...people who are just turning onto magic now will probably never set foot in an actual magic shop. And if they do, it will be a huge novelty.

Geez.

I wondered if, along with having made information accessible to pretty much everyone, the Internet has actually killed off most of the B&M magic shops. The last one I actually set foot in was Davenport's in London -- hidden away in a forgotten branch of a train station. (I STILL felt that little thrill when I walked in.) I recognized the feel of A MAGIC SHOP instantly.

Like many of you, I cut my teeth on magic in the 80's and actually found a mentor in the owner of a local magic shop. He and his shop are long gone now -- but I still remember the mind stretching "spell"bound hours spent there learning and listening and asking questions. There was actual human interaction going on -- not jerky camera angles and sales pitches on the Internet.

Don't get me wrong. This isn't a blah blah posting on how the big bad Internet is serving as the vehicle for dissemination of our secrets. Not at all. Times change. I get it. This is more of a sad kind of feeling for the new up-and-comers who will never know the excitement of pawing through a discount box, or peeking in at mysterious props in a glass showcase and wondering what the heck that cool looking stuff did (and how they would look DOING it)...chewing the fat with guys who know so much more than you and are open to sharing it...or at least showing off.

I felt a keen sense of loss this morning as I thought about this.

My mentor taught me the value of secrets and he made me EARN each one he shared with me. No kidding. They weren't props for sale...they were valuable nuggets -- gems, actually -- of knowledge he passed onto me -- knowledge prized much more highly than the gimmick. He introduced me to the luminaries (all PFHs -- Personal Friends of His) who passed through town. And on many, many occasions ( ) graced me with the permission to trudge through the snow behind him, grumbling to myself as I lugged his huge clunky sound system and/or huge clunky props box, while he breezed on ahead of me into the venue and greeted each client like an old and valued friend.

He expected me to do all of this...for free. And I did. Gladly. But he always let me watch him perform and he always taught me something new at the end of each day. No question: I came out on top on that bargain. I still use the techniques he taught me. And I am still grateful to him. I was very lucky that he took an interest in teaching me how to be a magician. Seriously.

Where will new performers get that kind of experience today? Not on the internet. It's simply not possible. Magic clubs? Maybe...but still....hmmmm. Is it something they want...or even something they would see value in? It's an honest question.

Having had a magic shop of my own in the pre-internet days, I've seen it from both sides. And, yeah, I KNOW that the Internet opens the doors to anything I want. Yeah, yeah. I get it.

But I still visit the B&Ms wherever I can. And I will always buy something to say thank you.

I'm wondering what the effect on new performers this trend is going to have, since it's really starting to look like B&Ms are a fading dream other than in the big cities. I hope I'm wrong...but I don't think I am.

David

The thing I would have liked to have had, and still kinda hanker after a little is a genuine mentor...

in my opinion - the internet has done far more good than harm though, overall...

There is a great little magic shop in Plymouth called Top Secret Magic, a wonderful shop with a wonderful owner and smell !

Dr Rob.

Thanks for the ride down memory lane, David. When I wanted to open my shop, I was told that a magic shop would not support itself, that I needed something to pay the rent. At that time, party supply stores were at #3 for new businesses, so that’s the direction I went. That was years ago, and my shop is just another memory, but I think there is still a place for B&M shops.

I know, many will say that party supplies are moving rapidly to the internet as well. But, there are still a lot of people who prefer to see what they are getting before buying. Plus… what are the chances that we’ll start ordering balloon bouquets through the mail? I guess, what I’m saying is that there may still be a place for B&Ms, if one can just find a really popular partner business.

That being said, I believe that there are far fewer people in our art who even think about opening a shop. That, too, I attribute to the internet. Internet mark-up is much more attractive to a businessman than retail mark-up. Sad, really. Cest la vie.

I also started in magic with the Brick & Mortar Shops. There was a little store in Ottawa, Ontario called Bill's Trick & Joke Shop. That is where I met my first mentor. When I moved to Montreal, Quebec there was Morrissey Magic. I spent time in southern California and frequented Hollywood Magic, Presto Magic in Long Beach and another store in Pasadena. I live in northern British Columbia where there are no B&M. The closest B&M is Murray's in Victoria, British Columbia situated on Vancouver Island. I too miss the nostalgia. Thank you for posting this David.

Ray

I have a shop about an hour's drive from my house. I always have wondered how they stay in business, but I am glad the shop is still around. I do enjoy going in and conversing with the owner and getting small performances from him. I always buy something when I go too as a thank you of sorts. Hope those shops that still remain can stick it out.

I learned from Jimmy Yoshida and Curtis Kam in Hawaii. Jimmy had a shop at his house on the leeward side of Oahu. I bought most of the classics from him and was at his house every Wed. night learning from one of the greats!

I've been back on the mainland for about 12 years now and am (very) fortunate to be friends with the owner of a world class B&M magic shop in the city of San Francisco (I live about an hour North). You're right, David. There's nothing like having a trusted mentor to walk you through the process of learning this great art! AND, you're right about another thing: Joe doesn't give things away for free. I have to earn every little tid-bit he's got, and he's been there a long time.

I work the internet all the time, but I'm also grateful for my friend Joe, and his shop! We talk about the internet and his shop every time I visit. He says business is still pretty good, considering.

Jorey

David,

I grew up outside of Boston and me and friend would take the subway into Boston and go to Little Jack Horner's, I think it was a combination head/trick/magic shop. Tony Eye might be able to shed some light on that. When I moved to Daytona Beach, Fla., across from my high school (Seabreeze High, famous alums include Greg and Duane Allman) was Daytona Magic. I got to know Harry and Irv and also work for them. I learned a lot from Harry.

When I moved to Hillsboro, Ohio, I met Leland Pennington, who brought me back into the field (circa 1997), introduced me to the I.B.M. Ring 71, which meets at Haines House of Cards in Norwood, Ohio, just outside of Cincinnati. Leland has been an incredible mentor. He has taught me a lot. If you want to know about Leland, ask Richard Osterlind. Leland is the creator of Irresistible Forces, which is marketed through Osterlind Mysteries. Leland teaches the stuff they don't teach anymore. He has a knack and the vision to make any effect better.

In recent years, Richard Osterlind has been a sounding board and has given me a lot of direction, like he has so many others here.

David, a lot of what you are reminiscing about might be found in a local magic club.

Bobby

I started magic about two years ago, mentalism 6 months later and have never been to a decent magic shop. Part of the reason is that in my country, magic shops are extremely rare. Its more or less isolated from international lecture and performance circuits. I have chatted a lot with the owner of a shop who lives across the country, but had no real 'mentor'. All I know and have learnt has its roots in the internet. Had it not been for the internet, I'd still be doing petty math tricks from books at the bookstore. So, in that aspect, the net has been a positive experience.

To all those people that have a local magic shop, please help them stay in business. Perform shows for fundraising, have lectures, local magician meetups and what not to help sustain them. I'm sure you guys will figure something out.

Eugene Burger wrote an excellent article about this a few years back:

http://www.magicbeard.com/essays/the-sad......shop.php

Theres an excellent magic shop in Little Rock Arkansas, "Mr. Magic and novelties" run by Jim Henson. (not THAT jim henson.) He's a great guy and the local magicians all hang around the shop. A nicer fellow you'll never find.

I remember that shop when it was Jack Cohen's. I spent all of my pocket money there every week for years. And when I grew older and revisited magic, after a break in my teens, that's the place to which I returned (while it was still run by Jack's wife).

T.

When I started in Magic I had to go the mail order route (this is way before the internet). I was not old enough to drive and the closest place that may have had a shop back then was Seattle.

I envy you guys who had a shop that you could actually visit.

-Max