Since I have a fiancee that has always had a larger than normal interest in all things Disney, I generally have some knowledge of Disney happenings. As many people may already know, the company that owned the Disney Store (Hoop Retail) filed for bankruptcy and sold the Disney Store back to the Walt Disney Company closing 98 stores in North America in the process. Two of these stores included both retailers in San Francisco leaving a total of 0 in this city. I’m sure any individual with children under the age 10 would be slightly upset by these closings, especially if it was store their family would visit often. Another example of a major retailer aimed at kids downsizing is the legendary toy retailer Fao Schwarz which has now been reduced to3 U.S. locations. A third example could be the WB Store retailiers, one of which I onced worked at, that recently closed throughout Australia.
Most people will not notice these closings and may actually find them to be good news since they found these stores tacky and overpriced. But I’ll be honest that I find it quite sad and not only for the children who used to visit these stores. These chains will likely be replaced by another set of chain retailers (let’s say a Gap). But let’s be honest. There are a massive number of stores with a similar product line like the Gap. But can you say the same about the Disney Store? Is there even a similar retailer anywhere inside San Francisco? Apparently, the magic has been lost a little bit and that’s kind of sad.
