Jim Fielding is my hero. He is the president of Disney Stores Worldwide. (You know, in Hollywood it’s imperative that you have “worldwide” in your title – really.)

Brooks Barnes writes about the transformation of Disney stores in today’s New York Times. Fascinating piece. Front page. Above the crease.

Disney is going against the flow. Disney is learning from Apple. That’s two for two.

This is not a good year for retailers. The hatches have been battened down all year. The holiday season is now in full force, bearing down hard. And retail promotion budgets are down, inventory is slim and new products are few and far between. Those red Elmo dancing gloves are not going to save the season.

“It’s time to take risks,” Mr. Fielding told his board. “When consumers are ready to spend again, we will be ready.”

So, here’s Jim Fielding, of the conservative Disney Company, moving aggressively to reinvent 340 stores at about $1 million each. He is wisely traveling in the opposite direction of almost all other retailers. He is undertaking a major, expensive initiative when others are virtually closing shop. Very impressive. His stores will shine in an otherwise dreary environment.

 Look at the other advantages that will accrue to Fielding. Suppliers will love him. Not just carpenters, but manufacturers, banks, all financial types. He will enjoy the advantage of being able to cherry pick the labor force from managers to staffers to sales people on the floor.

Beyond Fielding’s courage and foresight, there’s a second interesting piece to this story. Hollywood and Silicon Valley appear to have stumbled into an area where they have found some true synergy. These Disney stores are being modeled in large part on the Apple stores we all know and love. Like the Apple stores, these new Disney stores will include enough fun and games to encourage customers to stay and enjoy themselves. Web designers call that stickiness. Customer service has always been a strong suit for Apple and Disney has long cultivated customers outside the movie theatre, so chances are the consumer experience in these stores will be a pleasure. They could even become a mall destination (oxymoron?). Thank you, Steve Jobs.

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Robert M. Kreek is President of Kappa Associates, International, where he leads new ventures, growth initiatives, and reinventions of companies poised for growth.