American Girl Store In Negotiations For Chesterfield Mall Lease

A high-end lifestyle store for preteens could move into Chesterfield Mall.

City planning officials OK'd American Girl to renovate a former pan-Latin restaurant into a full service store.

However, reports surfaced that American Girl is still in negotiations over a store lease, and American Girl is also looking at The Galleria mall.

The 25-year-old company sells 18-inch tall, $100 dolls, matching outfits for girls and dolls, furniture and more.

American Girl stores in New York and Chicago host fashion shows, dining, birthday parties, and other events for girls and dolls. There are just 11 stores nationwide.

St. Louis customers typically travel to Chicago or Kansas City for shopping sprees or special store events.

Broadcaster Shawndrea Thomas of Fox2 News was at Chesterfield City Hall Monday to cover the key approval for American Girl to move into Chesterfield Mall.

"People I work with were so excited about it, they have kids," Thomas said, as she prepared for the evening's broadcast.

The proposed store at the mall is 10,850 square feet. A portion of the space was once J.C. Penney. Proposals show the new store with a red facade, pink awnings, and cylindrical lighting sconces with star cutouts.

American Girl was launched in 1986 by The Pleasant Co. through catalog sales only. After a successful run, the owner sold the line to Mattel in 1998.

Chesterfield Planning Director Aimee Nassif said American Girl came to the city about a month ago, asking to change the former Wapango restaurant facade. Wapango closed up shop earlier this year.

"The city has provided all the approvals necessary," Nassif said Monday. Nassif said she has also heard clamoring for the new shop to open. She had no information on opening dates or costs.

American Girl however, can apply for building permits as soon as Thursday, Nassif said. It was unclear Monday night whether the doll company and Chesterfield Mall, owned by CBL, had come to an agreement on leasing.

The American Girl brand began as several dolls representing periods of American history and a six-book series with the main character identical to the doll.

Shoppers now may also select from dolls with physical aspects similar to themselves—hair color, eye color, eye shape, skin tones, hair texture, for example.