Sun, Jul 05, 2009
 Jayden Murphy, 4, wand in hand, waits for a spot at the crafts table set up at the Barnes & Noble store at Foothills Mall. (If only he could wave that wand to get his copy early.) His caped sister, Belle, 7, is behind him. Tucson stores, like outlets nationwide, were caught up in the excitement over the last Harry Potter novel.
James Gregg / arizona daily star
Sierra Tucson Eating Disorders Program Coordinator Administrative & Professional Jorgensen Brooks Group Counselor Health Care Dependable Health Services Physical Therapists Construction West-Press Printing Health Care CENTRAL ARIZONA COLLEGE DIRECTOR OF HEALTH INFORMATION MANAGEMENT Mechanical Komatsu Equipment Co Resident Field Mechanic Administrative & Professional Tucson Urban League CEO/President Tucson RegionIt's Harry at midnightFans line up early for much-anticipated final book in Potter series
ARIZONA DAILY STAR
Tucson, Arizona | Published: 07.21.2007
Midnight couldn't come fast enough for hundreds of die-hard Harry Potter fans who lined up Friday, several hours before the witching hour when "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" was to go on sale.
At the Borders store at Park Place mall, 5870 E. Broadway, several people stood outside beginning before dawn Friday to get the first color-coded wristbands the store was using to distribute the book.
People in line Friday had pre- ordered the book, but they couldn't get a place in line until Friday morning. Some Potter fans arrived as early as 4:30 a.m. to get a wristband.
"We're dedicated, insane fans," said Catherine Johnson, 37, who waited for two hours to get her band.
"We're standing in line for the privilege of standing in line," said Amanda Leisure, 25, a graphic designer who was to return Friday night to stand in line again for the seventh and final installment in the series penned by author J.K. Rowling.
The color-coded wristbands Borders has used for several years meant customers with orange ones would be among the first to get their copy at midnight. Other colors followed.
Anyone wanting to buy the book today won't need a wristband, said Borders manager Michael Fenlason. Both Borders locations are opening at 7 a.m.
"We've got about 3,600 bands. I'm not sure if we're going to use them all, but we might get close," said Fenlason, who declined to say Friday how many copies the store is keeping in stock.
Publisher Scholastic shipped more than 12 million copies of the 784-page book. It retails for $34.99 but can be bought for about $20 at most places.
Not all stores were giving out places in line early. Barnes & Noble planned to start handing out tickets at 6 p.m. Friday.
The children's bookstore, Kids Center, 1725 N. Swan Road, planned to offer a pick-up service in the store and a drive-through distribution system for pre-paid orders starting at 11 p.m. Friday.
After waiting two years for "Deathly Hallows," Chris Mills, 40, said she didn't mind waiting in line two hours Friday for a wristband.
"I asked for this weekend off months ago just so I could read the book," said Mills, a mother of two. "People in my house know to leave me alone this weekend."
Dena Payne, 45, an East Side resident, arrived with her family Friday morning to get three wristbands to buy six copies of the book, including one for a 25-year-old nephew serving in the Navy.
"This is the highlight of our summer," Payne said.
"Now we're just trying to decide how we'll read it — should we read it as fast as possible or savor it for as long as we can?
"We just want to know how it ends."
● Contact reporter Levi J. Long at 573-4179 or llong@azstarnet.com.
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