The Disneyland Book of Secrets 2014: One Local's Unauthorized, Rapturous and Indispensable Guide to the Happiest Places on Earth (70 page)

When you do see Guests sitting on the porch, they’re usually savvy elders, probably
local
Annual Passholders
who know all the ins-and-outs of the park, as much as any one person can.  They know it’s OK to relax on the porch and they do so, often with a
Market House
(now
Starbucks
) coffee in one hand and a
Jolly Holiday Bakery Café
pastry in the other.  They understand and are communicating to passing Guests a couple of the main themes of
Disneyland
:  That
Disneyland
is about immersing yourself in and interacting with the environment, and that it’s OK to take a breath and relax for a few minutes. 
Window on a Legend:
  There’s an ornate window above the porch, and a colorful sign hanging from the upper balcony, advertising a palm reader named
Fargo
.  Both the window and the sign, which are strikingly imaginative, even for
Main Street Tribute Windows
, honor legendary
Imagineer Rolly
Crump
, and were unveiled in a special ceremony in the early morning hours of April 30, 2009. 
Rolly
had a unique imagination, even by the exacting standards of the
Imagineers
.  He was one of the creative masterminds behind the design of the
Enchanted Tiki Room
,
“it’s a small world,”
the
Haunted Mansion
,
and a multitude of other projects within and beyond the
berm
.  The colorful window, vivid with red, purple, blue, and gold, bears inscriptions that celebrate his delightfully strange imagination: 
Fargo’s Palm Parlor/Predictions That Will Haunt You/Bazaar, Whimsical & Weird/Designs to Die For/Roland F. Crump/Assistant to the Palm Reader
.  “Bazaar” isn’t a misspelling of “bizarre,” it’s a reference to
Rolly
’s work on the
Adventureland Bazaar
.  “Whimsical” alludes to the
“small world” Tower of the Four Winds
, and “Weird” to the
Museum of the Weird
that
Rolly
was developing in association with the project that became the
Haunted Mansion
.  Where does the name
Fargo
come from?  It’s
Rolly
’s middle name.  His son
Chris
carries on the family tradition of
Imagineering
. 
Wizard Vision:
  Back in the very early days of
Disneyland
, this was the site of—no kidding—a corsette and foundation shop called
The Wizard of Bras
. 
Holiday Vision:
  When the holidays draw nigh, pop into the
China Closet
for your fine holiday ornaments and
accoutrements
!  Even if you leave empty-handed, you’ll enjoy viewing the beautiful holiday selections.

Crystal Arts

[
FastView:
 
Fragile, lovely creations of pure
Disney magic
.  A must for collectors.
]

Like the
China Closet
, this store is heaven for
Disney
collectors and appreciators of fine wares, but should be
verboten
for little ones that might accidentally shatter the merchandise.

Crystal Arts
opened its doors in 1971, replacing the
Watches & Clocks
store.  According to
Chris Strodder
’s
The Disneyland Encyclopedia
,
Crystal Arts
is the younger sibling of
Cristal d’Orleans
in
New Orleans Square
, which opened its doors in 1966.  Both shops were launched by the
Arribas brothers
, master glass cutters who subsequently opened additional shops in other
Disney Theme Parks
.

The
Disney
-themed merchandise is so beautifully gleaming and delicate that you’ll hold your breath as you navigate the narrow shop, for fear that a stray respiration will harm the wares.  There are sculptures of
Disney
characters and
Disneyland
icons like
Sleeping Beauty Castle
.  There are vessels, jewelry, and unique one-offs.  If you’ve always fancied yourself a princess, there are cabinets of sparkling tiaras.  A bonus:  craftspeople behind the counter create pieces in full view of Guests.  For some this is more hypnotic than watching the candy makers at the
Candy Palace
across the street!

There are pieces at different price points
; a small crystal bell will be far less expensive, for example, than a giant replica of the iconic
Sleeping Beauty Castle
, but none of it is inexpensive, so bring your credit card or a healthy roll of cash.  And ask about their customized engraving.

As with the treasures at the
China Closet
, you might want to ask Cast Members to have your fragile purchases delivered directly to your
Disneyland Resort Hotel
.  Carrying your crystal
Cinderella
plate on the rollicking
Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
?  Not the best idea!

If you’re not staying at the resort
you can check your purchases at the
Pioneer Mercantile
,
Star Trader
, or the
Newsstand
near the park exit, and pick them up later on your way out of the park.

Once you’ve finished shopping in the
Crystal Arts
, you can step out onto
Main Street
or move directly into the neighboring
Disney Clothiers LTD
or the
China Closet
.  The stores on this block are connected.

Disneyana
  [Moved to the
Disney Gallery
in summer 2013]

[
FastView:
 
Prints, statues, books, and clothing celebrating
Disney
.  Find them in their new location in the south section of the
Opera House
block.
]

Originally sandwiched between the
Market House
to the north, and the
Main Street Cinema
to the south,
Disneyana
was a lovely store that
Disney
fans and newcomers alike adored.  It was the fourth most popular store at the entire resort, with broader appeal, even, than the
Candy Palace
(
Zagat Disneyland Insider’s Guide
(2010)).

Its window displays we
re always
au courant
, presenting the latest
Disney
must-haves for experts, collectors, and Guests.  These items were often linked to important
Disneyland
events and anniversaries.

Just one example:  W
hen the
Haunted Mansion
celebrated its 40
th
birthday in August 2009,
Disneyana
was where Guests queued to meet artist
Shag
, who designed clothing, paintings,
Ear Hats
, glasses, etc. with a
Haunted Mansion
theme, heavy on spooky, brooding-yet-lively purples and greens.  Guests not only met
Shag
at
Disneyana
, he also signed the
Shag Haunted Mansion
merchandise they purchased.

Whether it’s a special
Disney
book, DVD, attraction poster, pin, statue, piece of jewelry, or painting, you either found it in
Disneyana
, or the Cast Members could tell you where to find it.  When the official
Disney
fan community
D23
launched in 2009,
Disneyana
prominently displayed and sold copies of the quarterly
D23
magazine.  Within the relatively compact space of the store, a wealth of merchandise and knowledge was condensed.

When you enter
ed the store, you noticed that the cash register counter was against the front windows on
Main Street
, facing into the store.  This might or might not have been a subtle design measure to deter sticky fingers; there was always a Cast Member facing shoppers.

To your right as you enter
ed was a tiny nook bursting with
Disney
books, DVDs, and CDs, including the most recent releases as well as popular reprints.  Below the book and DVD shelves, lining the nook at knee level, were a wealth of
Disneyland
attraction posters through the ages.

The cash register counter wa
s glass and displayed
Disney
pins, jewelry, and interesting knick-knacks that made
Disney
fan salivate.  Around the walls stood
Disney
statues and miniatures that were a bit fragile for the little ones in your group.

A doorway le
d to a back room where more elaborate and eclectic
Disney
miniatures, memorabilia, and paintings were displayed.  For their size and quality, the paintings were quite reasonably priced.  But even if you couldn’t buy them, you could enjoy browsing the frequently updated collection.  Bonus:  There was usually an artist seated at a drawing table in this section of the shop; you could watch him or her create works of
Disney
artistry right before your eyes!

The Cast Members behind the counter seem
ed to be part of a
Disneyland
A-team, seasoned types who knew a lot about the past, and present, and future of the resort, and who loved to talk
Disneyland
with Guests.  You didn’t find any blank faces, glazed expressions, or yawns among CMs here.  And if Cast Members didn’t have an answer, they offerd to find an answer for you.

The only drawbacks to this shop
were its small size and, sometimes, the kindly attentiveness of Cast Members.  During peak shopping periods, it could be difficult to navigate the crowded store and fellow Guests were often blocking whatever you were trying to see.  Fellow Guests sometimes “hogged” the Cast Members, plying the staff with endless questions that the CMs naturally and quite properly did everything possible to answer, while you waited.  If you were under a time crunch, it could be quite frustrating to have to wait so long to make a simple purchase or simple inquiry.

Disneyana
seemed such a quaint, old-time fixture on
Main Street
, it was rather daunting to find that it moved south along
Main Street
, to the
Disney Gallery
at the
Opera House
, in early summer 2013.

Never fear!  The charming
Disney
miniatures and posters and prints and special knick-knacks that were available at
Disneyana
are now available at the
Disney Gallery
, with the added bonus that
Disneyana
now fronts the rotating exhibits of
Disneyland
’s adjacent gallery space.  And
Disneyana
is now a next-door neighbor to
Mr. Lincoln
!

Knowledgeable Cast Members are still on hand at
Disneyana
’s new location.  Even the artist made the move, and sits at a drawing board in the light of the front windows facing
Main Street
’s
Town Square
.

As at its former location,
Disneyana
can become a bit of a mob scene.  Try to visit earlier in the day, when
Disneyana
is less crowded and you more or less have the Cast Members to yourself.  And do try to keep little ones away from the pricey breakables displayed within easy reach of curious children; your wallet will thank you.

Disneyana
continues its tradition of hosting or facilitating book and art signings.  For example, in the early morning hours of August 23, 2013, a handful of Guests, including me, queued early for
Marty Sklar
’s book signing.  The
Disney Legend
was signing copies of his new book
Dream It!  Do It!
containing priceless first-hand accounts of developing
Disney
’s many theme parks.