101 - Downtown Disney West Side

Take a walk around Downtown Disney West Side as it was on opening day in 1997. The Virgin Megastore dominated the corner block, but there were fun smaller stores too like Magnetron and Starbillias. West Side was a ‘90s diners‘ paradise with themed restaurants like Bongos, Forty Thirst Street and Wolfgang Puck Grand Cafe. We go into detail about each location, including when they closed, what they became, and where they were in relation to today's West Side. We also discuss the state of retail shopping in the 1990s and 2000s, the demographics that made Disney shopping boom, and how West Side's strategy of having tenants instead of Disney-run stores set up what Disney Springs would become.

You can listen to 101 - Downtown Disney West Side online on Radio and Podcast. Open the player on this page to stream the available audio.

101 - Downtown Disney West Side is an episode from Retro Disney World Podcast by Lake Buena Vista Historical Society.

This episode is 139:05 long.

This episode was published on Apr 20, 2026.

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