Canada’s biggest Harry Potter store is open in Pickering

Posted : September 14, 2020

Our blog is chock full of great ideas for fun things to see and do in York Durham and Headwaters. We are always adding new content and updating old posts, but sometimes you might stumble upon something from our vault. If this article has inspired you to hit the road, be sure to double-check that the featured stops in this post are still welcoming visitors.

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Witches, warlocks, wizards and Harry Potter fans… you’re going to love this! Canada’s biggest Harry Potter store recently opened at the Pickering Town Centre — and sold 1,000 wands on its first day!

The 3,000 square foot Wizards Emporium is operated by York Durham Heritage Railway.

Back in the spring, the railway was on the verge of bankruptcy after being forced to close and lay off its entire staff. Moving into retail has helped to pull the railway out of a financial slump brought on by the pandemic.

Wizards Emporium is stocked with everything a devoted Harry Potter fan could want. Clothing and accessories from the four Hogwarts houses, to candy, wands, goblets, board games and movie replicas like Hagrid’s pink umbrella. Also, soon be the only store in Canada licensed to sell a special line of Hogwarts school clothing made in Scotland. The only other place it is available at is Universal Studios.

Another exciting tidbit of information is that York-Durham Heritage Railway is opening a NEW Wizards Emporium at Upper Canada Mall at the end of September!

It is amazing to think that, ever since the Harry Potter novels emerged in the late 1990s, the fantasy world that author J.K. Rowling created has been embraced as a way of life by kids and adults the world over. “People love magic,” John Perks says. “It’s a real thing, the wizarding world. People take it seriously. That’s why we’re proud to offer a festival like this where we’ve put serious thought and effort into the experience that we’re providing.” This is no small-town country festival. It is a truly fantastical experience that we are sure will resonate with fans of magic for years to come.