold, only the overseas stores were sold. Is that true? I somehow think he really didn't know what he was talking about, but I could be wrong.

The store was as fully stocked as it ever had been, and I was pleasantly surprised to see quite a bit of the classic characters back...not so much pooh.

I'll keep an eye out. I'm not sure why our store would still be open (Fort Wayne, Indiana) when so many big city stores are closing...

 

[tinkie]

The Disney Store near my parents - in Des Moines Iowa closed recently.....they enjoyed buying Disney dollars there for kids birthdays.

 

[renda460]

We had a rather large one close allegedly on 3/10/04 but I went there last weekend and it was already closed, (Natick MA).

 

[Amare06]

My TDS on the southside of Richmond just closed. I loved that store and now I have to travel across Richmond to get to the other mall where the TDS is now. I have shopped at both stores and I always thought that the one nearer to me got more business. My DD only went to the mall because we could go to the Disney store.

 

[caseymaureen]

The store in Columbia, Maryland just reopened after awhile, and it has been remodeled. The store in Annapolis closed quite awhile ago.

 

[waughzee]

Oakdale Mall, Johnson City NY Disney Store closed 2/16/04

 

[TIdoublegaER]

The Disney Store at Metro North Mall in Kansas City, MO closed in June '03. There are 2 left in the city, but each are at least a 1/2 drive from my house.

The one in Battlefield Mall in Springfield, MO closed last month. The closest store for them in now in St. Louis, almost 3 hours away. There is still an outlet in Branson (45 min away), but I don't know what their selection is like.

While I loved TDS, there really wasn't anything that I ever wanted to buy or wasn't cost prohibitive. I can get some really cute Disney stuff much cheaper at Target or Walmart. Maybe Disney was a little too greedy in their licensing.