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"Kira Plastinina, the 15-year-old design phenom from Moscow, is ready to storm the U.S. this year with a strategy for opening stores on both coasts. At least a dozen units in the New York and Los Angeles metropolitan areas will be operating by the end of July, Bob Higgins, senior vice president, retail development and operations of Kira Plastinina, said Wednesday. A minimum of 50 U.S. stores are envisioned by 2010. Plastinina's first U.S. store is to open May 2 at 594 Broadway between Houston and Prince Streets in SoHo. The 3,100-square-foot site, which has 2,500 square feet for selling, is projected to generate $3 million in volume, Higgins said. Two additional Manhattan leases have been signed: a 3,500-square-foot store at 509 Fifth Ave., between 42nd and 43rd Streets, and a 5,600-square-foot unit at 22 West 34th Street, between Fifth and Sixth Avenues." [WWD, subscription req]