Watch out.
Girls and dolls are taking over Alderwood mall, at least part of it.
Snohomish County’s largest shopping center has been curiously busy with young girls carrying dolls in their arms, posing them on their laps and letting them peek out of large red totes emblazoned with a n
ame that is all but holy among collectors: American Girl.
Yes, in July, Wisconsin-based American Girl LLC opened its 11th retail venue in the nation — the first and only one of its kind e
xpected to open in the state — at the Lynnwood retail mecca.
During the opening weekend for the store, just around the corner from P.F. Chang’s and the defunct Borders bookshop, 10,000 people came to check it out.
And the crowds haven’t slowed down much since.
“To them, they’re not just dolls. They’re friends, or sisters, sometimes,” said Sharon Kahn, American Girl’s general manager for retail stores.
Galiana Diaz, 9 1/2, a fan of the American Girl website and catalog, was delighted to find the long-anticipated store open on a chance visit to the mall with her mother, Kristin Diaz, 37, of Seattle.
Galiana is saving up her weekly allowance to buy her second American Girl doll. She was excited to see the exact doll she wanted in person.
“Wow. Yay,” she said, breathlessly. “They have the doll that I want and all the stuff that I need. It’s awesome.”
Though the dolls are geared toward ages 8 and older, American Girl also has a line of Bitty Baby dolls, 15 inches tall instead of 18, for ages 3 and older.
Regular dolls cost $100. Bitty Baby dolls start at $48. Bitty Twins are $100 for a set and include the option of boy dolls.
Additional outfits, accessory kits, furniture and grooming supplies cost extra.
Pink, red and orange all over, the 12,500-square-foot store isn’t just a place to shop, Kahn said.
It’s “experiential retail.”
It’s a place where girls can treat themselves and their dolls to a day out.
Dolls can have their tangles combed out at the six-seat doll salon.
In the 50-seat bistro, a giant pink daisy blooms from the ceiling. Dolls sit next to their girls in seats that attach to the table tops. When the servers bring food for the girls and moms, they also bring cups and saucers for the dolls.
In the restroom, polished-silver doll holders mounted in each stall give girls a stylish place hang their dolls.
In the private party room, girls can celebrate their birthdays, and attend classes and crafting sessions.
There’s also a bookstore, featuring stories about the dolls and guides for girls who are trying to grow up, but not too fast.
American Girl’s “Smart Girl’s Guide” series addresses issues such as parties, boys, friendships, divorce, money, middle school, manners and the Internet.
Galiana Diaz likes the American Girl mysteries. Of course, every time she gets to one of the really, really good parts, it’s time for bed.
“They’re good,” she said. “You always want to know what’s going on next.”
“We’re not just selling product,” Kahn said. “It’s the content and education, the stories, the morals and the life lessons.
“Moms trust us.”
Compared with the tarted-up, blinged-out Bratz dolls, American Girls seem positively wholesome, especially the historical dolls.
American Girl got its start in 1986 with a line of 9-year-old fictional heroines growing up during important times in American history.
Each historical doll character’s life story is told in a six-book series.
“Nobody does stories like we do,” Kahn said. “They all have a happy ending or a good life lesson.”
It’s not all rosy: Josefina Montoya, a New Mexico girl growing up in 1824, tries to cope with the death of her mother. Kit Kittredge, living through the Great Depression, works to save her home after her father loses the family business.
Girls can write their own stories for the contemporary My American Girl line of 40 dolls, featuring different skin, hair and eye color combinations.
Girls can flesh out their doll’s stories on American Girl’s InnerstarU.com interactive website.
Makeup isn’t a part of the American Girl line. All the clothes and pajamas marketed to girls, designed to match the dolls’ outfits, are modest.
“You won’t see anything skimpy,” Kahn said.
American Girl, primarily a direct-mail business, won’t be opening any other stores in Washington, Kahn said.
She expects the number of U.S. stores to top out at about 25 as the company continues to grow, despite the recession.
The Alderwood location has 118 employees, 30 of them full time.
“No matter what the economy, parents always spend money on their children,” Kahn said, adding that American Girl chose Alderwood because of a strong catalog and online following and the family-focused community.
“This is where our customers are,” she said.
Sarah Jackson: 425-339-3037; sjackson@heraldnet.com.
American Girl
Alderwood mall, 3000 184th St. SW, Lynnwood, in the outdoor village area of the mall. Call 877-247-5223 for bistro reservations, already booked full on Saturdays and Sundays through Labor Day. See www.americangirl.com for a list of classes, crafting activities and special events at the store, listed as “Seattle.”
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