American Girl store to close at SouthPark Mall
The store's final day will be Feb. 17
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Farewell Kit, Felicity and Samantha: The iconic American Girl doll store will close Feb. 17 after 10 years at SouthPark Mall
After Feb. 17, the closest American Girl store to Charlotte will be near Washington, D.C., at Tysons Corner Center (pictured above) in McLean, Va. (Photo from Shutterstock)
by Lindsey Banks
For the past 10 years, the iconic red entryway of the American Girl store in SouthPark Mall has transported children and nostalgic adults into a world of personalized dolls and interactive experiences.
That ends on Feb. 17, when the American Girl store will close its Charlotte location, the company announced on its website.
The store opened in 2014 in the mall’s Macy’s wing. The 12,000 s.f. space has become a destination for doll lovers, featuring a clothing boutique, doll displays complete with accessories and doll-sized furniture, a full-service “bistro” restaurant with highchairs to hold diners’ dolls, and a six-chair doll hair salon.
Multiple American Girl stores have closed across the country in recent years. In 2020, the company closed stores in Atlanta, Arizona, Denver and Kansas City, followed by the 2021 closure of stores in Seattle and Hershey, Pa. The Miami American Girl store closed in 2022 after 10 years.
American Girl is owned by Mattel, which reported a 4% dip in the third quarter of 2024. In 2022, it was reported that sales in Mattel’s American Girl segment had dropped 19%.
The next closest American Girl store to Charlotte is at Tysons Corner Center in the McLean, Va., suburb of Washington, D.C., which is a 6-hour drive from Charlotte. Other stores are in Chicago, Dallas, Los Angeles, Nashville, New York and Orlando.
Calls and emails to American Girl, Mattel and SouthPark Mall Tuesday afternoon were not immediately returned.
In the past 24 hours, some loyal customers have taken to a Reddit thread to express their sadness over the announcement, with comments including: “I'm really bummed out about this” and “I'm so devastated.” One user commented, “I think I’m going to be sick.”
The American Girl website stated that items in the Charlotte store are discounted 20%.
Lindsey Banks is a staff reporter for The Charlotte Ledger: lindsey@cltledger.com
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Executive editor: Tony Mecia; Managing editor: Cristina Bolling; Staff writer: Lindsey Banks; Business manager: Brie Chrisman