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Saturday, May 9, 2020

The House of MinaLima

If you've been around here for a while, you know how much I love the world of Harry Potter. We won't discuss my issues with JK Rowling herself, but the books are a huge part of my life. When I found out the House of MinaLima - named for Miraphora Mina and Eduardo Lima, the graphic designers behind (almost) all the paper props in the Harry Potter movies - was open to visitors in London, I put it on my list to visit. Since you can't get to London right not, and even if you could, you wouldn't be able to visit MinaLima at the moment, I've put together my favorite photos and videos of this cozy, multi-story destination.


I'm in love with the shop front. It's hard to miss it, even if you aren't into Harry Potter. It's a gorgeous, historic building with very cool window displays.



Every inch of space inside is literally packed with things to look at. It's hard to know where to look, but it's also quite small inside, so you'll be vying for space with other customers and fans to see every detail. And don't forget to look up, because the ceilings are all different and amazing.


The bottom floor is a true gift shop, but then you head up the stairs for the other levels of exhibit (and also most of the things on display are also for sale).






MinaLima has super luxe wrapping paper and wallpapers with all your favorite Harry Potter themes. They're actually pretty affordable considering I thought they would cost twice as much. I also kind of want to wallpaper my whole house with them, but I resisted and realized I'd already spent way more money on Harry Potter merch than I should have by this point in our trip, plus I knew I could buy anything I regretted not purchasing online when I got home. This visit was also right after it had poured so hard my Hardy's candy bag fell apart and all my things rolled away in the middle of the street, so I didn't really want to repeat that with items that were of a paper nature.


One of my favorite things in Harry Potter are the newspapers and magazines. I'd give anything to be able to pick up just one edition of the Daily Prophet or The Quibbler or even Transfiguration Today, but since I can't, there's this awesome newspaper landing, complete with floating candles.



There are so many little details everywhere, so keep your eyes peeled and take your time in all the rooms. As you can see, the stairwells are quite small. If you get claustrophobic, this isn't really a shop for you. 


You'll also find items from the new Fantastic Beasts franchise, because MinaLima also does all the artwork for their posters, pamphlets, etc, you see in the movies. If you want to see some of the MACUSA items or the New Salem Philanthropic Society propaganda flyers, you'll find them here, though it's a much smaller percentage than original Potter paraphernalia. 


If you want to read more about my Harry Potter explorations in the UK, Check out my walking tour(s) of Edinburgh. I'll also be writing about the Harry Potter Tour in London. This was our second visit there and so much more has been added. We seriously spent over 5 hours there. Don't forget to check out my other posts on free things to do in London, in case you're planning a future trip and don't want to spend your whole life savings there: Part 1 | Part 2


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