Loved you in the Houdini movie.

Tommkay:

Thanks for your input about magic shops staying around. I do something for over the past 2 years at my shop called Friday Night Magic. On a good Friday I get in over 50 magicians any skill level & any age. It is a social network night in which magicians may perform if they are inclined to do so. As far as magicians supporting a shop I knew going into the business this would not be the case. I belong to the 3rd largest SAM assembly in the USA and about 5% have actually been in my shop.
My customer base has been 60% business professionals including doctors, lawyers, salespeople, business owners & other hobbyist. 30% children 8 - 18. 10% regulars who are starting to get paying gigs in magic.

The Friday Night Magic night is a fantastic idea. I wish more shops did that. I occasionally travel to Philly and will try to time my visit some time to stop by on the way down.

Things ain’t what they used to be....any time!

I've visited a few shops. I find that the smaller shops tend to be friendlier. My local shop, the salespeople know me ,they know my interest. When something comes in that they know I might be interested in they let me know .I've been to bigger shops where they just try to sell me anything. They keep pushing certain products and I leave without making a purchase.I do wish my local shop had a friday night magic night.That was mentioned on this thread it sounds like a good idea.

I recall going to Tannen's as a kid back in the mid '70s when Irv and Tony were behind the counter all the time. Perhaps I was too naive as a kid to see if they were focusing mostly on the sale (with the older guy - after all, I'm sure they knew my funds were limited), but they ALWAYS made time to talk with and show me and my friend things appropriate for our interests and skill level and teach us things and show us the books to buy to learn "xyz". And even with a crowded shop on a Sat afternoon, they always made time for us and made us feel welcome.

I fear that today's B&M, needing to focus even more intently on the sale, along with the cliquish attitude of the "regulars" in the shop, will turn off a lot of kids who want to get into the art, and they'll hightail it to the Internet store du-jour, not having anyone to show them the finer points, mentor them, and give them an appreciation of it all.

THAT is where I see the problem if we lose the B&M shops. And as I travel the country (and the world), I see fewer and fewer of them. A lot better place for kids to hang out after school or on weekends than on the street corners, IMHO. Sigh...

Not all B&M shops are equal. Back when Dennis the Magician was in Ottawa, I was over there whenever I could. I got some good advice and was steered towards Vernon's Book of Magic, which I still treasure. I got to see demos of a lot of their stock, it was certainly nice to see the employees in action. Local magicians would hang there and it wasn't rare to drop into an informal session. Unfortunately the shop closed many years ago.

Now the local magic shop I sometimes go to is much different. I don't recall seeing a demo of anything. The owner had no idea what Expert at the Card Table was. But they do have a lot of magic makers stuff, and they sell the "how to make flash paper" DVD...

I support it, but I wish Dennis the Magician was still in town.

Please vote for Magic Sojourn at: http://myfoxphilly.cityvoter.com/magic-sojourn-trick-shoppe/biz/87265. I had to close my shop due to lack of business, 8 shops had left my towns business district in the past 6 months. Right now I am trying to find a place to relocate and need to keep my name recognition out there. It would be beneficial to me to have my store voted #1 Gift Shop(Magic) in the Philadelphia area so when I relocate to my new location I could have this accolade hanging in my front window. You do not have to post a comment but please VOTE!!!! Thanks, John Bodner

Let me try that link again: http://myfoxphilly.cityvoter.com/magic-sojourn-trick-shoppe/biz/87265. You can also goto my website, http://www.magicsojourn.com, and click on the link for 2008 myfoxphilly HOT LIST. Thanks again, John Bodner.

Voted for you John! (under 3easypieces). Unfortunately, since it's not in Philly, I could only vote once! lol

Hope you find a place soon. Historic Bristol Borough doesn't know what great possibilities it has as a destination; it's a shame more business couldn't be driven there.

Skimmed through some of the pages in this thread and I say Please read through
http://www.themagiccafe.com/forums/viewf......=230&225

With the proliferation of poor quality materials,
lack of guidance and quality teaching.
Brick & Mortar shops are needed more than ever!!!!


I can not express (my gratitude for) all that Denny http://www.dennymagic.com has done for myself and many, many more performers and magicians

I know of no better place to learn the craft, no one more dedicated to helping others learn the craft in the best possible way than Denny.

Sometimes you have to read the books, figure/work it out and not take the "easy" way of a DVD.
When learning linking rings from reading "Symphony of the Rings" there were moments I struggled. Once I did get it down, I truly understood the moves and "owned" them.

When asked to list my influences it's an honor and a privilege to list Denny Haney

Forget experiences you've had in the past, get yourself over to the Yellow Brick Road (the address of Denny's)

Don't expect tricks or "secrets".........
.......... but expect your eyes (more importantly your mind) to be opened

Not sure if this is the right place to post this, so if not, kindly send me a link to the correct section. I am interested to continue watching Penguin Live Lectures via digital download and have bought and watched and enjoyed and learned form many over the years, directly form Penguin Live. They now see to have raised the price of their Act Series of Penguin Live DVDs to $39,00US after it has aired. I found the very same digital download available for $399US non the site:
https://erdnasemagicstore.com I would like to know

1. is the quality of these digital downloads as good as the quality offered via Penguin Magic?

2. Is it legit for Erdnase Magic store to sell these same digital lectures for such a low price?

Is it illegal?

Or legal.

Any other comments are welcome.

Many thanks.

After browsing a bit through the selections in the video section I will give you my suspicions.

The videos often contain a line in the description that makes one wonder. "Gimmick not included". Seems as if something odd is going on. I'm not certain, and the legal ideas are well beyond my knowledge. But it seems suspicious to say the least.

Thanks. i’ll stick with. Using through Penguin st their regular price and stop looking for a deal.

Best wishes.

Jonathan

Danny's suspicions are correct. At least some of them are not authorized products.

Market Magic is a pricey joint in some ways but is a Seattle institution. I'm willing to spend a few extra bucks to keep them thriving.
Dave's Killer Magic is very different and has a very community minded approach, bringing some of the best in the industry to Vancouver.
One is an aesthetic experience, one is an educational one.

And then there's Houdini's. They're fun. Their demos are pushy and the stuff they want to sell you is usually cheap plastic that only vaguely resembles any real world object I've ever seen. But the antique cases are neat.

I will always prefer being able to feel the weight of a book or prop before sinking my money into it. I've gotten too much fake junk online to put much hope in it.

Long live the magic store.

Https://youtu.be/M920v5tesQc

In many ways the magic shop was a labor of love. I can remember Russ Delmar and magic Circle on 8th ave in Manhattan, cared more about helping magicians, than making money. Tannen's which was a couple of blocks over was more about the latest - greatest but was a hangout for magicians and if you had "paid your dues" could be given some great advice from them. Micky Hades in Seattle was also a favorite jaunt of mine. For me, those were the golden years of the magic shops, before there was an internet and China ripping off everything. Progress isn't so progressive all the time.

For a few years I was doing business consulting and traveling throughout the US. I tried to get to any Magic shop in the area. Almost all have some additional revenue streams: most are costumes, followed by party rooms. One aspect that surprised me with a lot of shops I visited was the poor customer service. Several had people behind counter that had no idea about the items they were selling. I don’t expect them to be able to demo every item, or even know all details, but when they have to pick up the package and read verbatim on something like d’lites, it doesn’t help. Also, I’ve been to a few shops where there were knowledgeable folks, but they had an air of superiority. I’m a hobbyist, but fairly knowledge about magic. Talking with one shop owner, he asked if I knew a certain performer, which I hadn’t (turns out he was fairly famous in the region). After I said I didn’t know him, the owner told me that I must not know sh!t then...my jaw dropped, and I left.

I grew up with a local magic shop and have fond memories of hanging out there, spending way to much money, and talking and learning about magic. Of the shops I visit today, very few are like that...

Call me crazy, but I recently opened a magic shop in Montreal. The fact is, I love being surrounded by magic and talking magic with all kinds of magical people. It’s a labour of love for the most part, but at least I’m not losing money. My ‘regular’ income is from performing magic shows.

Todd