Tim Feran, The Columbus Dispatch
By: Tim Feran
Ohio’s first American Girl store offering dolls and accessories will officially open its doors on June 22 at Easton Town Center, the doll company announced.
The doll company announced in September that it planned to bring an American Girl store to Columbus. That announcement was a linchpin in Easton’s plan to develop a new shopping district, Fenlon Square, that will cater to children and families.
The Easton store will be American Girl’s 15th location.
The 11,500-square-foot store will offer historical and contemporary dolls, along with doll outfits, accessories, girl’s clothing and American Girl books. In addition, the store will hold a 24-seat bistro, a doll hair salon and a “Creativi-Tees” boutique that will allow visitors to design doll-size T-shirts.
American Girl dates to 1986, when its dolls were sold through catalogs. The 18-inch “My American Girl” doll came out in 1995. American Girl has been a Mattel subsidiary since 1998.
The dolls, which represent a variety of ethnicities and time periods, have developed an enthusiastic following, with fans making pilgrimages to the handful of stores the company operates.
Because of that history, the new store is expected to be a regional draw for Easton. Thousands of girls are expected when the store opens in June.