New retail location will offer salon, bistro, tee shop 'experiences'   

American girl said it plans to add a new retail store in an upscale northern California mall. The company's experienced-based mini shops -- similar to those at its flagship American Girl Place in Chicago, -- will also be set within the new location. 

American Girl, a division of Mattel Inc., announced plans Wednesday to open its newest experiential retail store later this year at Stanford Shopping Center, an open-air shopping mall in Palo Alto, Calif. The two-level, 15,000-square-foot American Girl store is slated to open in the fall.

A representative with Stanford Shopping Center said American Girl will complement the mall's stores well. 

Middleton transplant grows bakery business over 2 years    

Annemarie Spitznagle’s idea for a cupcakery came from a childhood of cooking with her mother and a cookbook gift from a friend.

Spitznagle told the Middleton Times her recuperation of a historic building to host her locally sourced Bloom Bake Shop is symbolic of her desire to capture the community of her family’s Louisiana kitchen.

Read more at the Middleton Times

Organization: Families from West Madison, Middleton, Cross Plains in need this season

An area non-profit working to match families in need with local givers said there are nearly 50 families registered in need of gifts this holiday season. 

Middleton Outreach Ministry said Tuesday it is still seeking donors to pair with individuals who have registered for the program from West Madison, Middleton and Cross Plains.

MOM said it has families of varying sizes and will accommodate the size requested by a potential donor. The family completes a list of items written by a person in need and that is provided to donors who can choose items from the list or another gift.

MOM said it has already matched nearly 450 families and seniors with wish-list donors and helped provide more than $80,000 in gifts last year.