American Girl Boston

So fun to wander around in here.
American Girl accessories are so cute to look at, and the store has them in changing displays. If you can go when it’s not swarming with 7 year olds, there’s enough room to admire the displays and daydream about owning one of these.
If you come with a doll, you can eat with her at the table with you in a little side chair, or my personal favorite is watching dolls get their new hairdo’s – they always looks fantastic.

Firstly the food is terrible. The only reason people eat here is because they have adorable seats for the kids’ dolls to sit at the table with you. Secondly they are almost always «full» but half the tables are empty. Hmm. I find the utter lack of ability to manage tables ridiculous given that the food is not worth the wait.

To «Mary D:» buying an American girl doll «is an investment?» Really? If you have friends who are adult women (18+) who have «invested» in their dolls and still have them, there’s something wrong with them and with you for having friends like that. You need a life overhaul!

American Girl… Made in China… oh the irony! Just like Pandora and Alex and Ani, American Girl may easily be one of, if not the biggest scam in the modern American consumer industry. Enough about the brand and because let’s face it, Unilocal is about reviewing the store not the industry or brand.
I’ll say this is honestly a little girls dream to be able to walk in and go ham on useless (in my mind because I am a homo sapien male in a little girls stole) consumer products for a toy they may play with for a very short period of time. Like Legos for a boy. Two stories of everything you can think of for your doll. Select a doll you really like and after dress it up with every accessory known to mankind. Once you buy your doll you can even bring it to the «bar» or whatever it’s called to get their hair groomed and dressed for whatever the occasion.
Second floor also includes a café full of sugar, spice, and I guess everything nice (power puff reference). I don’t know if they serve alcohol but it would be a great idea for adults as I may need 20 shots of tequila to make it an hour in here. Then again, it is a kids store and patience is everything to have a successful and fun filled day!
It isn’t cheap. As a matter of fact it’s extremely expensive. Some of the most useless items you buy will quickly shrink you pockets so before going in hope and pray Nasdaq sores on Monday! Why no 5 stars? This place makes me double my use of Xanax.
At the end of the day did the child have the best time she can in a doll store? Absolutely! That is an automatic win, thanks American Girl!

Amazing. They knew my daughters dolls name and basically directed all attention and questions to my 4 year old, she had a great time. The service was well worth it

We came here for my daughter’s 6^th birthday. Although AG recommends age 8 and up, my daughter treats her doll extremely well. My girls had a blast, enjoyed the shopping experience, loved the doll hair salon, and had a good time in the bistro. The food was surprisingly good, and the portion was generous enough for an adult male. The staff was attentive and sweet. The only down side is the insane cost of everything here.

Came here with a mission… which was to find the perfect doll. We weren’t greeted as we walked in and it wasn’t that busy. Sales associates were around but no one asked if we needed help until about 30 mins after we had been wandering around trying to compare all the dolls.
I love their location in LA and was hoping to get the great service I usually get when I shop over there.
Dolls and accessories are expensive but it’s worth it to see the smile on the child’s face when they see that special American Girl doll.
BTW, I did end up finding the perfect doll.

My daughter had a blast here! Sure, everything’s expensive. But it’s an investment! Many of the women I know still have their American Girl dolls from childhood. It’s a life long friend for your child and maybe even for your grandchildren… And the joy my daughter experiences from her doll makes the price well worth it! I wish there was more stuff for the historical characters as opposed to the tons of stuff there for the girl of the year, but you could always go online for that. The customer service was amazing and we will for sure be returning in the future.

I brought my 4 ½ year old daughter to the store for a girlie day out. We don’t own any American girl dolls, but we brought my daughter’s other baby with us and she was so excited that her baby got her own high chair at the table. The whole experience of the dining was so fun for us both. She was able to order off of the little kid menu, which is good since she would never eat $ 16 worth of food! She didn’t like her mac n cheese and our server was so awesome and brought her a hot dog instead. I had the spinach dip and a salad and the meal was better than I expected. We loved how cute everything was and that the napkin rings are pink bow hair ties for the girls to keep. We finished our lunch and wandered around the store a bit more before we left. I’m pretty sure we’re the only people to go to the store and not come out with bags of items, but my daughter isn’t old enough to take care of dolls that expensive yet!

Luckily this wasn’t our first trip to the AG Bistro in Natick or this would probably be our last. Our waitress, Betty, made it less than pleasant. She seemed overwhelmed although the place was empty. She was in attentive and SLOW, but what took the cake was when my aunt requested honey for her tea. She brought her what looked like a sealed straw filled with honey. I assumed it would dissolve but after 5 min nothing had happened. We called her over to ask about the best way to open the package. She said, and I quote, «I don’t know… use your teeth». Needless to say we were stunned and politely asked if she had scissors, to which she flatly said «no» and walked away. Wow… Somehow I don’t think corporate would be pleased with her customer service. And god forbid this had been a birthday celebration… I’d be doing a lot more than leaving a message on Unilocal

My daughter literally was like a kid in a candy store when we visited A.G. on our Boston trip. It was everything she had hoped for and more. We brought one of her dolls to Boston & she «visited» the A.G. beauty salon. The hairdresser was so attentive to my daughter and the price for the do was reasonable. The woman explained to my daughter how she can continue to keep her American Girl dolls’ hair looking nice at home. Granted the prices for the items can be expensive however there are reasonably priced items also. The multiple floored building filled with merchandise is really a sight for a seven year old. The sales associates were very helpful and the experience is one my child will fondly remember.

Love the idea, but it’s far too expensive.
We decided to go just for lunch, so my review is only for that. My girls loved it: they let you borrow a doll if you don’t have one. The doll has a chair that hangs on to the table so you can eat all together as a family. The doll has small plate and cup.
For the humans, food is pretty good: loved the sweet potato fries.
Unfortunately service is slow, nice but slow.
Fun experience, for the girls.

Took my niece there on sat ¹¹⁄₉ to have her dolls hair done… They don’t take appointments so when we got there was told 3 hour wait… This was for her bday present so we waited. I don’t understand why they won’t let her call ahead to make appointment, very bad for customer service.

Um. Holy. Cow? This store is the holy grail of childhood memories. I had to go do an exchange for someone, I headed that way and was pretty confused about where I was suppose to go once I was in the mall. I asked a nice guy at the Samsung booth and he actually walked me to the doors! How sweet :-D
So, I walked in, in awe. Like, jaw dropping, eyes wide and I was probably drooling. I felt like I was 9 years old again. It was fricken awesome!
I wanted to like just touch everything but wait back to reality. There were some staff at the door to greet me, smiles on their faces I was promptly assisted. I stated what I needed to do; exchange what I had for the list of items she gave me. I didn’t even have to get the items, a woman said she would get them while another woman helped me at the register.
It was amazing service, first off. Second of all, I didn’t want to leave but I felt like a creepy 20 year old wanting to play with all the dolls.
Did I say this store kicks ass? I wish I had never sold my Molly doll. Yeah, I started telling the girl at the register that I had to sell my doll a few years back for money because I was in a hard spot. I had everything for Molly up until 2002, I was stupid to sell it. So, then I had the fleeting thought last night, that I should buy a new American Girl Doll.
Shoot, I just hope I don’t have to go back because, I will certainly buy a new American Girl Doll.

My mom and I planned a trip to the Natick Store today to shop for my 7 year old daughters christmas presents. I knew about Today Show special the night before; but I wasn’t planning on getting either of the «special priced» dolls so I didn’t bother waiting for the code to be announced on tv. To our surprise; AG was offering the same discount in store as online! Ok so now we have to get at least one because when do you ever find an AG doll for 61% off???
This store is always clean and there are always pleasant team members to assist you in finding things. I actually had an associate walk around the store with me and look for everything my little one had circled in the catalog. It was like having my own personal shopper! We have eaten once in the café and it is what is is. The food isn’t fabulous but who cares if your little one is smiling and enjoying herself right?
So I guess you could say the CONS are the stuff is VERY expensive and believe me my husband reminds me that ALL AG stuff is made in China each time I swipe my credit card. However; the stuff is made beautifully and really its one of a kind. I don’t shop here on a regular basis (who could afford to) but I do during the holidays and for special occasions like birthdays etc. Could they offer specials more often? Of course, but I don’t think that will happen anytime soon so don’t hold your breath.
I will continue shopping here until my daughter loses interest in AG but for now I will suck it up and pay the price! After all its about the children right? =)
PS: Awesome deal today on the Marie Grace Doll + accessories (we saved a whopping $ 75!!!) That’s huge! Thanks AG ;D

My daughters love it… its a great place to take your daughter… the employees are so kind and helpful.

Capitalism and slight materialism at its best.
Pros:
— all the dolls are associated with books and stories. I hope the girls are reading and creating their own stories with the doll to sharpen their imagination.
— lots of thrilled little girls. Lots of thrilled family to be able to provide something for their girls and to see their girls excited.
Cons:
— HOLY EXPENSIVE BATMAN! Otrageously so.
— Does a doll really need her own grand piano? The accessories and added «stuff» was over the top.
— A doll beautician? really?
The American Girl name has really become a franchise with lots of accessories to go along with it. We also had tea in the café, which came with finger sandwiches, sweet treats, and a small pot ofyour own tea. The café offers lunch/​dinner and just dessert treats too — all while offering a boster seat to your doll.
My neices had a blast. I won’t be going back without them. Way too much for this non-​momma.

The 9 scoop ice cream banana split sundae is still the bomb.
The girls have so much fun. Just seeing their faces when this sundae comes out is priceless.
I love this annual event.

Can you despise the devil but still admire his goatee?
Everything about American Girl Place (store + café) is so wrong, yet so right. In this day and age of wide-​spread poverty, cholera epidemics, earthquakes, tsunamis and terrorism, it’s hard to believe that there is a sect of Americans (of whom today I was one of) who are not just buying stuff but waiting in line to get $ 10 haircuts for our dolls. Economic engine or sign of the apocolypse or both?
In any case, I took my two girls here on an early-​release day from school, and let me tell me you THAT WAS GENIUS. If you ever attempted a trip to an American Girl store on a weekend, or heaven forbid, near a gift-​centric holiday, you’ll know it’s like trying to get on the last helicopter out of Viet Nam. But on the day I went, the store was empty, and the employees were on the lookout for customers. Therefore, my experience was aberrant.
So if you if you can suspend disbelief, that is that these American Girl dolls are real, and you are a parent who can enjoy a pretend tea party (not the political kind) with real food, then it really can be a nice moment or two. However, if you’re watching your budget, have a poor imagination, or care about food quality and value, you’re in the wrong place.
It starts with being seated. Again, this is usually a head-​slapping process where you are waiting to give them your money. On this visit, we were seated promptly and we had our choice of seats – we sat by the window. The waitress (who rocked) brought us two chairs for the American Girls and each American Girl gets their own little teacup filled with real pink lemonade. I thought this was a sweet touch– it’s literally a thimbleful, and the waitress gladly refilled it when the girls had drained it dry.
The food menu is interesting, too– they make you pay $ 16 for each lunch, but each lunch comes with a ‘starter’ and an entrée. We chose the warm pretzel bites (yummy), fruit with yogurt (standard), and very veggie platter (I asked for mostly carrots). These were beautifully plated affairs, but their beauty was alas, their best feature. Their quality was no better than that of the nearby mall kiosk selling the same wares.
For lunch, my girls quizzically ordered the spaghetti and meatballs, and I had the spinach salad with chicken. Though appetizer-​sized, my salad was excellent and fresh. Much better than I thought. I was impressed with the range of items both on the menu and in my salad– I thoroughly enjoyed it. The girls enjoyed their pasta, but avoided the meatballs. Based on the one I tried, which had the texture of a sponge full of paper mache and almost no color, I can only conclude that they were made of soylent green and should be avoided at all costs.
For dessert we ordered the warm cookies and milk. This is a dessert that has been popping up at high-​and-​lowbrow places over the years and it’s hard to mess up. The cookies were nice and the milk was cold and everyone was happy.
In conclusion, though I strenuously object to the existence of the American Girl store, and the idea that grown men and women are given the job of cutting the hair and trimming the nails of some kid’s doll, I have to admit that it’s a reality, and in small doses during non-​holiday times it can be almost charming if the experience makes your daughter’s smile light up.
The café gets high marks for its beautiful arrangement of foods, as well as its inclusion of healthy foods like fruit, vegetables, salad and fish entrees. It’s rare you take your kid to a theme restaurant that serves tilapia. Is anyone actually ordering it? That’s for the AGP staff to know, but it tells me someone’s heart is in the right place, nutritionally speaking.
From a value perspective, be forewarned: this is not a place for people on a budget! $ 16 per kid is a lot, especially when the kids would be happy just to eat pretzels and dessert. You’ll also get the saucer-​eyes when your kids tell you that their dolls need new clothes, and you’ll really feel the pinch if you need either a new doll or doll furniture, that is nearly as expensive as the real thing. Unlike Jordan’s furniture, the American Girl doll furniture showroom does not feature «underprices»
Lastly, if you can get there on an off-​day (not a weekend), it’s totally worth it, if only to admire the goatee of the devil.

I walked into the American Girl Place expecting to find some last minute gifts for my cousins. I knew the name of the dolls they were getting and wanted to buy them accessories for their new dolls.
I asked an employee where Josefina and Kit, the dolls, were located and she growlingly pointed to the general direction of the dolls. After wondering through the store, I noticed that the dolls were in completely different places, one in the front of the store and the other one in the back.
I decided to ask another employee to help me find accessories for my five and eight year old cousins. This employee was a bit more helpful than the first. But even though I told her I wanted to stay within a $ 40 budget for each gift, she kept offering me things that were beyond my budget. At some point she even mentions the fact that there are no «nice» accessories for under $ 40 at this store.
I decided to look around by myself and to my surprise found cute accessories for Josefina and Kit (the name of my cousins dolls). As I was checking out, the employee even said «oh you found something nice.»
Needless to say, I won’t be going back.