My Goodbye Message to American Girl Charlotte

Today, I went home for the last time. I walked the aisles of the American Girl store in Charlotte for the last time. I went to the Bistro for the last time. I got my doll’s hair done at the salon for the last time. I made my last purchase - 2 Truly Me dolls, which I will make custom dolls out of this summer. And as I walked out one last time, I couldn’t help but tear up… and I sobbed when I got home.

AGP Charlotte was my everything. My rock, always there for me whenever I needed a pick me up from hard times, whenever I needed to celebrate progress on my writing, whenever a new doll came out and I ran from school to pick her up.

From birthday parties to random Saturdays,

"just browsing" days to "new doll" days, it was there for me so much throughout these last 11 years. And though the doors will be shut, though the sign will be taken down, though the stars on the lights will be converted into a regular storefront, though more people will walk through the spot in SouthPark Mall where the hearts of girls everywhere once flourished, right across from H&M and next to American Eagle and Macy’s, my heart will still be there long after the last customer leaves tomorrow. Forever an American Girl.

Thank you to every employee who worked there. Thank you to Jill and Linda, who worked Saturdays when I was in middle school and always made sure to say hi to me. Thank you to Sophia, who did my Julie’s hair today and expressed how excited everyone was that I had come out all the way from Nashville for the last weekend of operation. Thank you to Angie, our party host who I just met today - and who told me she wants to start an AG blog of her own. Thank you to everyone whose names I’m drawing a blank on, all the faces who made every Saturday from 2015 to 2023 and my various visits during college breaks so magical.

And thank you, the blog readers. Thank you for enjoying every image I’ve posted from this store over the last 11 years. Thank you to all those who lost their store before I did, who embraced Charlotte as “their store” and lived new releases voraciously through my phone pictures. Thank you to the half-dozen readers who drove hours to the Charlotte store on my 18th birthday to celebrate my coming of age and had the most memorable meetup ever.

And thank you to everyone who’s supported my blog throughout the years - it is your support that allowed me to visit this store hundreds of times and have this be such a special place for me.

This is not the end of store coverage on AGDN, I promise. More store pictures will come from Nashville for at least the next 2 years while I’m still in college. If any character dolls come out over the summer, and when they do after I graduate, I will travel to other stores to take pictures - and since my sister lives in Nashville permanently, it won’t be too hard to get there after I graduate. And of course, you all can always email me your store pictures if for some reason I can’t get to a store!

Goodbye one last time, American Girl Charlotte. Thank you for everything.