Manchester Has A Not-For-Profit Shop Completely Dedicated To 'Harry Potter' Merch
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Unfortunately for us muggles, the world of Harry Potter is completely fictional (as far as we know) and we'll never get a chance to actually visit Hogwarts and cast some sick spells. However, there are a few retailers in the world that sell official merchandise that is as close to the real deal as possible.
Thankfully, one of those is a hole in the wall charity shop in Greater Manchester.
While you might think official merchandise is just a money-grabbing scheme, this store in particular, Hoots, is a not-for-profit.
Located in Stockport on a small street, Hoots has pretty much everything that a Harry Potter fan could dream of. They've got wands, broomsticks (the ones that look like they can fly not clean your kitchen), horcruxes and even Rowena Ravenclaw's lost diadem.
Keith Dalby-Oldham owns the store with his husband Darren, and admits it's pretty hard to find this stuff.
The 65-year-old has told Manchester Evening News: "We do not deal in unlicensed products. You can buy the stock online for considerably cheaper, but they're not the same wands.
"Some unscrupulous people use the photographs of the Noble brand, but they send you the cheap version, and they snap easily."
As a result, Keith and Darren's stuff doesn't come cheap.
Lucius Malfoy's walking cane will set you back £105 ($144), wands go as high as £34.95 ($47.97), while a Firebolt broomstick is a whopping £395 ($542).
While that seems steep - Keith says that's remarkably lower than what some of the other limited official retailers will sell for. The Harry Potter experience in Orlando, Florida, for example, will make you fork out £2,000 ($2,745) for the same broomstick.
He adds that while his shop may be small, he's had visitors come from far and wide to check out his specialist merchandise, telling the MEN: "We have had people in from all over the world, Australia, India, Canada, two from Brazil, Italy, Germany.
"It's all been word of mouth."
Incredibly, when they were getting ready to open, all their Harry Potter stock was sold before it went on the shelves.
Funds from the sales go towards Shopmobility Stockport - which helps disabled people in the area get around. With the popularity of their store rising with every passing week, Keith and Darren are hoping to open a café next door in February.
They'll be conducting workshops and activities to go along with the fourth international Harry Potter Book Night - an initiative designed to pass the Harry Potter books down to the next generation and keep the story alive.
Sources: Manchester Evening News
Featured Image Credit: Warner Bros.
Topics: Harry Potter, Awesome, TV and Film, Community
