This Harry Potter pop-up store is Hong Kong's own Diagon Alley
Hidden away in plain view, Museum Context is Causeway Bay's very own Diagon Alley, a place where "Potterheads" - as Harry Potter fans are known - enter J.K. Rowling's magical universe.
Set on the first floor of a walk-up in Yun Ping Road, one of the area's main retail thoroughfares, the pop-up "museum" is designed to look like an old curio shop.
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Inside, ornate wands lie in velvet-lined boxes and old trunks burst with potion bottles, Hogwarts house scarves and badges, puzzles, chess sets and birthday candles. Customers can browse a treasure trove of magnifying glasses, wooden canes, umbrellas and artwork inspired by the books, and sit at an old writing desk that wouldn't look out of place in Professor Flitwick's classroom as stuffed owls and three-headed dogs look on.
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"I started to pick up on how strong the connection in Hong Kong was among fans," he says. "Harry Potter means so much to them."
McRae says he missed the books first time around, but is looking forward to sharing tales of the young wizard with his family as they grow up. As for which Hogwarts house the Sorting Hat would put him in, McRae says he is keeping his staff and customers guessing.
Museum Context can be found at 1/F, 19 Yun Ping Road, Causeway Bay.
This article originally appeared on the South China Morning Post (SCMP).
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