A MAGICAL new shop has opened in York to whisk shoppers to a wizarding universe.

The Shop That Must Not Be Named has opened in Shambles, and is a tribute to the world of Harry Potter.

Named in honour of Harry’s nemesis Voldemort, the shop sells merchandise inspired by the books and films, from wands and canes, to cloaks and posters, and is staffed by enthusiastic Harry Potter fans.

Shelley Dunn is the weekday shopfloor manager, and said the shop had proven to be a huge success over its opening weekend, with staff dressed in Hogwarts robes to sell the magical illusion.

She said: “Saturday and Sunday was our first weekend and we had a 45-minute queue going out the door to allow everyone to experience the shopfloor and see everything.

“We’ve had nothing but positive reactions so far. People come in smiling, stay smiling and leave smiling. Children in particular - we had three school groups in and there were screams of delight, just shock and awe for them. I think it’s like walking on set for them.”

The shop was set up in Shambles which is a dead ringer for JK Rowling’s Diagon Alley, and is a sister shop to Give The Dog A Bone in Fossgate, which was opened in 2003 by Adam Rodway.

Shelley said: “Adam has been wanting to open up a second shop, but family life and running the other shop never led to the opportunity, then this shop came available and the idea struck because the Harry Potter merchandise is some of the most popular in Give The Dog A Bone.

“There’s been a lot of effort put in, a lot of love gone into it, and we are all very impressed with how well it’s done. People are loving the wands, from the same makers as the ones sold at Warner Brothers studios. They’re our best sellers, along with the Harry Potter scarves, ties and figures, but more than anything our Marauders Map mugs sell really well.”

Adam said he was over the moon with how well the shop had been received since it opened, and he and everyone at both shops were huge Harry Potter fans.

He said: “About a year ago my sons and I were watching Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, when I realised The Shambles here in York is a real life Diagon Alley. It was then just a matter of waiting for the right premises to become available.

“We were not expecting such an overwhelming response to the shop. It’s been an absolute delight to see how much excitement it has stirred within York and further afield. To be successful in retail these days we firmly believe you have to provide a bit of theatre for the customers, and so our management team Cat Armitage and Hannah Wallace worked extremely hard to provide a truly magical experience in the shop.”