Disney Store

Dozens of expectant mothers and families gathered Wednesday at the Americana at Brand to celebrate the opening of the first-ever Disney Baby store. A cast of popular characters from the famed Burbank studio joined actress and television host Alison Sweeney and Disney Consumer Products President Bob Chapek to unveil the new store. “Disney is all about life's magical moments,” Chapek said, “and maybe there's no more greater magical moment than the birth of a child.” The company teamed up with Operation Shower, a nonprofit organization that supports military families with members who are deployed, to throw a baby shower for military moms-to-be, complete with games, prizes and live music.

Thousands of pieces of high-end clothing stolen from Glendale stores were seized this week from the home of a 25-year-old Los Angeles man who police say was selling the items in Mexico. The man, Joel Peña, has been charged with three felony counts of burglary and three felony counts of grand theft in connection with stolen clothing, which police valued at roughly $19,000, according to Los Angeles County Superior Court records. Police say Peña was working with a theft ring to sell the clothes in Mexico, although they have yet to identify other members of the ring, said Glendale Police Sgt. Kevin Hirano.

Furby - the strange-but-cute fluffy animal with giant eyes from the 90s - is back. In 2012, it joins giant punching gloves, gangly dolls and, of course, the latest gaming stations. These were just some of the items to pop up at a retail forecasting event at the Glendale Galleria mega mall on Tuesday. Interactive Furby dolls are expected to make a return this holiday season alongside merchandise from the new hit animated movie “Wreck-It Ralph,” which will likely be in the minds of many children as they fill out their Christmas wish lists.

Maribeth McGinley, a Glendale designer and businesswoman whose graphic design studio caters to the entertainment industry, has been selected to serve on the National Council on the Arts. McGinley was sworn in Friday during a ceremony in Washington, D.C., conducted by Labor Secretary Elaine L. Chao. The council advises the chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts on policies, programs and procedures. Members are chosen for their knowledge of the arts, their expertise, and their established record of distinguished service or achievement.

Karen S. Kim NORTHEAST GLENDALE -- More than 100 Disney employees paraded out of their office building at 101 N. Brand Boulevard on Thursday morning for Disney Store Inc.'s annual fire drill. And even though they weren't accompanied by lilting music or blinking electrical lights, the crowd drew much attention from passersby. Employees obediently trooped behind group leaders, dressed in bright orange vests emblazoned with yellow Mickey Mouse faces and carrying placards printed with the names of different Disney characters.

Robert Shaffer GLENDALE GALLERIA -- A new watch store has opened in Glendale's biggest mall. Reaction? It's about time. Synchrony will sell more than 3,000 watches, from Gucci and Guess to Timex and Casio. Prices begin at less than $50 and work on up to high-end, $3,000 time keepers. There are watches for the young, the old, the rich, the poor. "The idea is to have a watch for everyone," said Helen Neff, senior vice president of merchandising.

Stores around the nation are set to throw open their doors well before sunrise Black Friday. The Americana at Brand and the Glendale Galleria will open hours before they are regularly scheduled to do so, with events planned throughout the day to attract shoppers.? The schedule of store openings at the Galleria: ?Midnight: The Disney Store, Aeropostale, KB Toys and Anchor Blue. ?2 a.m.: PacSun ?3 a.m.: American Eagle Outfitters ?4 a.m.: JCPenney, Mervyn?

DOWNTOWN — Piles of once neatly folded and stacked sweaters were strewn about the ground in wrinkled clumps at Mervyn’s department store early Friday morning, signs of a pre-dawn shopping rush that had thousands of consumers sifting for holiday bargains. With Thursday’s Thanksgiving holiday already fading from memory, area retailers were banking on hopes that consumers were ready to jump headlong into the gift-giving winter season. And to coax buyers out of their food-induced slumber before the sun rose, some Glendale Galleria stores offered hundreds of “doorbusters” and one-day-only discounts starting as early as midnight.

DOWNTOWN — It looked like a typical evening at the Glendale Galleria. It was dark out, traffic in the parking lot was heavy and inside the mall, droves of shoppers scoured the stores for deals. The only difference was — it was 5 a.m. A little cold, a lot of darkness and the heavy Thanksgiving meal from the evening before couldn't stop shoppers from making their way to the mall early Friday morning for what has infamously become known as Black Friday, one of the busiest shopping days of the year.

Darleene Barrientos An ornery duck with close ties to Glendale will get a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on his 70th birthday Monday. Glendale resident Lucy Taliaferro Yarick, whose late first husband, Alfred Taliaferro, drew and inked Donald Duck's first daily comic strip, said she's delighted with the honor, but is amused about who's getting the spotlight. "People always said, '[Alfred] should have a star on the boulevard.' Instead, the duck gets it," she said, laughing.

Thousands of pieces of high-end clothing stolen from Glendale stores were seized this week from the home of a 25-year-old Los Angeles man who police say was selling the items in Mexico. The man, Joel Peña, has been charged with three felony counts of burglary and three felony counts of grand theft in connection with stolen clothing, which police valued at roughly $19,000, according to Los Angeles County Superior Court records. Police say Peña was working with a theft ring to sell the clothes in Mexico, although they have yet to identify other members of the ring, said Glendale Police Sgt. Kevin Hirano.

Furby - the strange-but-cute fluffy animal with giant eyes from the 90s - is back. In 2012, it joins giant punching gloves, gangly dolls and, of course, the latest gaming stations. These were just some of the items to pop up at a retail forecasting event at the Glendale Galleria mega mall on Tuesday. Interactive Furby dolls are expected to make a return this holiday season alongside merchandise from the new hit animated movie “Wreck-It Ralph,” which will likely be in the minds of many children as they fill out their Christmas wish lists.

Dozens of expectant mothers and families gathered Wednesday at the Americana at Brand to celebrate the opening of the first-ever Disney Baby store. A cast of popular characters from the famed Burbank studio joined actress and television host Alison Sweeney and Disney Consumer Products President Bob Chapek to unveil the new store. “Disney is all about life's magical moments,” Chapek said, “and maybe there's no more greater magical moment than the birth of a child.” The company teamed up with Operation Shower, a nonprofit organization that supports military families with members who are deployed, to throw a baby shower for military moms-to-be, complete with games, prizes and live music.

Hundreds of locals waited two hours in line on Sunday to see the grand re-opening of the Glendale Galleria's Disney Store. Lyn Capulong of Burbank waited an hour and a half with her 4-year-old daughter and husband - all three of them wearing silver Mickey Mouse ears, a free giveaway for the first 500 people to show up. “I wanted to see it,” she said. “I wanted to be here.” The remodeled store on the Galleria's first floor near the food court is strategic, according to Jeff Zimmerman, regional director for West Coast Disney stores.

Stores around the nation are set to throw open their doors well before sunrise Black Friday. The Americana at Brand and the Glendale Galleria will open hours before they are regularly scheduled to do so, with events planned throughout the day to attract shoppers.? The schedule of store openings at the Galleria: ?Midnight: The Disney Store, Aeropostale, KB Toys and Anchor Blue. ?2 a.m.: PacSun ?3 a.m.: American Eagle Outfitters ?4 a.m.: JCPenney, Mervyn?

DOWNTOWN — Piles of once neatly folded and stacked sweaters were strewn about the ground in wrinkled clumps at Mervyn’s department store early Friday morning, signs of a pre-dawn shopping rush that had thousands of consumers sifting for holiday bargains. With Thursday’s Thanksgiving holiday already fading from memory, area retailers were banking on hopes that consumers were ready to jump headlong into the gift-giving winter season. And to coax buyers out of their food-induced slumber before the sun rose, some Glendale Galleria stores offered hundreds of “doorbusters” and one-day-only discounts starting as early as midnight.

GLENDALE — After three highly publicized recalls by Mattel this summer involving thousands of Chinese-made, lead-tainted toys, the Walt Disney Co. and Toys ‘R’ Us both announced steps to independently test their products. “We will enhance our compliance process,” Disney spokeswoman Nidia Tatalovich said. “This sends a message to [manufacturers] that says, ‘We are looking over your shoulder.’” Previously, Disney would license the production of toys to manufacturers, which would submit documentation back to Disney based on the toys’ safety standards.

DOWNTOWN — It looked like a typical evening at the Glendale Galleria. It was dark out, traffic in the parking lot was heavy and inside the mall, droves of shoppers scoured the stores for deals. The only difference was — it was 5 a.m. A little cold, a lot of darkness and the heavy Thanksgiving meal from the evening before couldn't stop shoppers from making their way to the mall early Friday morning for what has infamously become known as Black Friday, one of the busiest shopping days of the year.

Shoppers started lining up as early as 2:45 a.m. to get in on the day-after- Thanksgiving deals. GLENDALE -- Escalators were filled from floor to ceiling. Benches along the walkways were overflowing with tired, bleary-eyed shoppers. They huddled in calm corners with long faces usually sucking on a cool, sweet drink or nibbling absent-mindedly on mall repast. Sonya Ignatian summed up the day-after-Thanksgiving Day shopping fervor as she stood in a long, snaking line in front of the Disney Store in the Glendale Galleria on Friday.

Darleene Barrientos An ornery duck with close ties to Glendale will get a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on his 70th birthday Monday. Glendale resident Lucy Taliaferro Yarick, whose late first husband, Alfred Taliaferro, drew and inked Donald Duck's first daily comic strip, said she's delighted with the honor, but is amused about who's getting the spotlight. "People always said, '[Alfred] should have a star on the boulevard.' Instead, the duck gets it," she said, laughing.