It’s safe to assume this man has won Father of the Year. Two or so weeks before Halloween, Seattle dad Jon Chambers quits his job to build something for his daughters and community. It was something straight out of the movies—literally.
Thanks to a little inspiration from his daughters, Chambers built a replica-size Diagon Alley, famous from Harry Potter, the London shopping district wizards and witches access behind a brick wall of the Leaky Cauldron pub. Most of the Harry Potter stories feature Diagon Alley and is a major access point for all the characters.
“I’ve always wanted to do something massive for Halloween or Christmas,” Chambers told GeekWire earlier last week amidst the alley’s construction. “I was born the day before Halloween, and October is like my power month. So I decided to quit my job and focus on this crazy thing.”
Chambers was formerly a creative director in the tech world, and also previously worked in construction, so he really was the perfect man for the job. His Diagon Alley features six storefronts like Ollivanders Wand Shop and cost a few grand to build.
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But the costs went down as more and more members of the community started pitching in, donating resources or time to help the project. Diagon Alley will stand through the New Year, with possibly some new additions, and will help fundraise for local cancer charities.
“People were floored, elated and genuinely in awe of what we all created in the short period it was under construction,” Chambers 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.”
Y’ALL I WENT TO ACTUAL DIAGON ALLEY!! pic.twitter.com/uRYrE1A4XW
— Anne Bean (@AnneBeanTweets) October 31, 2017
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