AMERICAN GIRL POWER NEW L.A. STORE BRINGS HISTORY TO LIFE (FOR A PRICE).

Byline: Story by Valerie Kuklenski Staff Writer

Samantha, Felicity, Addy, Josefina, Kirsten, Molly, Kaya and Kit.

They're the American Girl dolls, representing important cultures and eras in American history, and this weekend they'll be making some history of their own.

After 20 years of availability through catalog and online sales, they're finally arriving in Los Angeles with Saturday's grand opening of American Girl Place, the franchise's first store west of Chicago.

The 40,000-square-foot store in The Grove is dedicated to all things American Girl, from the books, dolls and clothes to the theme restaurant and the live stage shows.

``What makes it so special is it's the ultimate American Girl experience,'' said Wade Opland, vice president of retail, during a tour last week as the finishing touches were being put on the store. ``This is where the girl who might have had (a doll), who knows about American Girl, now gets to come see, touch, feel and experience the land of American Girl.''

It is sure to be a very popular destination for 6- to 12-year-old locals and visitors enamored of the line, a rather pricey habit their parents and grandparents willingly support because of the heirloom quality of the dolls and the educational value of their storybooks.Each American Girl character is a 9-year-old who in many ways typifies - and in some ways stands out - in the time and place of her stories. Kaya (1764) is a Nez Perce Indian in the American Northwest; Felicity (1774) resides on a Colonial Virginia plantation; Josefina (1824) embodies the rustic American Southwest; Kirsten (1854) is an immigrant settler in Minnesota; Addy (1864) was born a slave and has fled to the free North with her mother; Samantha (1904) leads a privileged life but sees injustice in class distinctions; Kit (1934) makes do with what she has during the Depression; and Molly (1944) is growing up in the midst of World War II. Their stories are about standing up for what they believe in, trying their hardest and doing the right thing.

The 18-inch dolls have some impressive attire - Kaya's beaded skins, Josefina's delicate mantilla, Samantha's ``lacy white'' undergarments - yet they beg to be handled and their hair is meant to endure hours of brushing.

If a doll perhaps has been loved too well, there are stylists at the store ready to rejuvenate her hair or give it a new look while you wait ($10 to $20, depending on the style); for more serious needs, there's a check-in window for dispatch to the doll hospital at the company's Middleton, Wis., headquarters.

Opland said 75 percent of shoppers in American Girl Place are familiar with the line and which products interest them the most. For the uninitiated, though, the bookstore near the main entrance is the best spot to get acquainted, and maybe to choose which doll to take home. He says the popularity of the characters fluctuates, and the shifting trends may be driven by the appeal of the books.

``Based upon the stories, the girls love it and the moms trust what we're presenting,'' he said. ``It's good, clean, rich content for girls to learn about girls from the past and how they persevered, how they celebrated life.''

Sara-Jane DiGiovanni of Encino said she had a hard time buying into the American Girl concept when she first learned about it in 1994, particularly because of the price range. A doll in her introductory outfit and the first paperback title in her series now sell together for $87. A full wardrobe and period furniture would cost in the hundreds of dollars.``When I first saw the catalog, I thought, 1/4Who would be crazy enough to spend $80 on a doll?' But then my kid was only 3 months old.''

The catalogs kept coming, and her young daughter became fascinated by the dolls. Sara-Jane said she was pleasantly surprised with the one Sarah Rose received a few years ago as a gift from Santa Claus.

``I thought it was nicer than the little fashion dolls,'' she said. ``I liked the old-fashioned look of the doll, and I liked the clothes and how they looked.''

Now Sarah Rose, 11, and her sister, Mary Ellen, 7, have seven dolls between them - five historic characters and two contemporary Just Like You dolls that can match a girl's own hair, eye color and skin tone.

``They play with them all the time,'' Sara-Jane said. ``We take them on vacations with us.''

The dolls are welcome throughout the meticulously designed and executed American Girl Place, even in the cafe, which offers ``treat seat'' chairs that attach to the table's edge - and loaner dolls for those without an American Girl pal during the visit.

Mary Ellen DiGiovanni brought along Elizabeth, a friend of Colonial-era Felicity. While Mary Ellen dined on a lunch of baked chicken tenders decorated with a small pinwheel and cheese and fresh fruit cut in heart and star shapes, Elizabeth sat with a black and white teacup at her place.

Mary Ellen enthused about the dainty prix fixe lunch, which cost $20 for three courses and a beverage from a menu that has five adult-pleasing entrees. She also enjoyed the Table Talker, a small box with question cards inside meant to initiate a fun dialogue between mother and daughter.

She looks forward to bringing some of her girls in for fresh hairdos, and she says she will tell her friends all about the new store.

``I'm going to tell them that it is going to be really big and fun,'' she said.

While Mattel's top brands, Barbie and Hot Wheels, cope with slumping sales figures and compete for shelf space at Wal-Mart, Target and Toys ``R'' Us, its American Girl division has achieved great success as a boutique commodity. Sales last year from catalogs, online and American Girl Place sites in New York City and Chicago totaled $436 million, just under 10 percent of Mattel's total sales and an increase of 15 percent from 2004.

The Los Angeles store is sure to boost the figures higher, with product sales and additional revenues from $30 tickets to the live musical ``American Girls Revue,'' as well as birthday parties and other special events hosted in its two private dining rooms.

Last week's hum of power tools and rumble of stock carts will be replaced this weekend by delighted laughs, shrieks and shouts of ``Oh, look!'' as an estimated 50,000 girls and their ready-to-buy parents and grandparents descend on the cheery pink and red, flowery shrine to feminine empowerment.

As Mary Ellen astutely observed, ``The boys won't like it.''

Valerie Kuklenski, [phone]

valerie.kuklenski(at)dailynews.com

CAPTION(S):

13 photos

Photo:

(1 -- cover -- color) what a DOLL!

American Girl steps out of history and into L.A. store

(2 -- color) Sisters Caroline, 3, and Kate Romero, 5, have lunch with their dolls at the new American Girl Place, where full meals, tea and birthday parties are available, in addition to all the American Girl dolls and accessories.

(3 -- color) At the new American Girl Place, opening Saturday in The Grove, Mary Ellen DiGiovanni, 7, holds a doll dressed in pajamas like hers.

Photos by John McCoy/Staff Photographer

(4 -- 13 -- color) no caption (dolls)