Disneyland Glass Shop

The newspaper had an interesting story last week on the Arribas Brothers Shop on Main Street in Disneyland. The Spanish family set up shop at the theme park decades ago, and one family member is still there, Manuel Arribas. He is the fourth generation of his family to practice the ancient art of glass cutting, and he's been doing it at Disneyland for almost 42 years. His brothers operate the Arribas Brothers Shop at Disney World In Orlando, FL. This is where they both work their magic on fine crystal running against a copper wheel. Walt Disney brought them to Disneyland after seeing their work at the 1964 World's Fair.

It reminded me that I have had a beautiful piece of their work on a shelf above the bar in our family room for quite a few years now. When I worked for Pacific Telephone, before it became Pacific Bell and now called SBC Global, I was asked to be a volunteer in the Public Relations Department, speaking to community and business groups in the Southern California area.

One of our gifts at the end of the year was a beautifully engraved Mickey Mouse glass with my name on it, presented to us at the private club within Disneyland, where we were served an elegant lunch. It was a memorable event.

Last year, I met some of my telecom friends downtown Disney to visit Cafe du Monde. Since most of us had been to New Orleans before, we wanted to once again sample the beignets, those wonderful powdered donuts, which even if you buy the packaged mix will probably be unable to duplicate their goodness. I don't see it listed in the shops there anymore, but you can check it out on the internet.

I'd like to visit the Arribas Brothers Shop on Main Street soon to see what other gems they have. You can also visit and order online.