Four Stores Close in Downtown Disney

WDWNT Author on February 11, 2009

According to the OC Register’s Around Disney blog:

Downtown Disney is quickly losing tenants.

Club Libby Lu – a store for girls to dress up, shop and have a makeover – has closed.  Owned by Saks Inc., all 78 of the Club Libby Lu stores around the nation are closing.

Department 56 and Starabillas have closed as well.

The Register’s Retail blog reports that Yankee Holding Corp. will close all 28 of its Illuminations stores. Downtown Disney’s high-quality candle store is scheduled to close April 30. Everything in the store is being sold at 25 to 50 percent off.

A fifth store might soon shutter as well.

The retail blog also reported that Quiksilver plans to close 25 of its stores. It is unclear whether the Downtown Disney outlet will be among the fatalities.

Disney spokeswoman Betsy Sanchez said today that Downtown Disney is in talks with four or five retailers to pick up the leases.

Sanchez wouldn’t comment on whether the overall sagging economy, or more specifically any reduced foot traffic in Downtown Disney, was to blame for the closures. 

According to Disney’s earnings report for the quarter ending Dec. 27, theme park revenue was down 4 percent.

“From our perspective the closures at these locations had nothing to do with Downtown Disney,” said Disney Spokeswoman Suzi Brown. “These have to do with the parent companies’ decision to close the stores chain-wide.”

She said as far as Starabilia is concerned, the privately-owned celebrity collectable shop came to the end of its lease and chose not to renew it.

Though Brown said Disney hasn’t heard anything about the Quicksilver shop yet, the one in Downtown Disney is “among the top performers in the chain,” as was Libby Lu.

Illuminations: Reflections of Cutbacks

WDWNT Author on February 4, 2009

It seems that along with the closing of Department 56 and Club Libby Lu, we will also be losing another Downtown Disney store, Illuminations. This comes with big cutbacks to the store’s parent company, Yankee Candle:

Yankee Holding Corp. and its subsidiary The Yankee Candle Co. said Tuesday that the company is slashing 330 jobs as part of a restructuring plan that includes closing its 28 Illuminations retail stores.

Yankee is also discontinuing its Illuminations consumer direct business and closing one underperforming Yankee Candle retail store.

The job cuts include about 310 store employees and field personnel in the Illuminations division, about 10 store employees at the closing Yankee Candle retail store, and about 12 corporate and administrative personnel at corporate headquarters.

…

The company expects to close the Illuminations stores — which are located primarily on the West Coast — by April 30. Rydin said the company plans to continue developing and marketing Illuminations branded products mostly through its wholesale business. The Company acquired the Illuminations business in July 2006.

Department 56 Closing

WDWNT Author on December 9, 2008

Along with the upcoming closure of Club Libby Lu, Department 56 in Downtown Disney will be closing after the holiday season. The closing is due to the filing for bankruptcy of the store’s parent company, Lenox Group. This comes after the store recently cut itself in half, now creating space for 2 new tenants. Due to the closing, & the holiday rush, merchandise is currently 20-50% off.

Stay tuned to Disneyland News Today as we get in more info on when these 2 stores will indeed close.

Dateline Disneyland Construction Update

WDWNT Author on September 6, 2008

The latest Dateline Disneyland article on MiceAge has a fine update on construction through-out the Disneyland Resort. Let’s take a look at some of the latest happenings:

The King Triton & Ariel statues have been removed, as well as most of the current theming in Ariel’s Grotto.

This is what has become of the turntable where Ariel entered to meet ‘n greet guests. No word on if the turntable structure will remain for Pixie Hollow.

A construction wall has popped up near the old Fantasyland Skyway Station. Don’t get your hopes up though, because there’s no way the Skyway is ever returning.

Let’s take a quick tour of the new Wishing Star Crystals store, which opened August 30th.

A window display.

In the store, you can buy personalized “magic crystals”.

The Conestoga Wagon near Big Thunder Mountain Railroad is still 100% in tact.

This sign is in place at Harbour Galley.

Some of the exterior Haunted Mansion Holiday decorations have already arrived, & are waiting to be installed in the queue area.

Many of the Halloween displays in the shop windows on Main Street USA have already been installed.

Finally, over at Department 56 in Downtown Disney, the new wall sectioning off the store looks to be mostly complete.