After much anticipation from mothers and daughters alike, American Girl has opened at the Scottsdale Quarter. The loyal fans of these infamous dolls love the historical books that accompany each doll and their extensive clothing and accessories lines

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The 12,000 square-foot Scottsdale retail boutique is geared towards little ones; dolls and their accessories are set up at the perfect height so young girls can shop on their own. American Girl Scottsdale features a doll hair salon and a “Creativi-Tees” area where girls can create T-shirts for themselves and their dolls. A photo op spot is also set up featuring Grace, the 2015 Girl of the Year. The location also boasts a bistro, ultra girly in bright pink, flowers and crystals, which serves lunch, afternoon tea and dinner.

The brand’s girl empowerment messages intertwined with historical stories are popular amongst both moms and their daughters. In fact, the huge American Girl trend is partly fueled by Millennial moms, like me, who loved American Girl growing up. American Girl will turn 30 next year and has accumulated loyal fans for several decades.

I was especially thrilled with the Scottsdale opening since American Girl was such a special part of my childhood that I wanted to share with my own daughter. Memories shared with my mom, sisters and grandmothers and more recently with my God-daughter have been some of my most cherished moments. Nostalgia sets in as I remember great times; cutting Samantha’s hair (no hair salon in the early 90’s,) having a lemonade stand to help our neighbor buy her first doll and dissecting who had which dolls.

The brand has evolved significantly over the last several years with doll lines now including:

• Bitty Baby: Choose from 6 dolls, then build an imaginative world with nursery furniture and sweet accessories. These 15-inch dolls are for ages 3 and up.
• Bitty Twins: Choose skin tone, hair color, eye color and gender! They come with full outfits, hair for styling and a special book. These 15-inch dolls are for ages 3 and up.
• Truly Me: Similar to Bitt Baby, choose color of skin, hair and eyes. These 18-inch dolls are for ages 8 and up.
• BeForever: 18-inch dolls that have intricate life stories and accessories. Currently 8 BeForever dolls, Kaya is from 1764, Josefina Montoya from 1824, Addy Walker from 1864, Samantha Parkington from 1904, Rebecca Rubin from 1914, Kit Kittredge from 1934, Maryellen from 1954 and Julie Albright from 1974. Suggested for ages 8 and up.
• Girl of the Year: Every year, a special 18-inch doll is featured as the Girl of the Year. Book, clothes and amazing accessories are available. Suggested for ages 8 and up.

Words cannot do justice to how excited my eighteen month old daughter was at the store. Shrieking in awe and giggling with delight, she ran around playing with dolls and accessories (everything was just her height.) I even made an unexpected purchase of a Bitty Baby for her. Although she can’t appreciate it now, I know my mom, sisters and I will share many memories with our next generation American Girl.

Scottsdale is the 20th U.S. store for the Mattel-owned brand, with flagship locations in Los Angeles, Chicago and New York City. For more information, visit www.americangirl.com.