Old Photos Show What the Disney Store Used to Be Like

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  • The Disney Store was a staple of shopping malls after its first location opened in 1987.
  • Throwback photos of the store show mountains of stuffed animals, giant crowds, and holiday sales.
  • The images also show how the store changed approximately 10 years before most locations shuttered.

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Years after Disneyland and Disney World became the ultimate vacation destinations, the Disney Store became the shopping-mall equivalent of the beloved theme parks.

According to the official Disney fan club D23, the first Disney Store opened at the Glendale Galleria in Glendale, California, on March 28, 1987.

It was the first store to sell Disney merchandise outside of the theme parks and Orlando Airport, D23 says, and employees were trained to hold the friendly, magical standards set by those at Disney World and Disneyland.

Throwback photos of the retailer show the Disney Store in its heyday, years before most locations — aside from outlet stores and a mega location in New York City — went out of business in 2021.

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