Dapper Dans on Main Street, August 1960

Two from August 1960 show the Dapper Dan Quartet on Disneyland's Main Street, U.S.A.

A White Wing engages them in conversation in the second shot:



I am so glad that the tradition of this Fab Four has continued. They continue to be a vibrant part of the Park.



See more Daveland vintage & current Dapper Dans at Disneyland photos at my main website.

Disneyland Market House

At some point this year, the Main Street Market House, originally sponsored by Swift's Premium Meats, will be converted into a Starbucks Coffee Location. Since the details of the conversion have been sparse, there has been quite a bit of feedback from both sides of the coin. On one side, the coffee currently served at Disneyland is pretty poor (and there doesn't seem to be too much of an argument on this point!) so bringing in Starbucks is a happy "plus" for many. Then there are those who are upset about The Market House losing its quaint charm and becoming too much of a commercial enterprise.

While everyone else is arguing these points, let's take a look at how The Market House used to look and operate. These first two vintage 1960's photos show the Market House "back in the day," when there used to be a Butcher Shop next door.



How about a little FauxD© to get your eyes moving today? This nighttime shot is from June 1966.





On a separate note, the old fashioned trash can on wheels is pretty cool looking; it would be a nice touch for it to return to Main Street.



My collection actually has a few interior shots. This 1955 view shows a guest enjoying eavesdropping on the recorded party line conversation. Don't know what a party line is? "Back in the day," before the early luxury of being able to have your own phone, many customers actually shared what was called a "party line," meaning that if you picked up your phone, you might catch your neighbor having a very private conversation. In simpler terms, just imagine a low-tech (and not necessarily intentional) conference call!



Minus the hand crank on the right, it appears that the same phone is still inside of the Market House today.



This blurry September 1966 photo shows the potbelly stove and chairs that comprised the social circle of the Market House. You might find a Keystone Kop or two sitting here back in the day, or possibly a few guests playing a game of checkers.



This 1970's photo shows that C&H Sugar was a predominant sponsor of the Market House.



How has the interior held up over the years? I'd say pretty well. It still boasts a Victorian-styled interior with a lot of rich wood cabinets, a (faux?) tin ceiling, and vintage style light fixtures.



It appears that the stove was replaced at some point, as the current one looks even more ornate than the one visible in my 1966 photo.



Here's the counter where guests can get their free coffee refills. The potential loss of this service is another point of contention. I guess that in this economy, even a free cup of watered-down Nescafe is better than nothing.



Nice vintage style ceiling fan, and I also love the vintage contraptions and set design pieces sprinkled throughout the store.







This cool looking guy has stood guard over the pot-bellied stove for years.



Anyone for a game of chess?



Here's the cool looking doohickie from the previous photo; it appears that it hails from Philadelphia.





More of those party lines!



Since the Market House is probably not the type of store or "attraction" that would normally get a huge refurbishment budget, I am hoping that this conversion to a Starbucks will allow the Imagineers an opportunity to be creative. As Fiddler, Fifer and Practical Cafe over at DCA has shown, it is possible for The Market House to keep its vintage look while transitioning into a commercially branded coffee house. In fact, with this remodel opportunity, some of the items that don't seem to get much use now (the party lines, the chess set, the stove) could be plussed. Baristas could be trained to point out the party line, which could have messages that change every so often. Cast members in Keystone Kop uniforms could challenge guests to a game of checkers. Perhaps the pot bellied could be animated; open up the door and some kind of animation could be playing inside of it.

What are your thoughts on this?

See more vintage & current Disneyland Main Street, U.S.A. Market House photos on my Market House photo web page.

2000th Post Extravaganza: Moving Up Main Street, Pt. 1

Let's continue our journey down Walt Disney's Main Street U.S.A., courtesy of my special Time Machine. This delightful trio of February 1960 guests is standing on the east side of Main Street in front of the Yale Lock Shop and The Butcher Shop. Huh...I wonder if you could get EXTRA lean ground beef at the Butcher Shop?

On the corner of East Center Street and Main Street, guests could find the Swift Market House. Plenty of good times could be found within...



"Oh Madge, you just would NOT believe what is going on here at Disneyland..."



On the other side of the street is The Crystal Arcade, which really weaves its magic at night when it is all lit up, as seen in this 1966 shot:





The Disneyland Marching Band is passing the Book & Candle Shop in this shot. Forget Borders...THIS is a book shop I wish I could have gone to.



Check out all of the hand dipped candles that you could find here!



Daveland reader JG was kind enough to send his fond remembrances of this shop from days of yore:

As fashion would have it, candles became a feature of pop culture in the mid-1960’s with bright colors, exotic scents and all manner of accessories, holders, and candlesticks to match. The old style dipped tapers were retained only as props and the Flower Children’s vision took over the shelves. Mom loved this too, she bought several plastic flower and candle arrangements over the years. I don’t recall that any of this merchandise was explicitly “Disney” or had any kind of brand or movie tie-in at all; it was just the sort of fairly expensive, tasteful (for the era) gifts you would find at Macy’s or another specialty store.

I was an early reader and I was fascinated with the book shop, it was very well designed to sell to children, there were free-standing tables with display panels for large-format books only inches off the floor, right at little kid height. There is a great picture at this link. When I look at that picture, I remember sitting on that checkerboard tile by that little table.

For years, my souvenir of each trip was a book. When I was younger, there were books about the Disney movies; 20K Leagues, Bambi, Pinocchio, etc. As I got older, there were other titles, too, such as science-related books on physics, natural history, dinosaurs, etc. These had subtle connections to Nature’s Wonderland, Tomorrowland, Adventure Through Inner Space, the Grand Canyon and Primeval World, etc. but these were not Disney-branded or marked as a tie-in. There were books by Disney, of course; some even tied to the Disney TV Show like “One Day at Beetle Rock”, but not everything, or even most, were Disney titles. I still have many of these books, both cartoons and science books. I read them to my children as they grew. I can’t read them anymore; something keeps getting in my eye when I do, and so I put them away.

Disneyland was a lot more fun when Main Street was a special experience, found only at Disneyland. Once upon a time, you could get a feel for life in the 1890’s by visiting Main Street. Now it’s just a big mall.

The Disneyland book store became less interesting when the books all became “comic books” about the characters, Main Street became less interesting when all the shops changed from (simulated) real places into “Disney Stores”. I can go the Disneyland Emporium now by walking to the Disney Store here in my home town; it’s all the same stuff. There’s nothing wrong with hats, key chains and princess costumes, but there used to be so much more.

Amen, JG!

On the corner of West Center Street and Main Street, guests could tour the Upjohn Pharmacy and receive free vitamin samples.





The guests in this 1956 photo appear to be enthralled with the exhibits contained within:



And if the pills don't knock you out, then surely the Dapper Dans with their tight vocal harmonies will do the trick!



See more vintage & current Disneyland Main Street photos on my Main Street web page.