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.
