The world's first Harry Potter flagship store in New York City is now open! The three-level store is housed in the Flatiron Building on Fifth Avenue in Manhattan, about a 30-minute walk from where Harry Potter and the Cursed Child will return to Broadway on November 12.
When you walk through the main entrance on Fifth Avenue, you will be greeted by a 220-pound Fawkes that hovers from the ceiling and handed a map that you can use to join a store-wide scavenger hunt. There are nine enchanted keys scattered throughout the store, some of which are placed near 12 authentic props, including the Elder Wand, Tom Riddle's diary (with the Basilisk fang), and Marvolo Gaunt's ring, that were used during the making of the Harry Potter films. After you've downloaded the Harry Potter Fan Club app, you can scan each key with your phone to unlock behind-the-scenes videos and fun facts about the props. The best part? Once you've collected all nine keys, you'll receive a secret password that when whispered to a store cashier will earn you a free pin.
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As you walk further into the store, you'll find a series of digital windows that reveal a magical forest as well as shelves piled high with wand boxes. At the interactive wand table, you can try out the wands of some of your favorite characters like Hermione Granger, Ron Weasley, and Dumbledore, as well as duel others. In the Toys & Games Section, little ones can find magical creatures, including Hedwig, Aragog, and Dobby, under a Dirigible plum tree.
On that same level of the store, you can pose for photos inside a London telephone box and in Hagrid's giant shoes, as well as stock up on Fizzing Whizzbees, Peppermint Toads, non-alcoholic bottled butterbeer, and Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans. The most popular sweet is the Chocolate Frog Souvenir Tin, which includes one milk chocolate frog and five holographic wizard cards.
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In the center of the store, a giant Griffin that is modeled after the one that guards the entrance to Dumbledore’s office, rotates above a spiral staircase. If you travel down those stairs, you’ll find Lord Voldemort’s snake, Nagini, whispering in Parseltongue across the ceiling in the Dark Arts Section. You’ll also stumble upon MinaLima’s graphic art creations, which range from Daily Prophet front covers to the Marauder’s Map. In the cellar, you can also take part in two different virtual reality experiences, “Wizards Take Flight” and “Chaos at Hogwarts,” which you must book ahead online before you go (slots sell out weeks in advance).
Additionally, you'll have the chance to personalize your own Hogwarts acceptance letter, robe, school trunk, wand, and journal. Another one-of-a-kind item fans love is the Triwizard Tournament shirt, which can be embroidered with your name at no additional cost.
As you exit the store, you'll come across the Butterbeer Bar, where you can drink draft butterbeer in a special souvenir cup or eat butterbeer ice cream under a giant cascade of glowing butterbeer bottles. They also sell other treats like chocolate wands, "Weasley Jumper" cookies, and "Trevor the Toad" cupcakes that you can munch on at the bar or save for later.
Because of high demand and capacity restrictions, the store is currently using a virtual queue system. To join the virtual queue, you must scan the QR code displayed outside the store, which is available starting at 7 a.m., with your phone and fill in your group details (limit up to 6). When it's time to enter, you'll receive a text message and have one hour to return.
