DEALS I Discovered at the American Girl Store (Houston, Tx) #TiffsDealsTravels

OUR AMERICAN GIRL STORE EXPERIENCE

~Houston, Texas ~

So we recently traveled through Houston, Texas and stopped at the American Girl Store while nearby! We literally made this a rest stop along the way as this is the closest retail store location to New Orleans, so we couldn't pass up the opportunity!

My 8 year old daughter is American Girl obsessed and she did some research on their website ahead of time too - she knew to BRING HER AMERICAN GIRL DOLL with her and she planned to head straight to order CREATIVI-TEEs (Custom AG matching shirt for you and your doll)

 

Note, there are special events in store so if your visit is around one of them, make sure to attend!

DOLL HAIR STUDIO

When we got there we stumbled upon the DOLL HAIR STUDIO - apparently you cannot make an appointment in advance - but once you get there WALK STRAIGHT TO MAKE AN APPOINTMENT! The next available when we visited was nearly 3 hours later - and the store wasn't that crowded!  Hair styles ranged from $15-20 and include ribbons (you select the color) for a finishing touch! Note: this is for your American Girl doll only!

This is serious business! Your doll's hairstylist will brush out knots, trim, and style your doll's hair all while your little one watches in awe! We decided to have only 1 of our AG dolls get this special "luxury" treatment - you can also have spa treatments for an additional fee - I kid you not!  For an extra $5 your doll can get a spa scrub and decals for you to take home for a home-pedicure! There is an extra $15 Premium Spa package too!

We stuck with a $20 hairstyle and my daughter watched in amazement as her doll went from looking a little rough to beautifully styled!

                 

AMERICAN GIRL BISTRO

You can make reservations in advance via website (or phone for parties of 8 or more).  As we didn't know the exact time we would arrive since we were traveling, I opted not to make a reservation and luckily they were able to seat us right away!  I am sure during peak times they may be booked solid or you may have to shop around the store while waiting for an available time...so either book in advance or make a reservation right when you walk in the store!

Before you sit down, let them know how many American Girl dolls will be joining you for lunch or dinner - each doll gets their own seat at your table...and their very own Cup and Saucer set (which you get to KEEP!) These sets were sold in the store (set of 4 for $14), but we got TWO sets FREE for inviting our two AG dolls to lunch!

Attached to our napkins were AG ponytail holders (which we got to KEEP too!) Prices were very reasonable for the food - For an adult chicken salad and a kids mac-n-cheese our bill was right around $20...and remember we had the Bistro experience AND got to keep a few souvenir freebies!

Overall, this was a great "BIG GIRL" experience on a kid-friendly level - They even had little conversation games for us to play at the table, which my daughter enjoyed asking me questions like "Who is your hero?" and "What's your favorite childhood memory?" -  It was the first time in a LONG time I was able to devote all of my attention to just her!

RETAIL STORE

So now we got to SHOP - Before this our only experience was online and via catalog so it was pretty neat to see, touch, and feel all the accessories in person!

They do have the option to request a PERSONAL SHOPPER in advance of your visit - This is a complimentary service! I believe this is ideal if you plan to make a lot of purchases - note, there are still staff in store to assist you - so if this is a really special trip, request a personal shopper!

 

The store is laid out very well - a special section for the Doll of the Year (Grace for 2015) - an Itty Bitty Baby Section -  Accessories - Be Forever (American History) - Truly Me (Design a doll) - and of course Child size Clothing items to match your doll - and so much more! We took our time and I think my daughter studied every single item in the store before making her final selections!

I was amazed at the Options for the TRULY ME Dolls - when you see them all together, you realize how many options there are! (Note, this is only 1 of the 2 cases that display all the Truly Me Dolls!)

Believe it or not, we found DEALS!

• Buy 3 accessories and get 20% off
• Many items were marked 10-20% off 
• Near the registers, we found American Girl Merchandise exclusive to Houston, Tx and these happened to be on SALE when we were there! So they doubled as SOUVENIRS from the trip too!
• At checkout, they had options to purchase SPECIAL items for a reduced price (with a minimum in-store purchase) - These items were no longer available to purchase in store so it was a great "bonus" to add to our purchases for the day!

I have to say I truly appreciated my visit to the American Girl Store with my daughter - I was able to share in her excitement and it was well worth the journey we made to get there! 

We only had a few hours, but it was the first time in a long time I got to focus on just my youngest daughter and watching her soak in everything the store had to offer was worth every second for me!

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Tiff's Deals was not compensated for this post - I simply wanted to share my personal experience with you! All opinions and comments are my own.

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