Grab your Nimbus 2000 broomstick and fly to the Big Apple because the world’s largest Harry Potter store is opening in New York this year.
There’s no shortage of Hogwarts-themed attractions across the globe, from the Warner Bros. Studio Tour in Watford, England, to The Wizarding World of Harry Potter in Orlando, Florida.
However, for those with a little bit of disposable income burning a hole in their pocket, this place could be the most dangerous yet. ‘I solemnly swear that I am up to no good,’ will be my words to my bank balance.
Warner Bros. made the wand-shattering announcement yesterday, January 9, that a huge three-storey, 20,000 square-foot flagship store will be opening in the heart of New York City, next to the iconic Flatiron building at 935 Broadway.
Sarah Roots, Senior Vice President of Worldwide Tours and Retail, Warner Bros, said in a press release:
This will be the largest dedicated Harry Potter store in the world and will become a must-visit fan destination where Harry Potter enthusiasts can engage with interactive experiences and numerous photo opportunities as they step into the magic.
We are very excited to be opening in New York. It’s the ideal city in which to launch with so many dedicated Wizarding World fans, a cutting-edge retail environment and a community that embraces innovative experiences.
Opening in summer this year, the store will ‘also host ‘the largest collection of Harry Potter and Fantastic Beasts products in the world under one roof with everything from personalised robes and Bertie Bott’s Every Flavor Beans to a brand-new range of house wands with a design exclusive to the New York location’.
The flagship location for Potterheads will be a space that provides ‘fans with a number of exciting retail experiences that evoke the magic of the Wizarding World’.
On top of the studio tour and Orlando attraction, there’s plenty of other Potter-themed locations: for example, take a train to Kings Cross Station in London and get a picture at Platform 9 3/4.
If you happen to be up north, hop on the Jacobite steam train in Edinburgh and soar across the very same tracks the Hogwarts Express travelled each year. While you’re at it, you should also pop over to Glencoe, the gorgeous, scenic location for much of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.
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After graduating from Glasgow Caledonian University with an NCTJ and BCTJ-accredited Multimedia Journalism degree, Cameron ventured into the world of print journalism at The National, while also working as a freelance film journalist on the side, becoming an accredited Rotten Tomatoes critic in the process. He’s now left his Scottish homelands and took up residence at UNILAD as a journalist.