Here's something that might make you feel old-- It has been 20 years since the first Harry Potter Book was released! The Philosophers Stone came out in the summer of 1997 and cast a spell on millions of us muggles.
Two decades later, we're still entranced with the wizarding world, wanting to re-live it whenever possible. Now we can, thanks to a local bakery.
Simone Faure is pastry designer and owner at La Patisserie Chouquette Bakery in Botanical Heights.
“Potterheads are everywhere," she said. "They are sitting next to you in the cubicle at work. They are the doctors that are diagnosing you at hospitals."
Those Potterheads will likely be sipping butter beer and Potter tea at Faure's bakery in October. That’s because she and her staff have transformed the place to look just like Diagon Alley.
"There is an actual underground world that needs to be brought to the surface, because us muggles, we want a part of it," laughed Faure.
She wants people to have the total Potter experience.
"Upon entering the doors of Chouquette, you will be greeted by headmistress mwah. You'll be able to go to Flourish and Blotts and get a few of your school supplies. You'll also be able to shop in Honeydukes and get some of your favorite candy. Your cockroach clusters and most importantly your chocolate frogs," explained Faure.
The wizards at Chouquette Bakery have been whipping up their Potter plans and potions for months.
Potterhead Brittany Cobb has worked at the bakery for years and says the transformation is magical.
"It’s like a resurgence of it and so it just brings back all those memories of reading the books and seeing the movies and just growing with this whole world," she said.
A Potterhead is the term used for dedicated Harry Potter fans like Cobb.
"There are die-hards out there, the cosplay, the Quidditch teams, there's a national Quidditch championship," she said.
For Faure, it’s about letting people experience a little magic. It's a chance to escape reality and immerse yourself in a little Potter mania.
"Whether they are 12 or 42 they want to believe and we want to be the ones to sprinkle that little dust on it," she said.
Potter tea parties are booked through the month of October. However, the bakery will offer the specialty beverages and foods each day upon request.
