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<p>KINGSTON &#8212; A shop in Kingston best known for its commitment to the weird and macabre is now serving up coffee with an added dash of magic.</p><p>The Strange and Unusual Oddities Parlor, located on Wyoming Avenue in Kingston, had its grand opening of its Harry Potter-themed cafe, Steamy Hollows, on Thursday.</p><p>Josh Balz, owner of the shop, said the idea for the coffee shop was actually first dreamed up by a friend of his, Zach Neil, who owns another coffee shop under the same name in New York City.</p><p>&#8220;I told (Neil) it would be really cool if we could open one here,&#8221; Balz said. &#8220;Two months later and we&#8217;re here.&#8221;</p><p>&#8220;Here&#8221; in this case means an overhaul of the entranceway to the shop, turning it into a quaint coffeeshop filled with numerous nods to the Harry Potter universe that a keen-eyed fan will pick out immediately.</p><p>For Thursday&#8217;s opening of the coffeeshop, staff members were dressed up in their best witchy garb, ready to serve all kinds of coffee confections, ranging from your standard black coffee to drinks based on the world of Harry Potter. Balz said he expects the drink based on butter beer, one of the most iconic coinages from J.K. Rowling&#8217;s series of novels, to be the best seller.</p><p>Balz said he thinks the new coffeeshop is just the thing to attract more customers.</p><p>&#8220;(The store) felt like it needed something special to get people to come,&#8221; he said. &#8220;Harry Potter is such a huge, iconic thing.&#8221;</p><p>And Balz seemed to be right, because customers were already lining up to get their coffees outside of the shop before it even opened Thursday afternoon.</p><p>Balz said hype for the coffeeshop began to build through social media, shortly after he posted about it on Facebook last week. He said a video posted on the website announcing the coffeeshop racked up over 100,000 views in that period of time.</p><p>Julia Vitale, of Wilkes-Barre, was one of the first customers through the door on Thursday. She said she learned about the coffeeshop through Balz&#8217;s Instagram account.</p><p>&#8220;I love the style of the place,&#8221; she said, while pointing out the magical decorations adorning the walls. &#8220;It&#8217;s amazing.&#8221;</p><p>Vitale said she&#8217;s a big fan of Harry Potter, so she was excited to check out the shop. While she only got a standard coffee order instead of trying one of the themed drinks, there&#8217;s plenty of time for her or anyone else to try more &#8211; Balz said the coffeeshop is a permanent addition to the parlor which otherwise specializes in peculiarities like taxidermied animals and ouija boards.</p><style>
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<div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/web1_TTL042719steamy1.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Josh Balz in his new coffee shop &quot;Steamy Hallows&quot; inside the Strange and Unusual shop in Kingston. Aimee DIlger|Times Leader </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/web1_TTL042719steamy1.jpg</photo0><caption0>Josh Balz in his new coffee shop &quot;Steamy Hallows&quot; inside the Strange and Unusual shop in Kingston. Aimee DIlger|Times Leader </caption0><photoCredit0></photoCredit0></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/web1_TTL042719steamy2.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Sarah Janesko makes a butterbeer in the Steamy Hallows coffee shop. Aimee Dilger|Times Leader </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo1>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/web1_TTL042719steamy2.jpg</photo1><caption1>Sarah Janesko makes a butterbeer in the Steamy Hallows coffee shop. Aimee Dilger|Times Leader </caption1><photoCredit1></photoCredit1></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/web1_TTL042719steamy3.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Josh Balzgrabs his drink from the pick up window in his coffee shop &quot;Steamy Hallows&quot; inside the Strange and Unusual shop in Kingston. Aimee DIlger|Times Leader</div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo2>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/web1_TTL042719steamy3.jpg</photo2><caption2>Josh Balzgrabs his drink from the pick up window in his coffee shop &quot;Steamy Hallows&quot; inside the Strange and Unusual shop in Kingston. Aimee DIlger|Times Leader</caption2><photoCredit2></photoCredit2></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/web1_TTL042719steamy4.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Customers line up for drinks in the Steamy Hallows coffee shop in the Strange and Unusual shop in Kingston. Aimee Dilger|Times Leader </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo3>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/web1_TTL042719steamy4.jpg</photo3><caption3>Customers line up for drinks in the Steamy Hallows coffee shop in the Strange and Unusual shop in Kingston. Aimee Dilger|Times Leader </caption3><photoCredit3></photoCredit3></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><subheadMeta>Themed coffee shop opens in Kingston</subheadMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Pat Kernan</p><p>pkernan@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div>

Harry Potter-themed coffee shop opens in Kingston