This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2008, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Tucked into a Midvale shopping center, Disney fans from along the Wasatch Front come each day to scour this store's bargains.
There's the gold-colored mouse ear hat that sold in the park during Disneyland's 50th anniversary in 2005 and retailed for $10.50 that now sells for 99 cents. A 50th anniversary men's leather jacket that sold for $385 in the park is marked $76.99. And sweatshirts that once sold for $54 are on sale for $27.99.
It's all at the Disney's Character Warehouse Outlet Store in Midvale.
The outlet, operated by liquidator Asset Management & Sales LLC, sells various overstock and discontinued merchandise, primarily from Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, Calif., at a discount of up to 80 percent (sometimes more). It sells an array of trading pins, collectibles, adult and children's apparel, toys and, of course, those famous Mouse ears.
The outlet (one of four nationally) is not related to The Disney Store, a full-priced retail format that operates only one location in Utah, in the University Mall in Orem.
For many Utahns, the Disney Outlet is the first stop before a family vacation to the park, where merchandise is anything but cheap.
Travis Farley and sister Tracy, who live in Taylorsville, have annual passes to Disneyland and visit the California park four to six times a year. They stop by the store frequently to check for deals.
"It's great because it's the same stuff that's in the park, but it's always so much cheaper," Travis Farley said.
The Midvale location is one of four Disney Outlet stores operated by the Tennessee-based liquidator. The small company - not owned or affiliated with Disney, other than through its agreement to sell its merchandise - also has stores in Fullerton and Pomona, Calif., and Las Vegas. In addition, the company operates a number of temporary sales of Disney merchandise, over periods of six weeks to two months, around the country.
Unlike the Las Vegas and California outlets, the Utah location's future remains uncertain. Asset Management & Sales is leasing its store in the Family Center in Midvale on a month-to-month basis. At one point last year, because of legal wrangling between its landlord and an adjacent property owner, the outlet had to move to another location in Taylorsville. It has since returned but its operators have been told it could be asked to move out at any time.
Since returning to Midvale, the outlet's sales haven't been the same, said Janie Stump, whose husband started the liquidating company 11 years ago after leaving an executive-level position with a major retailer in Los Angeles. "A lot of people don't even know we're back," she said.
Stump said the company has looked elsewhere in the Salt Lake area, but finding a permanent location with affordable rent and good access to customers has proved difficult. She notes that the company already operates on a smaller profit margin than many other retailers.
Many regular customers say they hope the company will work things out.
Doug Maxwell, of Sandy, a Disney fan and outlet regular, said he doesn't understand why the location isn't busier, given Utah's large family size, the popularity of Disneyland among the younger set and the deep discounts.
"The greatest thing about having the store is you can buy things for 50 percent, 70 percent, 80 percent off [before you go on vacation] and then you don't have to buy anything while you're at Disneyland," he said.
"Why buy one shirt in the park when you can get as many as five for the same price at the outlet?" Maxwell said. "There's a huge Disney audience here. We're lucky to have this store, and I hope it doesn't go away."
* WHAT: Disney's Character Warehouse Outlet Store
* WHERE: The Family Center at Fort Union, Midvale, 7220 S. Union Park Ave.
* HOURS: 10 a.m. to 9 p.m., Monday-Saturday; closed Sundays
* PHONE: 801-255-0511