With a fist full of Floo Powder, witches and wizards can travel to Whimsic Alley, a mash of stores in Los Angeles that sell all things Harry Potter.
In preparation for part one of the last installment of the Harry Potter movie franchise, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, which releases Friday, Whimsic Alley has stocked its shelves with movie memorabilia, special-edition books and plenty of wands for the average wizard.
Located at 5464 Wilshire Blvd., Whimsic Alley’s Muggle-looking storefront hides the magic within. Enter the glass doors of what looks like any typical shop and into something straight out of the Harry Potter books. A winding alley, cobble-stoned and lined with antique storefronts with wooden signs hanging above their crooked door frames.
“Whimsic Alley is quite possibly the coolest store I have ever been in,â€Â said Stephanie Coats, a 21-year-old Harry Potter fan. “My eyes were drawn to everything at once. I could have spent all day in the store just wandering around marveling at the incredible amount of Harry Potter merchandise they (Whimsic Alley) had available.â€Â
The store is separated into smaller, more specific shops, mimicking the layout of Diagon Alley and its wizard stores. Habber & Dasher, for school robes and wizard fashions; Phoenix Wands, where wands choose the wizard; Pilcher & Botts, for magical sweets and treats; Room of Requirements, where witches and wizards can find everything they need; and the School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, for textbooks, quills and journals.
“I bought three bumper stickers, including one that says ‘Horcruxes got soul,’â€Â Coats said. She is in Ravenclaw, the Hogwarts house known for its wit and love of learning. “I wish I had bought a lot more, like a quill, a wizard’s chess set and a Ravenclaw scarf. Oh well. Guess that means I have to go back.â€Â
The store also has a banquet hall modeled after Hogwarts’ Great Hall, complete with floating candles and long wooden tables. Down the hallway is a painting and luggage trolley marking Platform 9 ¾, the platform that leads to the Hogwarts Express.
“The recreation of the Great Hall and painting of the entrance to Platform 9 3/4 was absolutely surreal,â€Â Coats said. “I wanted so badly for Platform 9 3/4 to be real.â€Â
For fans that have followed Harry Potter and his friends since 1997, the premier of part 1 of the final book marks the end of an era.
“I’m sad for the movies to come to an end, mostly because the books are already finished so I feel like after July next year there will not be any new Harry Potter events to get excited about,â€Â Coats said as someone who started reading the books when she was 11 years old, the same age as Harry when he discovers he is a wizard. “I literally grew up with him, which meant that I understood his struggles. That connection with Harry is something that will always keep me going back to the books.â€Â
For more information on Whimsic Alley, or to buy online, visit WhimsicAlley.com.
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