I believe there is but it has to be turned on after you update to v7.7
go to preferences\general and click the box to show applications
they you have the application icon visible. It shows only the apps you have purchased but you just click on the get new apps button on the right and you go to the apps store.
I think having applications available in the sidebar only affects whether you can see what you download or not. And you can search for just about any known App store app to get the store, not just AOL
I believe there is but it has to be turned on after you update to v7.7
go to preferences\general and click the box to show applications
they you have the application icon visible. It shows only the apps you have purchased but you just click on the get new apps button on the right and you go to the apps store.
When v7.7 first released, the get new apps button on the bottom right wasn't working. Said the App Store wasn't online. So you had to use the alternate approach described above. Now, it seems either technique will get you to the full App Store in iTunes.