I’m a lucky girl who has been to many great Harry Potter shopping places: The Wizarding World Shops in Orlando and Hollywood, the WB London Tour, the Shop That Must Not Be Named, and finally I got another coveted Thanos stone: the Harry Potter New York Store! I’ll be passing on various thoughts and tips I discovered visiting this magnificent place.
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The first room you enter, with exclusive HP New York merchandise
Getting in: They day before we went I got suddenly nervous. The website itself and reviews said that it might take an hour to get into the store. Apparently you can show up, have the store be at max capacity, and you scan a QR code. You are then informed on when you can enter the store. Because my friend and I were going on Harry Potter’s birthday (not only because of Harry Potter’s bday, but because summer is often peak tourist season, and it was the weekend) I was sure this would happen to us. We arrived around 8:40, when the store opened at 9. There were about 10 people waiting on the sidewalk in front of us, to our surprise. We got in with no problem, and the shop was relatively quiet until about 9:45, when the crowd started getting larger. We went back on a Tuesday, also at opening, and it was even quieter for longer. So my top tip? Go during a weekday, go right at opening, and enjoy a hopefully quieter experience, so you can get your best photo ops and most magical moments.
The Harry Potter New York logo on an exclusive mug
Bathrooms: This might not concern anyone else but me, but listen: New York, like most big cities, is a dystopian toilet hellhole for those of us with tiny bladders and other issues that require the usage of a toilet. The store does have 2 single person bathrooms that are located on the bottom floor, but expect a wait of a few people in front of you. Maybe even a long wait. Be prepared to wait, is what I’m saying, and rejoice if you don’t have to.
The room that contains the 4 House merchandise items
Staff: The staff was to a person, kind, fun, and helpful. I’m not surprised, every Harry Potter store I’ve been to has clearly been staffed by fans who enjoy their jobs, but the personal advice and little chats I had with staff were super fun. Engage the staff for some interesting nerd conversations! Unless they are busy or clearly having a bad day, then leave the poor folks alone.
Exclusive sweatshirt for the store
Merchandise: the merchandise exclusive to the New York store is mainly in the front entrance. I zeroed in on most of that for my purchases, but they do sell most (if not all of it) online if you can’t make it yourself. I loved the selection of this store! It had a lot of original items I had never seen before, and a lot of things grouped together that I had only seen in separate stores. I finally saw the Harry Potter Pottery Barn merchandise in purchase (a quest I had been on and failing at for quite a while at every Potter Barn I found…) They also had the Vera Bradley Luna merchandise, a gorgeous room of House merchandise, an animal alcove, a book nook, a wand shop, Diagon Alley merch, a Honeydukes room, a room of printed products like posters and cards, and a fun area with high end crystal items I had never seen before at all. All in all, a wonderful selection of fresh stuff and cute displays.
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Cheers to butterbeer!
Butterbeer/Food: The butterbeer for NYC is exclusive, I believe the Wizarding World parks don’t share their recipe, but it was still good, even if they didn’t have my favorite version of butterbeer: frozen! I also enjoyed a Weasley sweater cookie and my friend enjoyed a brownie. Overall the snacks were fun and cutely decorated. If you need substantial food look elsewhere, it’s mainly sugary snacks. The good news is that you’re in NYC, so food is everywhere!
Photo spot! Go early and get an easy shot with no one around. If you like my bag, get it here!
Mini experiences: One of the best parts of this store is how it’s almost like being in a theme park. There’s photo ops galore, and cute little Easter eggs, like an elevator that is like you traveled by floo powder, Hagrid shoes to try on, a phone booth, a forbidden forest tree, a roof full of flying books, and a giant phoenix. Definitely arrive early if you want to get the best pics without others around! I was taking a video and ran into a mother and daughter making a tiktok right beside me, but later in the day others might get in your shots.
The “floo” elevator
Checkout line: don’t forget to take a gander at the checkout line, which has some merchandise grouped together not to miss! I bought a whole bunch of reusable bags for only $4 each!
The “magical creatures” area of the store
Virtual Experience I did not do the virtual experience, because I am prone to motion sickness and was worried about getting nauseous. If you’ve done it, tell me below, and I’ll include your thoughts!
The book nook with stationary, books, pens, etc. If you like my bag, get it here!
Overall I loved this store! The merchandise was reasonably priced and extensive, the staff was amazing, the food was great, the line to checkout was fast, the atmosphere was fun and special, and the store was, dare I say…magical.
Have you visited? What did you think of it? Follow me on instagram for way more photos of the store and other HP merchandise, tutorials, and experiences!
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