According to multiple reports, residents say the street, once known for artisan craftsmen and traders, has been overrun with wizarding-themed stores. K. Rowling has stated she never visited the street and refuted the connection.
Resident Gabrielle de Yorvick, as reported by Daily Mail - News, described the street as now being a 'Diagon Alley replica' filled with cheap souvenirs, and said she avoids it. Another resident, Joanna Scott, called for the street to be protected from 'undignified commercialisation', expressing concern about what will fill the shops when the Harry Potter hype fades. Derek Reed, also speaking to Daily Mail - News, said the street has been 'Disneyfied', noting the shift from butchery and artisan crafts to wizard-themed merchandise.
As a child, it was a pleasure to walk along The Shambles, almost like walking through a page from a history book, fascinating for residents and visitors alike. People would stand and look up to admire the jettied architecture with its heavy oak beams and mullioned windows. The shops were interesting, clean, cared for and welcoming. These days it is a place I avoid like the plague.
The residents' specific demands for action remain unclear, as does the city council's response.
The interesting artisan shops are gone and the current shops are filled with 'Harry Potter' merchandise or cheap, tacky souvenirs. Someone seems determined to turn the place into a replica of Diagon Alley even though J K Rowling herself, has refuted the idea that she based it on The Shambles. Please, don't turn this lovely city into a theme park.
If you're not a Harry Potter fan - and I've nothing against boy wizards - it's such a shame that a real street with a real, fascinating history has not been more protected. What will fill the beautiful shops when the Harry hype dies down? I hope for proper shops; I wouldn't bet my wizardly hat on it, though.
It's striking how the character of this historic gem has changed over the years. Obviously way back in days of yore it was characterised by butchery and animal products which must have been offal for residents though I expect they were used to it. Now it's wizards and witches, ghosts, cats, potions and the factor that made Shambles famous, Harry Potter. Indeed, some would even co-opt the term 'Disneyfied' to capture the ambience of the street today. Fifty years ago, it was different with a much greater emphasis on artisan craftsmen and traders. Compare and contrast with today's street scene. I suppose it's what's called progress.