Mommy Monday- Chapters Robson Canadian American Girl Launch

Being a writer has opened so many new and fabulous doors for me. I get to meet fabulous people, I often get to test really incredible products and I get to take part in the most amazing experiences… and sometimes I get to take my kids along for the ride.  Last weekend was one of those times. 

Chapters & Indigo just opened the very first American Girl stores in Canada. They opened one store at Chapters Robson in Vancouver and another at Indigo Yorkdale in Toronto. For the grand opening they invited a handful of media moms to come and be the very first people to shop the store before it opened to the general public. 

Yoyomama received an invitation to attend the Chapters Robson Canadian American Girl Launch and they in turn extended the invitation for me to be their representative and bring Bean to the launch. I have been anticipating American Girl opening in Canada for months now. When I received the “Do you want to attend this on our behalf” email from yoyomama I squealed out loud. I was pretty darn excited. 

The fact that the store is 45 minutes away from us and that the launch was at 7:00am only put the slightest damper on the event. Bean is not a morning person, and wasn’t thrilled when I told her that we were getting up REALLY early to go to an event, but when I told her it was a “doll party” she changed her tune. 

We arrived at Chapters on Robson Saturday morning to see hundreds of people lined up outside, waiting for their chance to shop in the American Girl store. I loved seeing the age range of children in line. There were girls as young as 3 years old who were about to experience American Girl for the first time all the way up to teenagers who had been collecting for years. 

A wee bit sheepishly, Bean and I entered through the media entrance (sorry if you were waiting in line outside) with moms from CTV, Vancouver Mom, Urban Mommies and Vitamin Daily. Once all the media moms had arrived we were escorted up to the American Girl store. Bean was actually the very first person to reach the top of the escalator, but I think she got a bit overwhelmed with the cameras flashing, the caterers with their trays of breakfast food and the overall excitement from everyone around us. She ended up taking a few steps to the side and stood there taking it all in for a few minutes before we entered the store. Once we did enter the American Girl store she was in heaven. 

Beautiful vignettes of American Girl dolls in different outfits with different accessories were set up all over the store. There was a wall of My American Girl dolls where Bella was able to pick a doll that looks just like her. And the employees… out of this world! The employees were so great about talking to the girls, asking them about the dolls they had picked and making their American Girl experience memorable. 

All-in-all we spent just over an hour in the American Girl store, watching dolls get their hair done in the doll salon, looking at all of the American Girl pets and accessories and chatting with other moms and their daughters. 

Bean ended up picking a My American Girl doll to bring home with her (thank you Chapters for the lovely gift). She has dark brown hair, brown eyes and medium skin tone. Bean loves her to bits and pieces and named her Robyn Ryleigh after country music singer sisters Robyn and Ryleigh that she met in December.

For more on my experience at the launch of the American Girl store you can head over to yoyomama and read my American Girl article. 

Thank you very much to Chapters and Indigo for the doll and for making Bean and my first experience with American Doll so special. Thank you to yoyomama for letting us attend on your behalf and letting us write about it for your readers.

Tell me… Do your children play with dolls? What is there very favorite doll?