I forgot to purchase a Chocolate Frog for each of my kiddos during our recent family trip to Universal Studios Hollywood’s Wizarding World of Harry Potter. Good news! There is another place where I can locally procure such an elusive confection…

Whimsic Alley is a Miracle Mile specialty shop that sells fan merchandise associated with popular fantasy and science fiction franchises. Customers can find items — books, candies, lunch boxes and other miscellaneous promotional products — from such television series and film franchises as the “Game of Thrones”, “Doctor Who”, “Supernatural”, “Star Wars” and “Downton Abbey”. There’s even a “Jane Austen” corner for the closeted Jane Eyre fan.

Locals lovingly refer to Whimsic Alley as the former “Harry Potter Store” or “Diagon Alley”. FYI – The store’s interior, while still reminiscent of J.K. Rowling’s fictional London shopping district catering to wizards and witches, recently was reconfigured to deviate considerably from the Harry Potter world. You can read more about why the trademark infringement lawsuit forced the owner to change the store here. As you can see, however, the spirit of Diagon Alley is still alive!

Harry Potter fans pay homage to this venue of make-believe shops to purchase anything magical – from robes, wands, costumes, spell books, action figures, candies and keychains – or to congregate with like-minded individuals by attending a paid hosted event at the store’s Great Hall, ahem, I mean, “event room”. Yes, one can even rent out the Event Room for birthday parties. Hmm…

Come visit the store if you are in Los Angeles. You may find that there are affordable and great quality merchandise worthy of ownership or gift giving to that hard-t0-buy-gifts-for friend.

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Whimsic Alley
5464 Wilshire Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90036
310-453-2370
http://www.whimsicalley.com

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