Road Trip to Columbus :: American Girl Store

Until this Summer all of the American Girl fans in Cincinnati & Northern Kentucky had to purchase their doll clothes, accessories and such either online or travel quite a bit to get to an American Girl Store.  The closest stores to Cincy were Chicago & Atlanta…until a few months ago.  Now there is a fabulous American Girl Store within a few hours drive of Cincinnati!  One of less than 20 American Girl Stores in the US, the Columbus American Girl Store & Bistro opened it’s doors in June 2013 and since then flocks of little girls have been heading to the store from all over the area to pick out matching dresses, tiny little accessories, & new dolls, and to dine in the Bistro.

We headed to Columbus to celebrate the tenth birthdays of my daughter and niece.  The drive took us just about 2 hours from Northern Kentucky.  We spent several hours at the American Girl Store perusing all the adorable outfits, looking at all of the displays of all the Girls, the Bitty Babies & other assorted dolls and their “stuff”.  I loved seeing all of the old dolls in their original outfits, and looking at all of the miniature accessories.  Ella’s favorites were the American Girl Musical Instruments.  I liked the American Girl Camping set.  Such cool stuff…there’s something for everyone!  Ella ended up purchasing a set for her Kit doll.  She got Kit’s reporting set, and it even has precious little faux “Cincinnati Register” newspapers.  FYI – The “Kit” doll character is a depression-era girl who wants to be a reporter and lives in Cincinnati.  She is a beloved member of our family.

Along with all of the American Girl products at the store, they also have a hair salon where the dolls can get “all dolled up” with a new hairdo.  They also have a “Hospital” with “Doctors” on hand if your doll has ailments that need tending to.  The staff at the American Girl store in Columbus is exceptional.  I had conversations with many employees and each one was friendly, kind and helpful.  They go out of their way to make sure that you are having a wonderful shopping experience.  I feel safe comparing Ella’s doll Kit’s visit to the American Girl Store to me visiting a Spa for a day.  This doll was spoiled rotten that day…a new dress, a reporting kit, a hair brush, and “tea” in the Bistro.  It’s amazing how many touches they thought of to cater to these dolls.  The bathroom has hooks to hold your dolls up in the stall and over the sink, and they have tiny little high chairs in the Bistro for the dolls to sit in.

We spent several hours wandering the store and  looking at all of the fabulous dolls & items, and then we had lunch at the Bistro.  I should note here that the Bistro is a very small restaurant and reservations are highly sought after at this moment since the store is so new.  I made our reservations a month in advance to get our table.  It was worth the wait though, because the Bistro experience was really nice.  Like the rest of the store, the service in the Bistro was great and it was a fun atmosphere for the girls to have tea with their dolls.  The menu at the Bistro isn’t large, but the food we had was tasty and the prices were very reasonable.  You can pay extra to celebrate your child’s birthday at the Bistro with cake, hats and more.

Are you looking for a special getaway?  Want to spoil the grandchildren?  Or have a special Mother-Daughter day?  Or do some Christmas shopping?  You can spend hours at the American Girl Store, and the surrounding Easton Town Center.  You really could make a day of it!  Or you can spend some time visitng other attractions in Columbus after you visit the AG Store…like the Zoo and COSI.  The American Girl Store is located in the Easton Town Center: 4040 The Strand East, Columbus, Ohio 43219.  You can visit the American Girl website for more information such as hours, directions, reservations for the Bistro and  more.