Main Street history

[pussinboots]

I'm fascinated by the history of DLP's Main Street -- it seems to have changed quite a bit in just 16 years. Unfortunately, I was too young back in the early '90s to remember much of it now, and there doesn't seem to be a lot of information online.

For instance, I'm pretty sure that there was once a silhouette artist on Main Street, but have no idea where he used to work. I know Main Street Motors once sold actual cars, but have only one vague picture of it before it became another generic gift shop. Lilly's Boutique, I've been told, was once an extension of Walt's. But why was this changed, and how did it used to look? Were actual hats ever sold at Ribbons & Bows?

Traveling slightly beyond Main Street, over at the hub, the Bureau Passeport Annuel was once a restaurant called -- if I'm not mistaken -- le Café des Visionaires. But Google that and find just two hits.

Are there any veterans out there who could help fill in the blanks?

[davewasbaloo]

Happy to help where I can (though sadly I do not have many photos).  Main Street is great, but it has been dumbed down greatly (not as bad as in Florida however).

Where the clothing shop is now, it has a small room that has baby clothes in it now. In the early years, they had a sillouette studio where they would trace your image and cut out sillouettes. It disappeared about the same time as the barber shop quartet, marching band, and police sax group :-(

Main Street Motors was a real car showroom with 4 automobiles for sale, and one of the largest collections of vintage garage material.  The cast members in there could tell you how the cars would work, and why they were cranked to start them with. About 1996, it became a Winnie the Pooh store, and now it is another Women's clothing store.

Lily's Boutique was originally a ground floor serving room for Walt's and because of the lack of imagineering material, they had a live pianist and when I ate in there, a magician. In 1998/99 they converted it to the store, but when it first opened, they sold the fine china from Walt's, the Silver Spur, Blue Lagoon and Auberge de Cindrillon as well as other unique items like wine glasses and the ilk.  Now it is dumbed down and sells the limited culinary items that WDW also sells.

Cafe de Visionaire's was nothing special, just a counter service with some nice murals and great views of the castle, as well as the real flames burning on top of the fountains (man I miss those).

Ribbons and Bows was a hatshop until the Millenium, and in the early years, they embroidered the hats like at Disneyland.

Also some other nuggets that have disappeared from Main Street:

The stamping Tigger at the Storybook Store, where he would stamp a Eurodisney Stamp on paper for you. The repainting of the Emporium so it feels less authentic. The loss of the ragtime piano player at Casey's Corner. Most of the phones that you could listen into the conversations do not seem to work anymore.

There was 1 female, 1 male, and 1 baby/kids clothing store and they had unique offerings including cuff links and business dress for guys.

Just don't get me started on what we have lost from Frontierland and Adventureland, it's enough to make this grown man cry.

What so many disney fans do not overtly recognise is it used to be the themed experience that made the Disney parks so great. The characters were only about 4% of the equation. Now, no more.

I really should write a book. Disneyland Paris was at one time the greatest Disney park on earth. Sadly, between the early economic challenges and the ignorance of fans, it is a shadow of it's former self. Still great, but not what it once was.

[pussinboots]

Happy to help where I can (though sadly I do not have many photos).  Main Street is great, but it has been dumbed down greatly (not as bad as in Florida however).

Where the clothing shop is now, it has a small room that has baby clothes in it now. In the early years, they had a sillouette studio where they would trace your image and cut out sillouettes. It disappeared about the same time as the barber shop quartet, marching band, and police sax group :-(

Main Street Motors was a real car showroom with 4 automobiles for sale, and one of the largest collections of vintage garage material.  The cast members in there could tell you how the cars would work, and why they were cranked to start them with. About 1996, it became a Winnie the Pooh store, and now it is another Women's clothing store.

Lily's Boutique was originally a ground floor serving room for Walt's and because of the lack of imagineering material, they had a live pianist and when I ate in there, a magician. In 1998/99 they converted it to the store, but when it first opened, they sold the fine china from Walt's, the Silver Spur, Blue Lagoon and Auberge de Cindrillon as well as other unique items like wine glasses and the ilk.  Now it is dumbed down and sells the limited culinary items that WDW also sells.

Cafe de Visionaire's was nothing special, just a counter service with some nice murals and great views of the castle, as well as the real flames burning on top of the fountains (man I miss those).

Ribbons and Bows was a hatshop until the Millenium, and in the early years, they embroidered the hats like at Disneyland.

Also some other nuggets that have disappeared from Main Street:

The stamping Tigger at the Storybook Store, where he would stamp a Eurodisney Stamp on paper for you. The repainting of the Emporium so it feels less authentic. The loss of the ragtime piano player at Casey's Corner. Most of the phones that you could listen into the conversations do not seem to work anymore.

There was 1 female, 1 male, and 1 baby/kids clothing store and they had unique offerings including cuff links and business dress for guys.

Just don't get me started on what we have lost from Frontierland and Adventureland, it's enough to make this grown man cry.

What so many disney fans do not overtly recognise is it used to be the themed experience that made the Disney parks so great. The characters were only about 4% of the equation. Now, no more.

I really should write a book. Disneyland Paris was at one time the greatest Disney park on earth. Sadly, between the early economic challenges and the ignorance of fans, it is a shadow of it's former self. Still great, but not what it once was.

I knew you would reply to this, and thank you for doing so. I very much feel your pain, even if I hardly remember what everything used to be like.

Tigger at the Storybook Store used to stamp things for you? That explains his existence -- it always seemed a bit random, that figure, and you wonder why there is an opening in the glass. Why did they take that out? Could they not be bothered to change the stamp to "Disneyland Paris"?


(MousePlanet)

The loss of the hat shop also seems like a waste -- if they can sell those awful glass trinkets to people, surely embroidered hats would sell like hot cakes. But I have to say they did a nice job with the new baby decor. Unlike the Emporium, which, although not awful, is indeed not half as interesting-looking as it used to be.

It's all a waste, obviously, it doesn't even need to be said.

And the silhouette artist/baby clothes place, are we talking the slightly complex area with the different levels near Market Street? What is that, Disney Clothiers?

One good thing, though; the phone at Town Square Photography still works. I only discovered it two weeks ago and thought it was a riot.

[davewasbaloo]

I knew you would reply to this, and thank you for doing so. I very much feel your pain, even if I hardly remember what everything used to be like.

Tigger at the Storybook Store used to stamp things for you? That explains his existence -- it always seemed a bit random, that figure, and you wonder why there is an opening in the glass. Why did they take that out? Could they not be bothered to change the stamp to "Disneyland Paris"?

(MousePlanet)

And the silhouette artist/baby clothes place, are we talking the slightly complex area with the different levels near Market Street?

One good thing, though; the phone at Town Square Photography still works. I only discovered it two weeks ago and thought it was a riot.

Yep, it was like a librarian and he would stamp your book, post card etc.

Yep, you now know where the sillouettes were.

That one is not so bad, but the ones at the Cable Car Bakery and the Barber Shop rarely work.  A similar phone system also operates in the original Disneyland.

Also the other cool thing people may not realise, the dimensions of the Transportation Company is the same as Sleeping Beauty's Castle in Anaheim!

[davewasbaloo]

Hmmm, are you calling me a know it all Puss?  :lol:

[pussinboots]

Yes! But know-it-alls are by definition useful in threads like this. And I will look for those other phones next time -- and also at DL. That's great stuff.

[MizzRabbit]

Aww this thread got me really sad. I had one of those embroidered hats. I lost it years ago. It was so special to get your own name on your hat. Everything was better back then. Maybe we could do a petition or something? Or maybe that wouldn't help at all. It would be so great if they would bring some of those things back.

[Kuzco]

Great to read some of the history and now gone details of Main Street. Maybe, as Disneyland Resort can keep up it's rise in attendance and cash flow, some of these things will come back. I can imagine that not working telephones, Tigger stamping and other small things are not a priority right now to keep the park up and running. Let's hope that some day these lost treasures will come back to life (although this will obviously will not be the fate of the now refurbished stores)

[CJNorth]

Sadly I think you are wrong and the "lost treasures" are very unlikely to return partly due to the costs but more importantly due to the opinions of today’s visitors.  

If asked for opinions about our Park would the general population say they want more varied shopping on Main Street, the return of the phones etc or are they more likely to say Splash Mountain or more thrill rides and daily fireworks?

I too would love to see all these things return and like Davewasbaloo am deeply saddened when I look back at how amazing our Park was in the early years and see what has happened since.   That's not to say I am unhappy as I am still a big fan (and counting the days until my next trip) but it is a sad truth the majority of the little details that mean a lot have gone.

Occasionally DLRP will come up with some new little treasure but this does not outweigh the list of things that have been removed

[ailsa]

I went the year disney opened but I was only 4 and barelt remember it and I didn't go again til '99 but even from then I can remember the difference. Infact I still remember bits from the first time. However as I was young I do sometimes get confused with when I when WDW. I would love to see some of the old stuff- I might see if I can find the video from when I went.

[Riebi]

Ribbons and Bows was a hatshop until the Millenium, and in the early years, they embroidered the hats like at Disneyland....

There was 1 female, 1 male, and 1 baby/kids clothing store and they had unique offerings including cuff links and business dress for guys.

That is something what I really miss. It was sooo great to have totally diffrent shops everywhere at Disneyland. You first buy your hat, later your shirt and every shop had his unique gifts. I must say I´ve bought more at this times. So Mr. Presslers idea to make everything the same way wasn´t a good choice for them  :mrgreen:

It was just wonderful to have my special shopping tour with all my favs, diffrent choices everywhere and this wonderful liquorice lollipops (at the pirates).

For me I can life without the stamping tigger but please give me back my shopping expierence. I will buy lot more! I promise it  [-o<