2,000 turn out to see Kardashians at Woodfield Friday

Meeting the Kardashians was the No. 1 thing on Mariah Mayberry's bucket list. But the 20-year-old, who got in line at 11 p.m. on Thursday after driving from Decatur to Schaumburg to meet her icons on Friday afternoon, was too shellshocked and tearful after actually talking to them to remember anything else on her list.

“I didn't want to cry, but it was just amazing,” Mayberry said, clutching her autographed photo of the famous sisters. “I was just speechless.” Mayberry joined nearly 2,000 others from around the suburbs, and the Midwest, at Woodfield Mall on Friday as Kim and Khloe Kardashian met fans and promoted their clothing and home goods lines at Sears.

The first 200 fans in line, most of whom arrived on Thursday afternoon or evening, received gold wristbands to secure their spots to meet the reality stars. Another 300 were given blue wristbands in case there was time to meet more fans. The rest were left outside the mall or invited to watch from behind the rope for a glimpse of the sisters.

“We left school early for this, we have to see them,” said Amber Ross, 14 and a freshman at Schaumburg High School. Amber and her friends who got in line around 11 a.m. Friday were the first group not to receive a wristband. “We're their fans, we made them famous, they need to stay longer and see us.”

Some fans weren't prepared for the cold temperatures and waiting outside, wearing outfits from the Kardashian Kollection, which is sold at Sears, and flip-flops.

“If we don't meet them, this will be the worst day of my life,” said Ashley Miller, 25, who drove in from Wisconsin Friday morning and were hoping to get inside.

Luckier fans waited in the store to see Kim and Khloe and screams started every time someone came down the Sears escalator, until finally the sisters arrived at 5 p.m.

“We heard some of you were waiting here last night, and that just means the world to us,” Kim said before posing for pictures and getting down to the work at hand, signing autographs.

Many fans dressed in clothes from the Kardashian Kollection, which is sold at Sears, and touched up their makeup before meeting the perfectly styled stars.

“Khloe told me she liked my hair, I can't stop shaking,” said Megan Davenport, 17, who traveled from Port Huron, Mich., for the event. “I just kept saying how pretty they both looked.”

The third Kardashian sister, Kourtney could not attend because she is nearing the end of her pregnancy with her second child with longtime boyfriend Scott Disick.

The family's mom and manager-in-chief, Kris Jenner, accompanied her daughters to Chicagoland although she wasn't signing autographs, she stopped outside to talk to the hundreds of fans who weren't going to get in the store.

“They've waited so long, and I wanted to come out and say hi so they know how much we appreciate their support,” Jenner said while making her way through a mob of photographers and fans.

Although the socialites get a good deal of negative press for their behavior, fans at the event on Friday were focused on the positive things the Kardashian family does, such as their initiative to stop bullying.

Genesis Rodriguez says she feels a kinship with Kim Kardashian who, she believes, is an ideal role model for teenagers.

The 16-year-old Schaumburg resident says teens who face bullying in school can relate to the treatment Kim Kardashian has to deal with every day in the media.

“People view her so negatively ... she holds her head up high despite that,” said Rodriguez, who was the first in line at 3:30 p.m. Thursday afternoon.

“It definitely takes a lot to maintain her dignity,” Rodriguez said. “I'm sure anyone would go crazy with all the bad things said about them in the media. Basically, it's like she's a teenager being bullied by all the media. And she still maintains a positive outlook on things. She has a lot to teach young girls. I'm admiring her for being a strong person.”

Several fans said they admire the family for other reasons as well

“They are beautiful, talented entrepreneurs, good businesswomen, and they are so pretty and so funny, and I just love their show for every reason,” said Ricardo Rodriguez, 23 of Elgin.

“I've been watching them since they first came out and never stopped,” he said.

Ÿ Daily Herald staff writer Madhu Khrisnamurthy contributed to this report.