Harry Potter fans seem to have adopted Whimsic Alley as their own. In chat rooms and news articles, fans have been referring to Whimsic Alley as "the Harry Potter store." In the three months since the store opened near Los Angeles, it has attracted visitors from all over the country, as well as Canada, France, Australia and Russia.

Built by Hollywood visual set designer Paul Felix-Montez, it is reminiscent of a mystical London street where student and professional wizards converge to procure their magical wares. One of its shops - Phoenix Wands - offers twenty styles of handcrafted wooden wands. Other shops offer such things as wizard clothing, crystal balls, quill pens, potion bottles, caged owls and phoenixes, swords, staffs, magical candies and plush hippogriffs.