Emily Rose and I once spent a wonderful day at the American Girl ® Store in New York City. We went to NYC on a “back-to-school” weekend celebration and as a special treat Emily got to choose what to do at the store – she could buy something, have her doll’s hair done or we could have lunch in the cafe. Emily chose lunch and it was so fun – the food was great, the atmosphere was adorable (the only thing I didn’t enjoy was the price 
).
Because Emily chose lunch we weren’t shopping – but that didn’t stop us from wishing. At the store you can pick up a wonderful little wallet that you can fill with little slips on paper that include a photo and details of the product you like. We filled that wallet full so even though we didn’t spend any money we really got to feel as though we had a “shopping” experience. We stood and watched at the salon and picked up a few tips for how to deal with the doll hair (like only using a bottle of spray water and NEVER using heat).
I have never been to the Los Angeles store but I found this great video of a tour of the inside. Thought you might like a peek too If any reader has been to any of the other stores we would love to read about them in the comments section.
E. and I went to the store in Dallas last summer. We were in Dallas visiting a friend with our only planned outing being the AG store, so we did it up big. We had lunch in the cafe and bought a doll.
The store wasn’t as large as the LA one. The bitty babies, historical displays, salon and dolls were all on one level. Upstairs was the cafe, Just Like Me dolls and clothes. It was all super girlie but we had loads of fun.
We went with the expectation of buying Samatha, but when E. saw the dolls in person she decided to get Julie. It was a tough choice, they’re all so beautiful and really do look different in person vs. the catalog.
If you are planning to visit a store and want to eat at the cafe remember to make reservations in advance.
April 8th, 2010 at 9:58 am
Jenny Rose and I can’t wait to go to the American Girl Store here in Los Angeles! We have heard a lot of good things about it, but haven’t had a chance to go there. It’s so cool that the girls can actually see the dolls get there hair done. I also like that you can compare all the look alike dolls before you choose one. Thanks for the “tour”!
April 8th, 2010 at 2:08 pm