Sup peoples!
We have a bunch of shots from the AG Store in Columbus for you, taken on Nov. 10th. So that was before the Merry and Bright store exclusive gown and cape set showed up (which retails for $72 plus tax, and you can order it from Personal Shoppers or in person at da stores). Hence we don't have any pics of that. But we do have some pics of the other holiday sets for 2013, etc.
Cinderella anyone?
Today's pics are of the front circular table that is set up right when you walk into the front doors. On Nov. 10th it was a display of the white, cream, and silver brocade holiday dress and accessories.
Click on any pic in the post to see a larger version of it. :-)
Maple's AG Cafe Observations:
You can see the cafe off to the left in the above pic, with the little check-in station for reservations (which you need to get in here, especially on weekends -- it is a super-small cafe and there is high-demand). The dine-with dolls are hanging out on the side of the station. You can dine with one of these borrowed dolls if you wish.
We've never eaten at an AG cafe, so we can't really say if the food is good or not -- but the Easton Town Center has a lot of dining options -- so we would honestly recommend eating at a different restaurant at Easton, rather than the AG Cafe. At other Easton eating locations you won't have to wait for your table like you do at the AG Cafe, and most of the places at Easton you do not need reservations for.
We have noticed that many people show up for their reservation time at the AG Cafe and still have to wait long past their time because there is no room for them in the Cafe. And often people have to forfeit their reservations and eat elsewhere because they are hungry, or they have to drive home, or they have somewhere else to be and can't be waiting for 3 hours to get into the Cafe.
Every time we have been to this AG Store there is at least one to two families arguing with the check-in station girl about their reservations --- how they have not been seated at their reservation time, how they have been waiting forever, how this is ruining their little girl's birthday, how they have to be somewhere else, etc. etc.
So people -- the AG Staff is there to get butts in cafe seats,
but they are not solely there to service all of your family's needs asap.
My conclusions are...
a) If you still want to eat at the AG Cafe in Columbus, don't expect
to sit down for your meal at the time of your reservation -- it ain't happening.
b) Don't make the AG Cafe at Columbus part of your child's b-day extravaganza and build it up to be the be all and end of all of the day. That plan won't go well and everyone will be disappointed. Make the visit to the store the big event and any meal at the Cafe will just be a nice bonus.
c) Don't bring a large group to the Cafe. Like nothing more than 4 people. That will increase your wait time, because then you have to wait for several families to finish eating,
instead of just four people.
This place is tiny. It is like the size of our doll room. Large groups just don't work here. There are noodle shops in Japan that only sit 6 people at a time. People wait in line outside. When people leave, only then can anyone get in -- so usually only one or two people are let in at any given time. The AG Cafe in Columbus feels like those noodle shops.
d) Smart shoppers will simply come to the store early in the day, get your AG fix,
and then eat elsewhere.
We have eaten at Bon Vie Bistro, Smith and Wollensky,
Panera, P.F. Chang's, and Jeni's Ice Creams here. All perfectly fine places.
And they have other sit-down places like Brio, The Melting Pot, Bar Louie, The Cheesecake Factory, California Pizza Kitchen, McCormick and Schmick's, and a bunch of counter-service places like Piada, Five Guys, and Panda Express.
Make one of the dozens of non-AG eateries your place to nosh, and then visit Jeni's for some awesome dessert. Trust me, you will leave Easton TC a lot happier and less stressed.
Back to the regularly scheduled pics...
The AG stores offer pre-decorated holiday boxes for some items in the stores,
including the holiday dresses and the accessories set.
They are pretty and also perfect for those of us who are super-lazy gift-givers, haha.
Who has time to wrap up stuff?
Not us. We usually just hand people their gifts in the
cardboard boxes they were shipped in.
Brocade dress in foreground.
Tiny cafe in background.
Blonde check-in station girl, probably ready to cry.
Close-ups of the brocade dress set.
Maple's Thoughts:
"I don't think this dress set could possibly bore me more.
Zzzzzzzz."
The holiday accessories set.
The snowflake bracelet comes in the blue box in the accessories set.
Maple's Thoughts:
"There is nothing in this accessories set that we could not make ourselves,
and we are not crafty people."
Columbia hanging out on the table.
Stay tuned for more AG Store
Columbus pics here at The DW!
