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Photo by Werner Weiss, 2013 |
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Are you a reader, a writer, or both? It doesn’t matter. Stop at this cozy nook if you want to browse through books or relax on a comfortable couch with a cup of coffee and a fresh pastry. |
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It’s also a great place to spend your time while you wait for your “car” to be ready at the Sci-Fi Dine-In Theater Restaurant next door. There’s even a secret door inside connecting the two. |
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Photo by Werner Weiss, 2013 On Commissary Lane, where it meets Streets of America |
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Photo by Chris Bales, 2015 Next door to Sci-Fi Dine-In Theater Restaurant |
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Photo by Werner Weiss, 2013 Entrances with and without stairs |
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Photo by Werner Weiss, 2009 Shiny floors and comfortable seating |
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It looks like a neighborhood bookshop inside—until you look at the ceiling. Instead of typical retail illumination, you’ll see studio lighting that you might find on a television soundstage. It’s almost as if this space was once themed as a bookstore set for a TV sit-com. |
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Photo by Werner Weiss, 2013 The view from the back of the store |
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Photo by Werner Weiss, 2013 Yes, it’s an actual bookstore |
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The titles here aren’t just Disney publications. You’ll find bestsellers, movie books, and biographies of Walt Disney. Authors even have book signings here. If you’re not lucky enough to stumble on a signing, you might still find autographed books from recent signings. |
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Photo by Werner Weiss, 2013 P.L.Travers’ Mary Poppins—not Walt Disney’s Mary Poppins |
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Photo by Werner Weiss, 2013 Cookbooks |
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There’s an unusually large selection of cookbooks for such a small bookshop. Could this be what’s done with leftover books from the Epcot Food & Wine Festival? |
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Photo by Werner Weiss, 2016 Various kinds of popcorn |
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If eating is more appealing to you than reading, this is still the right place. |
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Photo by Werner Weiss, 2016 A fine selection of pastries |
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The pastries all look good. If you want something delicious and unusual, order a Carrot Cake Cookie. It’s actually a sandwich of two large, soft cookies with cream cheese frosting between them. The cookies have golden raisins and bits of carrot baked in them. The advantage of a book is that you can take it back to your hotel to enjoy after your day at the park. A pastry, on the other had, will be gone in minutes. |
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Writer’s Stop operated at Disney’s Hollywood Studios from January 1999 until April 2, 2016 (although the park was called Disney-MGM Studios when the shop opened). |
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Photo by Allen Huffman, 1996 Disney-MGM Studios Costume Shop |
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The shop space was built as part of the Sci-Fi Dine-In Theater Restaurant, which opened April 20, 1991. It was originally the Costume Shop, but was sometimes labeled as the Villains Shop on park maps. The shop sold costumes, masks, and gifts themed to the Disney Villains. Park guests could go between the shop and the restaurant using an internal door. The Costume Shop lasted until 1996. |
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Photo by Allen Huffman, 1997 Ellen’s Buy the Book |
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On October 2, 1996, the space reopened as a book and coffee shop called Ellen’s Buy the Book—named after the bookstore on the ABC television series Ellen (originally These Friends of Mine), starring Ellen DeGeneres. |
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Photo by Allen Huffman, 1997 Inside Buy the Book |
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The store sold books, pastries, candy, film, mugs, kitchen items, and gifts—just as it would after its name changed to Writer’s Stop. |
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Photo by Allen Huffman, 1998 Disney’s Buy the Book |
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The Ellen show ended its television run on July 29, 1998. There was no longer a need for synergy between the show and the park. Ellen’s Buy the Book became Disney’s Buy the Book. It was an easy change, considering the sign had changeable letters. Without the reference to the show, the name didn’t make much sense. |
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Photo by Allen Huffman, 1999 The third name: Writer’s Stop |
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As already noted, Writer’s Stop officially opened in January 1999. Once again, it wasn’t hard to change the sign. But, this time, an attractive permanent sign was on the horizon. |
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Photo by Werner Weiss, 2009 Finally a proper sign |
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Photo by Werner Weiss, 2016 Major transformation underway |
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Writer’s Stop closed permanently April 2, 2016. The next change was far more ambitious than just a new sign. After most of the former Streets of America area was demolished to make way for Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, the remaining parts were re-themed as Grand Avenue, representing downtown Los Angeles. Although the former Writer’s Stop building stayed put, it moved from Commissary Lane to Grand Avenue. It was clad in brick veneer, topped by an old-fashioned cornice, and given an outdoor patio. |
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Photo by Werner Weiss, 2018 BaseLine Tap House patio and exterior |
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The result was BaseLine Tap House, a corner bar serving California craft beers and wines, along with small plates. It opened September 29, 2017. |
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Photo by Werner Weiss, 2018 BaseLine Tap House interior |
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Photo by Werner Weiss, 2018 Themed as a print shop |
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Photo by Werner Weiss, 2018 Bavarian Pretzel with Beer-Cheese Fondue and Spicy Mustard |
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By the way, despite the similar spelling, BaseLine doesn’t rhyme with Vaseline. It’s pronounced as two words—Base Line. The term refers to the imaginary horizontal line to which print shops align text. |
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© 2021 Werner Weiss — Disclaimers, Copyright, and Trademarks Updated March 12, 2021 |
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