My Regards to Mr. Popham

The story of the Emporium on Main Street in the Magic Kingdom is told through several subtle details, but right up front we're told who owns the place. These display windows, flanking the corner entrance off Town Square, proudly list Osh Popham as proprietor.

Osium "Osh" Popham was the character played by Burl Ives in the 1963 Disney film Summer Magic. In the movie, Popham is the local postman and runs the general store in the town of Beulah, Maine. Apparently, he decided to follow his son and move to the big city of Main Street, U.S.A.

Tracking the dates along the building, one can surmise that the original Emporium opened on the corner of Main and Center Streets in 1863. The store gradually grew over the years, taking on the whole block and eventually expanding across Center Street itself with the opening of the Emporium Gallery in 1901.

While the window acknowledgement is the only direct reference in the Emporium to Osh Popham, Summer Magic pops up elsewhere. Nancy Carey (Hayley Mills) and her cousin Julia (Deborah Walley) are the proprietresses of the nearby Le Chapeau. The background music on Main Street is also filled with tunes from the film, including Flitterin', Femininity, and Beautiful Beulah.