American Girl
Beloved doll makes Ohio debut in Columbus
Gone are the days when my 6-year-old daughter would be satisfied to simply browse the American Girl catalog and dream of having frivolous accessories for her doll, Rebecca. Back then the nearest American Girl store was in Chicago, along the city’s famed Magnificent Mile – many miles from home and many miles from our reality.
But that was then.
In June, the first American Girl store in Ohio opened at Columbus’ Easton Town Center. Opening day drew hundreds of doll-toting youngsters and their parents to the shopping mecca for a first glimpse at what many, like my daughter, had only seen in print.
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At more than 11,000 square feet, the Ohio store is small by American Girl standards. (The one in Chicago is a whopping 52,000 square feet!) But our store’s astounding selection of outfits, pets and furniture for these 18-inch divas is imaginably just as overwhelming.
Customers will find original and current American Girl dolls from the company that was founded in 1986, along with Bitty Baby and Bitty Twins. They’ll also find lots of books and matching clothes for dolls and their owners.
The dolls can be custom built by selecting their skin, hair and eye color. Their hair can come short, long, curly or straight. Heck, she can even have freckles, if you’d like. Anything you want for $110 apiece.
I enjoyed seeing so many little girls interacting with their dolls, some taking theirs to the Doll Hair Salon, where stylists propped them in miniature chairs and worked ever so seriously on their hairdos.
After primping, humans and dolls can enjoy a bite to eat at the in-store American Girl Bistro. The menu includes fruit kabobs, tea sandwiches and quesadillas, along with the kid-menu favorites such as pizza, macaroni and cheese, chicken tenders and grilled cheese. There’s also a banana split big enough for six people.
The American Girl store offers plenty of reasons to make a return visit, including crafts, scavenger hunts and story times. Youngsters can even have a birthday party in the Bistro and eat cake and ice cream with their dolls.
For more information, visit www.americangirl.com/stores/location_col.php.
