With a long weekend trip to Maryland planned at the end of this month to meet up with Andrew and the kids for the first time in what feels like forever, I’ve been crafting and customizing little gift bags for each of them – as is my tradition whenever we all get to spend time together! – including but not limited to a few Killers’ t-shirts I picked up during their recent residency in Las Vegas.
My shopping list for said gift bags brought me to Olde Mistick Village in Mystic, Connecticut this past weekend, where in-between browsing some seriously cute toys and books, I came across The Cloak and Wand shop and “Potion Bar” within the village. With a big dragon out front and signage that looked like it was straight out of ‘Harry Potter’, I couldn’t resist popping in for a few minutes – and I’m so glad I did!
The gift shop is very much witch and wizard-theme, particularly the ‘Harry Potter’ franchise (but LOTR and ‘Dungeons & Dragons’ get some love, too!) with a wide array of toys, figurines, wands, books and décor – but it’s the overall look of the shop, with subtle moving pictures on the wall, and a huge indoor tree – that had me hooked to the point where I ended up staying much longer than expected so I could look at everything.
And their “Potion Bar”, which is a café that serve customized and uniquely flavored sodas and hot chocolates, was also lovely! I treated myself to a chocolate and banana-flavored cocoa, which was so good that I didn’t mind drinking it while it was super hot outside. I can easily see myself visiting again when it gets colder outside to try more of their flavors since their menu was huge and extensive!
They also have a second, sister location in Peddler’s Village in Pennsylvania – which I had driven by last year while in the area to see a show during the holiday season.
On Sunday, I carried some of that bewitching spirit home with me while putting some finishing touches on the Autumnal decorating I’ve been doing around my apartment, specifically with Halloween-inspired gifts Troy had bought me recently and with some new items I had picked up during my last stop at Roger’s Gardens while I was in California.
A little later on this week, I’m heading back to Deerfield for a quick stop at another “Local Loves” spot I’m excited to write about now that we are coming up on the first (official) day of the season – and because it’s one of the first places I visited after moving to the Pioneer Valley all those years ago!
’til then!
xo
Coffee & Chiffon 