Toronto just got a Harry Potter themed store
Stay calm, Toronto because the city now has a Harry Potter-inspired store that's supposed to make you feel like you've landed in Diagon Alley.
Instead of using floo powder, you can take the 501 streetcar over to 1273 Queen St. W. in Parkdale where Curiosa: Purveyors of Extraordinary Things awaits you.
"We've tried to create a really immersive retail experience," says Stephen Sauer, who co-owns Curiosa with his wife Heather. She also owns The Paper Place, which is across from Trinity Bellwoods Park.
Stephen knows how difficult it's been lately for bricks-and-mortar retailers lately thanks to online shopping. "We wanted to create a space that was really fun and magical and you really had to be there in person," he says.
Curiosa sells some Harry Potter-related merchandise, including MinaLima prints - MinaLima is behind the graphic design seen in the on-screen adaptation of J.K. Rowling's wizarding world.
Along with those prints, there are games, books, toys and home goods in stock that are unrelated to Harry Potter.
"We really just wanted to bring a bit of magic into people's lives," says Stephen, noting how much Harry Potter means to his family.
Best of all, Curiosa is only about a 15 minute walk from Toronto's Harry Potter-themed bar, The Lockhart.
Phil Villeneuve
