Highlights
- The Wizarding World of Harry Potter has a variety of specialized shops that cater to the magical community’s unique needs and sell items like magical antique objects and quidditch equipment.
- Diagon Alley serves as the center of the Wizarding World’s business and economy, with many of these specialized shops located there.
- These shops play important roles in the Harry Potter series, such as providing Harry with a broomstick and serving as a hangout spot for bookworms.
The Wizarding World of Harry Potter always invites its fans to their little world, including its livelihood and day-to-day life. As the magical community’s necessities are different from muggles, more often than not, they seek specific items that cannot be found easily in the regular world. Therefore, many wizards and witches in the Harry Potter world open up shops that sell equipment tailored to the magical community’s needs.
Ranging from stores that provide flying equipment to magical plants, these stores are ready to serve the customers, hidden from the muggles’ eyes. Most of these stores are located in Diagon Alley, marking it as the center of the Wizarding World’s business and economy in the Harry Potter series.
7 Borgin and Burkes
Shopping For Some Magical Furniture
Perhaps many Potterheads only noticed this store’s existence from Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, as it has been featured heavily in the movie since Draco Malfoy’s whole ordeal with the Vanishing Cabinet. However, Borgin and Burkes have made their appearance since Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, as Harry was lost around Knockturn Alley after some misfortune with the floo network.
This shop sells magical antique objects, most of which possess terrifying powers. This shop is also infamously frequented by dark wizards with ill intentions, as they are willing to buy dangerous and sinister items for only God knows what.
6 Quality Quidditch Supplies
For Aspiring Quidditch Athletes
Quidditch is one of the most popular sports within the UK’s wizarding community, it’s only normal for the store to be swarmed by aspiring athletes across the country. The shop provides well-stocked quidditch equipment, such as broomsticks, Bludgers, Quaffles, and the Quidditch Starter Kit. This store is particularly meaningful for Harry Potter, as he often receives a broomstick as a gift.
First, he received Nimbus 2000 from Professor Minerva McGonagall, and then he received a Firebolt from his godfather, Sirius Black. The store was also frequented by him during his stay in the Leaky Cauldron, Summer of 1993.
5 Flourish and Blotts
For Bookworms & Gilderoy Lockhart’s Fans
Located on the North Side of Diagon Alley, this bookstore is very well-versed in a variety of magical books. Students of Hogwarts usually buy their books here, including the Golden Trio. Other than a physical store, Flourish, and Blotts also offers an owl delivery system where the buyers can just order the books in advance.
This bookstore is also the place of Gilderoy Lockhart’s book signing events, as the store also provides such services. Other than serving as a perfect hangout spot for bookworms, the store is also apparently the perfect place for Gilderoy’s fans. Too bad he then lost his memories and his reputation is torn apart after what happened to him.
4 Magical Menagerie
A Very Magical Pet Store
Animal stores are always the cutest stores, even in the muggle world. For wizards and witches, Magical Menagerie is the place where most of the first-year students get their magical–and not-so-magical–pets to accompany them to Hogwarts.
One can purchase a variety of animals, ranging from owls, kneazles, streelers, fire crabs, ravens, cats, and many more, as long as those animals are following the Ministry of Magic’s legal rules. Hermione is known to get her half-cat half-kneazle pet Crookshanks from this store, as well as Hedwig, Harry’s beloved snow owl. Other than pets, one can also buy pet food, medicine, and other pet-related items.
3 Honeydukes
For Sweet Tooth Out There
As the name suggests, Honeydukes is the perfect store for wizards and witches who enjoy dessert and sweets. Located on High Street, Hogsmeade, this shop is often swarmed by students during their visit to the village.
This store is especially busy during the weekends and Christmas season, as also depicted in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. Other than serving as a candy store, Honeydukes is also the entrance of a secret passageway from Hogwarts. As the store is always crowded with students, it makes Harry’s secret journey to Hogsmeade successful, as no one notices him there with the help of the invisibility cloak.
2 Weasleys’ Wizard Wheezes
The Twins’ Joke Shop
The Weasley twins are pranksters and jokesters. It is a fact that almost everyone knows. However, they are also good businessmen, with strong intelligence and creativity, and have the perfect eye for business. Although not very serious with their academics, the Weasley twins are very smart and sharp with spell works, as well as potion making and taking care of magical creatures, things that are reflected in the store’s items, such as Love Potions and Pygmy Puffs.
Their store is funded by Harry’s money after winning the Triwizards championship, and they made sure to operate the business properly. After the unfortunate demise of Fred Weasley, Ron Weasley helped his older brother George to keep up with the store’s needs.
1 Ollivanders
The Iconic Wand Shop
Almost all first-year students of Hogwarts bought their wands from Mr. Ollivanders’ wand shop. The shop is very legendary to the point it has its own fandom. Located on the South Side of Diagon Alley, the wand shop is owned by the greatest wandmakers all over Great Britain, the Ollivander family. Other than crafting wands, the store also offers other services such as wand repair and workshops.
The Ollivanders have been making wands since 382 B.C., and are still being carried on to today. Harry Potter buys his wand here and later is told that the core of his wand is the same as his parents’ killer, Lord Voldemort.
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