Seattle dad created Harry Potter's Diagon Alley for all the community wizards on Halloween
The only secret ingredient of wizardy used in the making of this project was community.
For Halloween, Jonathan Chambers of Seattle, Washington, created his very own Diagon Alley - a famous location in the Harry Potter franchise - and now American wizards can visit.
The father of two got the inspiration from one of his daughters, who suggested the enchanted place and he began planning as soon as possible to put it up in the city's Ballard neighborhood.
This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.
"Harry Potter, this fantastical world is perfect theme for Halloween," he told Mashable. "Diagon Alley is the perfect atmosphere for the holidays from Halloween through the New Year, and we plan to take advantage of the excitement for local charities."
This isn't the first time Chambers worked on a big project like this. He's worked on smaller plans similar to this, but never in a holiday setting in his own home.
This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.
"It took a lot of pre-planning and obsessing over all the details, most of which I did in my head," he said. "I did do quite a few drawings and a lot of research on each of the shops and the Alley itself."
The craftman worked on six of the 30 storefronts that makeup the fictional shopping district and it only took 17 days to complete. Was it magic? Chambers may never tell.
Despite the heavy workload, he didn't work on this project alone. He said he may have spent around $2,500-$3,000 out of pocket, but most of the materials and supplies were donated by the community.
Chambers also used 3D printing to create some of the series most notable items.
By Monday, the project was completed and he posted the update on Twitter. Diagon Alley officially opened to the public for the first time on Halloween.
"People were floored, elated and genuinely in awe of what we all created in the short period it was under construction," he told Mashable. "The number one comment I received last night was 'Thank you for doing this for a community.' It is a good news story in the middle of a lot of depressing ones currently."
This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.
Already over 2,000 people visited the shopping district and raised over $3,000 in donations for pancreatic cancer research.
The overwhelming response is motivating Chambers to plan the next big thing. He's already planning for next year and spoiler alert, it might have a Star Wars theme.
"I want people to be inspired to get involved. Make a difference with what you can impact, your community, the people in your immediate circle," he said. "We had friends and family of all skill levels get involved and make a difference with this project. No excuses, just get up and do it."
The good news is Diagon Alley will be open until Christmas, so get your wands ready and head over to Seattle away from all the muggles.
Topics Harry Potter
