Magic is brought to life through the hands of student Joshua Taylor, owner of a Harry Potter wand shop.

Southeast Junior Joshua Taylor is from the country town of Poplar Bluff, Missouri. In the summer of 2017, he and his twin brother, Joseph Taylor, did not leave their countryside very often and found themselves turning to movies for entertainment. After binge-watching the Harry Potter series, Taylor grew fond of the wizarding adventures. The Harry Potter fan started researching everything there was to know about the franchise. According to Taylor, the lore is what really drew him in. Little did he know, he would discover a talent through his admiration of

the series.

After watching the movies repeatedly, Taylor and his brother were inspired to create their own wands opposed to buying replicas online. Taylor said he was only planning on making one personalized wand for himself but, he ended up loving it so much that he kept making more.

While his brother fell out of interest, he ended up creating his own collection of wands and did not know what to do with them. So, he thought of a way to make use of his hobby.

“I thought ‘I could sell these,’ and a little cashier sound ringed in my ears,” Taylor said.

He named his brand Tawny Owl Wands. He has so far sold four.

When a customer makes a wand request, Taylor will ask them basic questions such as their prefered length, design, color and if they want the wand to be polished or not. After the customer answers t"hese questions, he can give an estimate of how much the wands would cost.

The wand making process requires various tools such as different kinds of blades, wooden dowels, stains and polish. He said staining can take up to 24 hours. The process as a whole is usually about one full day.

Over the summer, Taylor said it was a lot easier for him to find the time to make these wands. Now that school is in session, as a full time student, he only has time to make them on the weekends.

“There were times I could make four wands in a single night,” Taylor said.

These Harry Potter-inspired wands come in a variety of styles. he also can make personalized wands. Pottermore.com is a website that Harry Potter fans go on to find out which Hogwarts house they would be placed in, their patronus and what kind of wand they would receive. The website will give the person details as to what the wand would contain and what it would look like. With Taylor’s creative ability, customers can take their Pottermore recommendations to Tawny Owl Wands.

Some people who are much like Taylor have a hidden talent they may be shy about or too harsh on themselves. He said that we are our worst critics and it is important that we look away from our self-bias. He advises people with hidden talents to ask for honesty from their friends because they cannot improve unless they know what is wrong.

“I don’t believe in failure,” Taylor said. “You’re either winning or you’re learning.”

For people interested in buying a wand, Taylor can be contacted through his Facebook shop page, Tawny Owl Wands.