The Doll Store

Yesterday I was lamenting the loss of unique stores. I should have qualified my lamentations but chose to wait until today to write about a truly unique store: American Girl.

I found the "American Girl" fascinating. Having only fathered sons, I've pretty much been sheltered from dolls and the like. Although I knew that American Girl sold dolls, I had no idea of the breadth of their wares and how integrated their products are. There are dolls for different periods of time (e.g. a doll for the mid-30's, 40's, early America, civil war etc) Each doll comes with a book and a basic outfit ... then you can buy more outfits and accessories. (For example, among the accessories for the '30's doll is a bicycle, a camera etc)

Then there's a different line of dolls that have differing hair color, eye color and complexion ... in essence, a buyer can purchase a doll with these same characteristics as the buyer has (as long as the buyer is a girl -- apparently no boy dolls as yet).

Still another line has dolls that have articulated limbs ... with a more limited wardrobe and apparently no accessories.

My jaw dropped when we saw a tearoom where (mostly) Moms and (exclusively) girls were having mid-afternoon tea ... and there were special "chairs" for the doll(s). Some tables had one adult woman, a girl and several dolls. It looked like the tearoom we enjoyed last year in London.

(I immediately squelched the impulse to haul Alec off to the nearest bar and sip a Miller High Life.)

I'd been forewarned about the other novelty area -- a beauty salon for dolls where staff will coif the hair. I would have thought that the young owner could do it herself but apparently not.

Barb is a great judge of things like this. To me it seems a bit contrived and too planned. But Barb holds the store in high regard and believes that the merchandise, while not inexpensive, offers fair value. All I can say is that I'm in awe of the thought and detailed planning that has gone into the store and the merchandising. Calling them dolls, doll clothing and accessories really