On Monday afternoon, a holiday rush already was on at American Girl Place, a temple of dolls, dreams and diversity.
But the throngs weren’t shoppers, they were job applicants.
Word had gotten out about the open house from 3 to 7 p.m. to hire seasonal help. Before the appointed hour had arrived, the theater lobby on the lower level of the store was brimming with women, men and teens, some of whom came with a posse of friends, to fill out applications and listen for their names to be called for on-the-spot interviews.
Applicants afterward said the mass of humanity surprised them, even in this non-fairy-tale economy, and estimated anywhere from 200 to 500 people had come.
Elizabeth Martin, 18, and Christine Baird, 19, freshmen at Loyola University, emerged with signs of success. They had completed two rounds of interviews between 2:45 and 4:30 p.m. and were told to come back for orientation in a little over a week.
These qualifications probably didn’t hurt: Martin had grown up with American Girl doll Molly and Baird had Felicity. And both have younger sisters. Martin’s is 9; Baird’s is 10.
“My sister’s so into it,” Baird said. “She’s going to be so excited about this.”
Memo to little sisters: This is a potentially lucrative business opportunity. Perhaps you could offer your elders a refresher course–at a negotiated consulting fee. (May we suggest a request for the Alaskan Minuk or the French Cecile from the new Girls of Many Lands line?)
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