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Times Square is one of New York City’s most famous destinations, both for the sights and for the shopping. In many cases, the two come together in one iconic attraction. Think of the FAO Schwartz life-sized keyboard-dancing scene in the movie “Big,” or giant playful displays of candy at the M&M’s store and you’ll see what I mean.
When I was little, the store that felt the most like a delightful attraction was, of course, the Disney Store. As I’ve mentioned before, I could go there and pretend I was amongst my favorite Disney characters for awhile.
In fall 2010 the Walt Disney Corporation will debut a new store location in Times Square that will rival my young imagination’s impression of the Disney Store. An innovative, state-of-the-art Disney Store will open in the heart of Times Square at 1540 Broadway, between 45th and 46th Street.
The new Disney Store will feature technologically advanced displays that reflect some of Disney’s most popular brands and characters. Some of the main attractions will be an interactive Disney Princess castle and a children’s theater incorporating the latest Disney entertainment and classic animation.
Disney has an historic presence in Manhattan, from the 1964 World’s Fair debut of audio-animatronic figures to the restoration of the 42nd Street theater in the 1990s.
“We are thrilled that Disney is bringing its creative energies yet again to Times Square with this new Disney Store. An iconic brand is coming again to America’s most iconic place,” said Tim Tompkins, president of Times Square Alliance.
I’m eager for the opening of this fancy new Disney Store. It’ll function for me as a geographically-accessible miniature version of Disney World, there to tide me over until I can finally make my trip.
That doesn’t stop me from feeling some apprehension about all of this excitement, however. When words like “magical” and “innovative” are tossed around as they are in the press releases for the store, I start to wonder what it says about our culture when such vocabulary is being used to describe a store.
One of the biggest dangers with Disney obsession, as I well know, is getting drawn into the company’s consumerist culture. It’s something I’ve experienced many times, from the intoxicating desire as a child to bring home every stuffed Disney character I could find, to my current burning want every time a new movie is released from the Disney vault.
If Disney’s going to turn one of their stores (and there’s hints that this is just the first in a series of renovations designed for locations across the country, though this hasn’t been confirmed) into an attraction, giving retail space elements of a theme park, I wonder how much worse the consumer culture might get.
But it’s not like this is anything new for Disney, and I’ve heard enough stories of the Disney parks to know that they feature plenty of stores along with their rides, all designed to look and feel as magical as possible. It’s just something that’s par for the course in a House of Mouse experience.
So the key—which will apply as much, if not more, to me as to anyone else—is to make sure not to get too swept up in the excitement. Visit the new Disney Store and have a blast with all its new features, but also enter with a budget in mind, and stick to it.
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*(This image by Franklin Samir is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.5 License.)