When we last visited Main Street with my story on the Hollywood Maxwell shop, I mentioned that it was replaced/combined with the Ruggles China & Glass Shop. Ruggles? Who came up with that name? Apparently it was named after actor Charles Ruggles, who starred opposite Hayley Mills in “The Parent Trap.”
From the Van Eaton Galleries catalog:
Created by Phil and Sophie Papel, “Ruggles China and Gifts” was selected by Disney to be among the first few shops to operate on Main Street U.S.A. when the park opened in 1955. Phil Papel’s experience in the giftware industry and his commitment to quality and customer service made him an excellent partner for Disney. When Papel was informed he had been selected to be an opening day merchant on Main Street, he decided to name his shop after Charlie Ruggles, and actor in the 1932 film, “If I Had a Million,” in which the owner of a China Shop receives an unexpected gift of a million dollars. To Papel, the possibilities of what could happen from a partnership with Disney rivaled the level of excitement that the actor felt in the film, and “Ruggles China and Gifts” was born.
The shop flourished on Main Street, and the company would grow to have numerous retail chains and sales in over 15 countries. While Ruggles’ partnership with Disney eventually ended in 1964, the high quality souvenirs from this cherished shop are still sought-after today as reminders of the great early days of Disneyland.
Renamed the China Closet in March 1964, the shop remains in the Park today, although its inventory is less about china and more about whatever the Disney Corporation cares to sell. The first shot above is from July 1963, shortly before the name change. The previously posted image below from October 1960. I wonder how many of those wacky lamps were sold?
Moving into the 70s, the shop appears to be all about the electric lamps that were attempting to evoke the gas lamps of yesteryear.
I’m not quite sure how I feel about the doll with the bulb up her skirt.
An undated color shot from the 1960s.
The exterior sign, circa September 2010:
An exterior overview of the shop from May 2011:
See more Disneyland China & Glass Shop photos at my main website.
Many times during my first summer working at Hills Brothers, I'd change into street clothes, get a bite at the Inn Between and then go out onto Main Street. If I was lucky, I'd sit on the bench on the porch of the China Closet and watch the guests walk by. Since I worked some day shifts, it was a great way to let the afternoon rush-hour traffic outside the berm ease before I punched out and drove home. KS
ReplyDeleteI was going to crack some joke about the doll with a bulb up her skirt but refrained. Not out of common decency, only because the world seems to have enough OnlyFans jokes at this point. Shops like this always amazed me because I could never imagine who would come to Disneyland then buy something like fine china, a bouquet of roses, or blown glass. I certainly never saw people leaving with giant porcelain lamps. As I got older, I found myself buying Arribas Brothers items strictly for the reason of capturing something from those shops I didn't understand as a child. I guess the short of it is I really appreciate you covering these moments in history. Honestly, it's a surprise the Ruggles China & Glass shop lasted almost a decade in that incarnation.
ReplyDeleteI love your stories KS. Keep them coming. It's cool to know a CM might be out there taking a break incognito, and just enjoying the park as a fellow guest, seeing it through different eyes.
ReplyDeleteIf memory serves, "If I Had a Million" casts Ruggles as an oppressed milquetoast working in a china shop. His Scroogish boss fines him whenever an item slips from his nervous hands. Upon receiving a million dollars, Ruggles returns to the shop and cavalierly begins breaking things on purpose, freaking out the boss who doesn't yet know he can afford such mayhem. An odd choice of mascot for a glassware establishment.
ReplyDeleteKS - I don't acknowledge it enough, but yes - I agree with Bryan - your inside memories are always appreciated!
ReplyDeleteDBenson - I think the homage to Ruggles is great. It shows a great sense of humor on Papel's part to acknowledge what is now a fairly obscure movie. Being a pre-code movie with some racy scenes, it is doubtful it was seen much after its initial release, so even by 1955 most would have forgotten it.
I just came upon a little china doll holding an unrelated with the signature label on the bottom.
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