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GREENSBORO

Gwen Stefani bumped beats on the sound system while little girls in glossy wigs pranced down aisles crammed with sequins, sparkles and all things pink.

Charlzton Moore, sporting a long blonde wig and shimmery nail polish, ran up to her mother to show off a bejeweled pair of sandals. She found them near the store floor, at the perfect level to catch the eye of a 4-year-old shopper.

Welcome to a tween girl's world, where every product lies within reach of small hands and offers parents — especially mothers — a chance to pamper their little princesses.

For the uninitiated, "tweens" are preteens, a group that can vary, depending on the retailer you ask, from age 4 up to 14. These kids are powerful consumers, holding nearly $40 billion in buying power, according to Packaged Facts.

Retailers have long sought tweens' dollars in the Triad, which boasts brands including Limited Too, Claire's and, of course, the Disney Store. But the local tween market has exploded in recent months, judging from the recent renovation of some longtime stores and the opening of new names including Justice and Club Libby Lu.

And, sorry boys, but the emphasis here is clearly on girls.

Take Libby Lu, where Burlington resident Jennifer Moore took daughter Charlzton shopping on a recent Saturday.

The Chicago-based retailer, which opened its first Triad store at Four Seasons Town Centre last month, launched in 2000. Three years later, it was snapped up by Saks. By the end of this year, the chain, which reported $53 million in sales for 2006, will have 93 stores.

"The whole thing is about truly being a princess," said Branka Zivanovic, who refers to herself as the chain's "district diva." (Fanciful titles pop up across the company, where the head of human resources has been called a "prince of the people," said Nicole Moret, the "fairy godmarketer.")

Libby Lu carries clothing, cosmetics, stuffed Chihuahuas and bath products, but its focus is on makeovers and parties. For between $20 and $35, girls can swap their everyday duds to become DJs, divas, princesses and — best of all, if you ask the tweens — kiddie pop idol Hannah Montana.

Disney entertainment icons such as Montana and the cast of breakaway hit "High School Musical" and its recent sequel are dominating sales at tween stores and shaping the habits of shoppers like 9-year-old Jordan Wescott and her mother.

Missie Wescott brought her daughter and playmate Avery Church to the mall from Pleasant Garden last Saturday for makeovers. While an employee styled her hair, Jordan peered around the mirror and told her mother they needed to book a return appointment for a Montana makeover before the performer's November concert at the Greensboro Coliseum.

Mom concurred, laughing.

"As parents," she said, "we always try to do more for our kids than we had. So when this stuff comes out, we're just as bad as they are."

Robert Atkinson and his cohorts rely on that attitude in selling mothers of fickle tween shoppers on branded girls' apparel and accessories.

"I think, as parents, you tend to cater to your daughters a little bit more," he said.

A vice president for investor relations at Tween Brands, Atkinson represents more than 500 Limited Too stores nationwide. Tween Brands also owns Justice, an apparel chain that began throwing makeover parties — with rock star, movie star and princess themes — for girls last year. Justice recently opened stores at Jefferson Village in Greensboro and Burlington's Alamance Crossing.

Both Limited Too and Justice target girls ages 7 to 14.

"Mom is not only influential in terms of (paying), but I think at this age girls still rely on her point of view," Atkinson said.

But these girls don't want to look like their mothers. And therein lies a challenge: Stocking trendy clothes for tweens who want to act and look like teens — without bypassing their parents' boundaries.

That's tough, with tweens sometimes gravitating toward adult brands such as Juicy Couture and Abercrombie in addition to kid staples like Disney and Build-A-Bear Workshop. And it's a worry some parents have as grown-up products — from spa services to miniskirts — trickle down to tween stores.

"There's just so much out there," said Jennifer Moore, whose daughter Charlzton has a 2-year-old sister. "They're growing up so fast."

And Moore, who also shops at Limited Too, doesn't miss the aspirational aspect of many products for tweens.

"It's kind of an adult store," she said, standing near an array of cosmetic cases at Libby Lu. "There's everything adults have, but based on a child's level."

Contact Michelle Jarboe at 373-7075 or mjarboe@news-record.com