Disney Store Limited Time at Garden State Plaza - Three Thoughtful Things
The second Disney Store Limited Time recently opened at Westfield Garden Plaza in Paramus, New Jersey. This follows the first of its kind in Pittsburgh. These stores are a collaboration with Go! Retail Group, the organization behind Toys R Us and calendars.com locations.
I recently took my family to check out the store — and here are our Three Thoughtful Things about it!
1) The selection and “Disney magic”
This is where the store shines — and at the end of the day, this is truly where it counts. There was a wide variety of merch available across multiple IPs. Tons of great representation and variety, which made the merch mix definitely a favorable one. Plushies, shirts, mugs, pins, and Halloween decor (since we’re in spooky szn). My wife Jennifer was thrilled with the selection.
My oldest daughter was disappointed because I wouldn’t let her buy everything: “You come to stores to buy stuff!” she pouted (very cutely). My youngest daughter was perfectly content with the Frozen and Toy Story assortment (especially Jessie). The one thing I wish we had was a pin board, which would have enhanced the “Disney magic” of it all for us because we are big pin collectors, but we’ll just have to head to the parks for that (or the big pin event at Times Square in March!)
There were pictures of characters all around the store, but my favorite little corner was a “Characters Only” door, where silhouettes of different Disney characters would walk by. My kids stared at this for a good 10 minutes, trying to guess who would walk by next (“LOOK DAD, IT’S OLAF!!!!”)
I wonder if we will get character photo ops and other major draws to stores like this in the future - maybe that’s something reserved for the parks and Disney experiences, but even if it wasn’t Mickey of the Fab Five, meeting Wreck-It Ralph or Chip and Dale would have been really cool!
2) Location, location, location
My very first thought when I heard that this Limited Time store was coming to Jersey was that within a 45-minute drive from the Westfield Mall, there is a permanent Disney Store Outlet (in Elizabeth) and the Disney Store in Times Square, so this was an interesting choice. Jersey is the mall capital of America, so it makes sense from that (certain) point of view. The store was pretty busy, a mix of typical mall foot traffic and Disney fans that came to the mall specifically for the store itself.
3) More exclusive merch and stores on the horizon?
The one prevalent thought I had while in the store was, “I wish there were more exclusives!” I would have definitely bought a “Garden State” Disney pin, even a mug. The two exclusive items available were a T-shirt and a tote bag (which was sold out). I wonder if that will expand with future Limited Time stores, if more are to open across the country.
What we know right now is that these are so far the only two locations, and will remain open until at least January 2027. Will this lead to the return of permanent Disney Stores? Time will tell. I’m certain many Disney fans would absolutely love it. But if we are to get more Limited Time stores in 2027, I’m keeping an eye on exclusive merch expansion.
What was appreciated and cute was the geography-specific decor: the outside of the store greets you with a big Disney Store Garden State mural, along with cutouts of a diner (a Jersey staple), a lighthouse (Cape May), a beach scene (Jersey Shore), a Coney Island scene, a bagel (a NYC delicacy, of course), and the NYC skyline. As soon as you walk in you see another great photo op, with Mickey, Minnie, Donald and Daisy around a Disney Garden State sign. There’s definitely a Jersey/NYC celebration kind of vibe in terms of photo ops!