Earlier today, Entertainment Weekly gave fans a first look at the Harry Potter store coming to New York City on June 3.. The store, seemingly called The Harry Potter Shop, is set to house the largest collection of Harry Potter merchandise there is, much of which will be unavailable anywhere else. In the exclusive EW interview, vice president and general manager of Warner Bros. Retail Destinations Karl Durrant said the store is “looking forward to bringing some magic back into people’s lives.”
Located near the Flatiron Building at 935 Broadway, the three-story shop boasts a whopping 21,000 square feet and contains “15 different theme areas with magical elements.” One of these is areas is an interactive wand table, where customers can take their wands on a “test run.” The store will also offer fans an area to have their wands personalized, making it the only place outside of The Wizarding World of Harry Potter (located within Universal Studios Orlando) to do so.
In addition to shopping, The Harry Potter shop aims to offer Harry Potter fans unique experiences. According to Durrant, two virtual reality experiences are coming to the store: ‘Chaos at Hogwarts’ and ‘Wizards Take Flight.’ While the finer details about ‘Chaos at Hogwarts’ have yet to be revealed, ‘Wizards Take Flight’ allows players to take control of their very own broomstick and fly above the River Thames in London. Durrant has also stated that due to Warner Bros. being in a “uniquely privileged position to work directly with the [Harry Potter] filmmakers,” the store will house authentic props and recreations of items from the Harry Potter films. These props include Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Dumbledore’s wands, the original golden snitch, Harry’s broomstick, Tom Riddle’s Diary, and more.
Outside of the store’s grand opening, the Harry Potter franchise has been in the news quite often lately, primarily due to the number of scandals surrounding author J.K. Rowling and former Hogwarts Legacy designer Troy Leavitt. Only time will tell if or how these incidents will impact the future of The Harry Potter Shop and upcoming Harry Potter game, Hogwarts Legacy.
GameSpot may get a commission from retail offers.
