By Sarah Shepherd
What started off as an idea for a Christmas gift, turned into something Harry Potter fans around the world can enjoy.
It started in 2008 and with Christmas just around the corner, Sara Ansted, a BYU graduate, was struggling to think of a present for her sisters. Knowing their love for Harry Potter, Ansted went online to find affordable, authentic looking wands, but was disappointed to find the wands cost more than $70 dollars.
Ansted decided to try her hand at whittling and made her own Harry Potter wands.
“I got some wooden dowels from the BYU Bookstore and said to myself, ‘Ok let’s see what happens’,” Ansted said.
Two years after Ansted made her first wands she decided to sell them online. She made a store on Etsy.com and was pleasantly surprised to see that people all over the world wanted to buy her wands. Ansted’s wands cost up to $18 and have been purchased by people in Brazil, Spain, England, Australia, Poland, Canada and Italy.
Stacy Julin, Ansted’s co-worker in the Circulation Department at the Provo City Library, purchased Ansted’s wands as birthday presents for her three sons. She was impressed by the wands workmanship and price.
“Each Wand is unique and really authentic looking. I’ve seen other wands for sale at Craft sales and Farmer’s Markets, but they are priced much higher and I like Sara’s Wands better,” Julin said. “My kids just describe them as ‘awesome!’.”
Ansted’s wands can be found online by visiting Etsy.com and searching “EmbershadeDragon.”
