Credit: Inside the Magic This year, visitors to Walt Disney World Resort’s iconic Magic Kingdom Park might have noticed some major changes in The Emporium.
This iconic Main Street, U.S.A., merchandise location has been a hot spot for souvenir shopping for decades and is constantly packed with guests from the moment the Disney park opens until hours after it closes. However, recent construction has made the shopping experience more complicated.
In January, Inside the Magic reported that construction walls had taken over 20-25% of The Emporium, extending from the Youth and Plush section to the area near Casey’s Corner. Some merchandise displays were removed to make way for more foot traffic as a popular pathway out of the store into the Quick Service dining location was temporarily cut off.
Disney cast members used tape on the ground to create makeshift checkout lines and signs throughout the store, encouraging guests to use Mobile Checkout on the My Disney Experience app for a quicker experience.
On March 4, Walt Disney World Resort officially unveiled some of the changes to The Emporium at Magic Kingdom Park. Construction walls came down, revealing a lighter-colored floor and the removal of a rarely-used register near Casey’s Corner.
The renovation removed some merchandise displays, allowing more foot traffic through the congested merchandise location. Guests can once again take the Casey’s Corner exit out of the Emporium, which lets guests access areas like Adventureland, Frontierland, and Liberty Square without walking down a crowded Main Street, U.S.A.
But work isn’t done at The Emporium. On Tuesday, WDWNT reported that crews installed new construction walls inside The Emporium, completely blocking a popular Main Street, U.S.A., entrance to the merchandise location. Luckily, no registers were covered up as part of this installation.
According to the report, construction walls extend from an area near Casey’s Corner through multiple rooms of the store, including a room that typically houses Youth clothing and plush toys. Plush toys are now displayed on small kiosks throughout The Emporium.
The walled-off area includes two rooms separated by walls and merchandise displays, which could be removed as part of Walt Disney World Resort’s efforts to open up The Emporium and reduce congestion. Crews will likely install new flooring to match the prior replacement from earlier this year.
The “Disney Clothiers” entrance to The Emporium, which is in the middle of Main Street U.S.A., is closed as part of this construction. Guests can access The Emporium through multiple other entrances, including the one inside Casey’s Corner.
It seems likely that when this work is complete, crews will wall off other parts of The Emporium until the entire store has been renovated. However, Walt Disney World Resort hasn’t confirmed further work inside the 54-year-old Magic Kingdom merchandise location.
Where are your favorite places to shop at Magic Kingdom Park, EPCOT, Disney’s Hollywood Studios, and Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park? Inside the Magic would love to hear from you in the comments!