This is what Main Street was about, nostalgia for the past with the Horse Drawn Fire Truck going by the old Main Street Cinema showing real silent films on the screen. I do not think this would work for today's market as not that many people even remember Rudolph Valentino or Vilma Banky. Sponsors were also a significant part of Main Street. By the time I started going to Disneyland, most of these attractions and exhibits had been removed. But I can imagine going into the Yale lock shop and seeing their historical exhibit, Upjohn with its old time apothecary shop and live leeches in their container. However there are places that still exist with these displays. One of the best is the Henry Ford Museum and Greenwood Village in Detroit Michigan. Walking around the museum you can see where Walt would have been influenced for his Main Street.
There were shops that actually sold bathing suits, women's underwear, etc. Did the butcher shop actually sell meat? Or was it a display somewhat like the Swift Market house, showing what an old fashioned shop would look like?
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ReplyDeletei dunno patrick...i think its more relevant today than ever that we maintain the museum quality to Main St.
ReplyDeletei think its good for kids to get a glimpse of that time in America. let's face it, a lot of the turn of the century knowledge we have was introduced at Disneyland/WDW. the quaint, independent nature of the stores and how they valued the customer and took pride in their merchandise was another factor.
i don't think 50 years from now, someone is going to build a new theme park and have a nostalgic WalMart as the introduction land.
then again, who knows...