The only American Girl store left in the Carolinas is in Charlotte. It’s about to close
The corporate parent of the American Girl store is calling its dolls home and closing up shop at SouthPark mall, the only one of its kind in the Carolinas.
The 12,000-square-foot doll store opened at SouthPark mall in 2014 to much fanfare, featuring a shop, restaurant and doll beauty parlor. At the time, American Girl had stores in 18 cities.
Today, it’s the only American Doll store in the Carolinas and one of eight left in the country. The store on the mall’s upper level near Macy’s will close Feb. 17. After that, the closest stores will be in Washington, D.C., or Nashville.
“Thank you, Charlotte. We’re going to miss you,” a message stated on American Girl’s website.
Officials with American Girl parent company Mattel did not respond to requests for comment from The Charlotte Observer. SouthPark mall representatives declined to comment.
The Charlotte Ledger newsletter first reported the store closing.
About American Girl dolls
American Girl was founded in 1986. Mattel purchased the Pleasant Co., founder of American Girl, in 1998 for $700 million. In February, American Girl closed its Wisconsin headquarters moving to Mattel’s headquarters in California after Mattel shareholders called on the toy giant to sell the struggling doll company.
American Girl has a line of 18-inch dolls that depict girls from different time periods, ethnicities, faiths, nationalities and social classes, according to the website.
“Bringing out the joy of girlhood is at the heart of everything we do. Through adventurous stories and imaginative play, we give girls the chance to discover who they are—and who they’re meant to be,” American Girl states on its website.
American Girl dolls can be purchased online and in its stores.
About SouthPark mall
The store closing at SouthPark at 4400 Sharon Road comes as several other shops open at the mall. Contemporary pop artist Romero Britto’s store BRITTO will debut Dec. 14 and trendy Spanish women’s retailer Zara is expected in 2026.
SouthPark mall is owned by Simon, which also operates Charlotte Premium Outlets and Concord Mills.