I wonder how many magic shops are left in the USA?

Wunderground Magic in Clawson Michigan (great selections there and the staff is knowledgeable and great).
In Toledo Ohio, there is a small brick and mortar called Glass City Magic. It’s not big and Dennis caters more towards the beginners though he does get advanced items if needed.

I was about 11, and had done a "show and tell" for my 6th grade class. I had "performed" tricks that I had learned from Alexander the Magician's "The Magic Show Book". I had done OK, but, it was far from a "show"! Then! the children's librarian, bought a new magic book! Joseph Leeming's "Fun With Magic". WOW! Mr. Leeming had provided a list of MAGIC SHOPS, with addresses! Abbott's, Joe Berg's, Chanin's, Grants, Max Holden's, Kanter's, Carl Lohrey's, Nat Louis, Martinka, Nelson, Sterling's, Stull's, The Yogi Magic Shop!!!

Abbott's was the first one listed. Abbott's was in Lower Michigan, and, I lived in Upper Michigan. THAT afternoon, I wrote a letter on "3 hole" notebook paper, and, a week later, I had Abbott's #7 catalog! It was Christmas in February! I ordered a Brakawa Fan ($1.75) and a Mirror Glass ($1.00). Soon after, I bought a "Chinese" Wonder Fan (Tarbell Cone) and, Scotty's Cut & Restored Rope. (total investment:$3.00)

By that fall, I was 13. I had done a "show" for my dad's lodge, and a church men's club. I had the "guts" to approach the Jr. High School Principal, and book a show (on percentage) for the 500+ kids in his school! I tell that story in my book. It was a success, and I made $26.00 in 35 minutes! (It was 1945. Grown men were working all week for that money!) I had become a part time professional!

Several weeks later, my dad saw an ad in the "Milwaukee Journal", for Blackstone's "Show of 1001 Wonders" at the Davidson Theater, in Milwaukee. My parents said, "We'll go." (5 hour drive). I got to meet Mr. Blackstone, who was very kind.

The next day, we visited The Mystery Mart. I thought that I had died and gone to heaven! Mr. Len Patyk, the manager, helped me buy the props for Six Card Repeat, Clippo, and, a "bunch" of spring flowers. Total: $4.50!

I learned a few years later, that the dealers, in those days, knew what city that Blackstone had just played, by the orders for 6CR, and, Clippo!

TO BE CONTINUED! Watch this space!

Gene Gordon's House of Hocus Pocus on Franklin Street in Buffalo.

Since posting this I remembered the shop owner's name was "Morey." Then, after an inquiry, a gentleman of I.B.M. Ring 129 (Kansas City area) said his name was Morey Taub. The magic shop was in the lobby of the Howard Hotel in KC I recall -- but I also recall one relocation. Wish I could locate more historical information regarding the shops in KCMo in the 1950s and 60s.

Ace of magic

The Abracadaba magic shop in Colonia, NJ.

After that...Lou Tannens. That was just wonderful.

K

I was lucky, I grew up in NJ about 45 miles from Times Square. Louis Tannen's back when Tony and Jack were running it. I looked forward to those occasional trips into the city to visit Tannen's more than Christmas Day.

Ellusionist was the first magic store I purchased from.

I tried to go to Hocus Pocus but they told me they weren't open to the public.

First brick and mortar was probably a Houdini's in Vegas. Now D&L is right down the street from me (since they moved locations after Denny's passing) and I pop down there occasionally to chat with Cam and pick up books.

Any of you been to the Crow's Nest in Lake Tahoe back in the 90's remember the name of the magician who owned the place?

My first shop as a teenager was Ireland's in the Loop in downtown Chicago back in the mid 1950's. Frances Ireland/Marshall would wait on me and was very patient with my newbie questions. I can still see her face when I close my eyes . . . very pleasant memory from a long time ago.

My wife and son are very patient with me when we travel. Whatever city we are in, I go online to see if there is a local magic shop. The coolest one was when we were in Athens, Greece. I found a great little shop, but no one spoke English. Funny though, how performing some effects for one another bridges the language barrier.

When were you there?? I was there from '77 through the mid 80's, redid the catalog from the half size to the black full size one... SO many great memories there! Earl Nelson was there when I stated with Greg, and so many other greats came and went. Jonathan & I were there at the same time for most of our HM days. I documented as much as I could in the catalog. It started so much for me!

We had a small place called "The Joke Shop" in downtown Ft. Worth that had some basic magic and Johnson coin effects but the real treat was when my parents took my 30 miles away to Douglas Magicland in Dallas! It was truly a wonderland of enchantment. Mark Wilson had started there so it always held a special place in my heart. I ended up working at The Joke Shop doing magic as a teenager but it wasn't until I started at Hollywood Magic that the serious work REALLY began!

Top Hat Magic Co in Evanston IL.

Never visited it. Didn’t live there. Strictly mail order. Catalog cost ten cents. Discovered and ordered from an ad in Boys Life magazine (a Boy Scouts periodical) in the early or mid 1960s.

Lived in a Dallas suburb at the time, and only later discovered Douglas (later Jeffries) Magicland in downtown Big D — a long and rare trek for a kid, but I did it, and spent my allowance and lawn-mowing income there many times.

Al's Magic Shop in Washington D.C

Barry's in Maryland. Think it's closed down now. Normally people blame the online retailers, but funnilly my first online magic orders were from Magic Geek and they're closed down now too.