Columnist Muriel Stevens: No time to waste for Potter

Wednesday, June 25, 2003 | 8:28 a.m.

The magic of Harry Potter. After being away for 10 days the last thing I wanted to do early Sunday morning was to go to the Barnes & Noble bookstore on Maryland Parkway to pick up the three "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix" books I had ordered some months ago. When I called to make certain that my books had arrived I learned that I had only 24 hours before the books went back on the shelves.

Who knew that the usual week for holding books had been pared back to 48 hours? Not me.

Within minutes after the latest Potter thriller went on sale, Barnes & Noble was sold out. So off I went to redeem mine. And what a terrific price -- 40 percent off $29.95. I got an additional 10 percent off for being a member of the B&N book club. With the tax, the price was just under $16. The salesperson said the new waiting list for this epic Potter was as long as the original.

Walking into Costco later in the day, I was stunned to find at the entrance a huge stack of "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix." The price was (without tax) $15.76. Of course, Costco did not include a pair of the Harry Potter specs that the savvy clerk at B&N included with my purchase. I'll wear them when I find the time to read the thrilling tome.

More Potter: The new Potter book went on sale just before my "red-eye" flight to Las Vegas took off. The last couple who boarded the plane had barely settled into their seats before the male pulled a book from his knapsack. Deeply engrossed in my own book, it was few minutes before I realized he was, with dramatic emphasis, reading Potter aloud to his lovely female companion, who was completely enthralled.

Adding a bit of spice: William Bounds pepper and spice mills have long been a part of my "must-have" kitchen accessories. Now there are some new William Bounds designs that are versatile and exciting. MasterMill has interchangeable glass tops so that one mill can be used for various ingredients. A basic black model is $27.99. Add two additional glass tops for $16.99 or four glass tops with a storage rack for $34.99. A stainless steel MasterMill is $44.99. MasterMill can even handle those fancy wet sea salts.

A high-output chef's mill, the brushed metal Reel Mill yields three times the volume of traditional William Bounds mills. Look for William Bounds pepper and spice mills in cookware stores and the housewares sections of department stores.

Forum Shop update: A number of new stores have opened at the Forum Shops at Caesars with more to come as soon as the new Strip front addition is completed. Shoppers will be able to access a people mover right to the entrance -- many new stores and restaurants, too. Among the shops no longer at the Forum Shops are Alfred Dunhill, Rose of Sharon, the Swatch shop, Giggles, M.J. Christensen jewelers and Crystal Galleries. Among the most recently opened are the first Jay Strongwater boutique, the Louis Vuitton Global store -- one of only eight in the country to offer the complete line of Vuitton merchandise and Tod's and Valentino. Coming soon: Burberry signature apparel and accessories, Corsa Collections, John Varvatos, Vicci, OPM restaurant and nightclub and Fat Tuesday, a New Orleans bar and sandwich spot.