I just received the latest issue of Genii.

From the look of this one ad, it appeared as if Owen is looking for a serious buyer.

Can anyone add anything to that?

Thanks,

Gerry

It has been unoffically for sale for years. Alan would just like to retire.

Thanks Richard.

We can't fault anyone for retiring.

Gerry

I love Owen Magic, have used their props for years. I really hope someone buys it and carries on the tradition of high quality magic props.
Dave

Apparently, nobody stepped up to buy Owen. Owen posted this on its Facebook page today:




Someone commented that Owen is closing.

:(

Mark

I have several effects from the original "Owens" - "OWEN BROTHERS - Magic Supreme Thayer Studio" on South San Pedro, Los Angeles. Bought around 1959 and on. I remember, Carl -John Daniel -George McCathy - Red(?) - still have Catalogs #4 - #5 - $7 -- Way before 'Smith' - a great group. Ralph ROUSSEAU (russo)

It's amazing - the effects I bought for $35, and $50.(1960's) now cost #350. and $500. WoW

Alan and Alexia will be missed.

And another Chapter of the history of magic closes. Farewell Owens and Thanks for the Magic.

On the recent Magic Collectors Corner podcast , Mike Caveney clarified a point about Owen's closing: They have sold the building at 734 North McKeever Ave.,Azusa, CA and they are selling off all the existing stock (especially trying to unload all the large illusions) , but the business is not going out of existence. There is no longer a retail showroom or workshop now that the building has been sold and Alan Zagorsky is retired, nothing new is being manufactured as of now, but the company is still for sale to anyone who wants to step up and purchase the Owen Magic Supreme name and proprietary material (plans, etc.) So potentially someone could keep the wheels turning. In the meantime, Mike Caveney mentioned that Alexia Zagorsky can be contacted through the Owen website to fulfill orders on smaller props that they may still have in stock. (that is as of Sept.26, 2020 ... that doesn't mean it will still be the case 2 months from now or 6 months from now, or year from now , so if there's anything you wanted , check with her now.)

OWEN BROTHERS - WOW - Great Props, Wife and I bought many in the late 50's-mid 60's when shop was on San Pedro (?) St. Los Angeles John Daniels, George McCathy, Carl Owens, and a young man named "Red' - Still have about 6 -8 of them (in storage). Remember buying couple items for $35. Sold them in the early 2000's for $350. Original Owens were great people.

Owens has posted their latest Catalog on line at their website. The only thing is they listed each chapter separately so you will have to keep returning the download page and download each topic. Very nice picture of some of their products.

I have 2 of the older Owen Catalogs, and I note their is a lot of props effects that were not in the previous catalogs. So if you like to see some of their offerings, take the time to download the full catalog. Oh yes, it is all a free download.

http://www.owenmagic.com/index1.htm

Best to use Google Chrome as it works best and easiest for PDF downloads.

I'm not going to join this love festI'd heard wonderful things about this near legendary company most of my life, and I coughted up the fifteen dollars for a copy. This was thirty years back, when fifteen dollars would buy a three hundred page hard down book.
I wanted to class up my act. After waiting several weeks, I got a letter that thay had raised there prices a I needed to send more money. Several months later I got another message that they had raised their prices again, and I owed more money. I actually fell for it. A month later my order arrived. The props, rubber production items were beautiful, they were also completely useless. Rubber fruit and a shoe were so thick that you literally could not bend them, much less fold them up, I don't know what they thought rubber props were for. The rubber carrot was a thing of beauty that outlived three snowman effects. The others got tossed in a drawer, and I never touched them again. I complained about the six month delivery time in a news letter, somebody at Owen answered that it wasn't there fault, they couldn't wait on me because Doug Henning hat placed a large order that hat to come first.
All this cheer leading is as phony as a linking ring meeting review.

I love every Owen item that I own. Owen's quality has spoiled me to the point that other makers, even highly regarded makers, sometimes deliver me an item that is somewhat disappointing. Owen is the yardstick by which quality gets measured.

And anyone that suggests that my positive comments are phony can stick their head where the sun don't shine.

Mark

I still have several Original-Owen effects,bought in the late 50' -early 60's then was great quality and great people (met/new Carl Owen- John Daniels - Red - George McCathy ). Now days, nobody knows quality or good Customer Service. Anna and I lived in the San Fernando Valley (Van Nuys) then - SAM #22 - Joe Berg - Hollywood Magic -great time. Now live in Central Florida, with all the other ol' folk. (:->) Ralph ROUSSEAU (russo)

Glad you liked it. My experience was completely different.

Ringmaster, you actually remember all that from 30 years ago? Everyone is entitled to a mistake and who know what was going on that long ago. I can fully understand why they would cater to someone like Doug Henning first although I do believe they should have told you up front why there was a delay.

Yes, I still don't understand the rubber props that were way to thick to fold. Much like trying to fold up a tennis shoe sole, I'm not exaggerating. And they weren't cheap.On the plus side they all looked completely real. The carrot was the nose on three different snowman illusions. The delay was about three months. The other things were put away for ever. My one handed production box was a joy to look at, it sat beside an Okedo bawl vanish for years. Maybe if I'd lived on the left coast I would have different memories.

So the rubber props looked great , were well-made , but they didn't function the way you wanted them to function , i.e. fold up flat. (However, you apparently did get a lot of use out of the rubber carrot you purchased from them.) So, let me ask: did Owen Magic Supreme advertise their rubber props as "folding up flat" or "compressing down to very small size" or some such language in their catalog that led you to believe you were purchasing items that would compress down into a small space ? What kind of production device did you intend to use them with ? Did you communicate with Owen Magic Supreme first to ascertain whether these props would suit your intended purpose before you purchased the props ? I'm certain if you had told Alan what you wanted to do with the props (for example, if you told him what kind of production device you planned to use , giving the specific size of the load chamber) he would have let you know whether or not the props would fit.





The only "One-Handed Production Box" I'm familiar with that Owen's made was intended to be used with silks. It's not very large , about 6" tall x 4" deep. (maybe there was a larger version ? But I've never seen one. The one I know is a small box ... which can be held in one hand ... hence the name...) Are you saying you purchased the Owen One-Handed Production Box expecting that you could stuff a rubber shoe and rubber fruit and vegetables into the load chamber ?! No way, even if they were more compressible. Again, I'm certain if you had told Alan that you were planning to use the One-Handed Production Box with the rubber shoe and rubber fruit props he would have set you straight.


Why didn't you just sell them instead of putting them away ? (Owen items are quite sought after by collectors ... but the latex items probably would not be in good shape by now , although if they were stored in a cool, dry place they might still be usable ... as a rule latex of any kind tends to break down over the years ... from your description this was probably more like 40 - 45 years ago which was when Doug Henning was active. He retired from performing in the mid-1980's. )

.

By the way, I do agree with you that they dropped the ball by not informing you immediately that they had accepted a large job from a major client (Doug Henning) and that fulfillment of other orders would be delayed. On the other hand , was there another source for the items you had ordered at that time ? If there was another company where you could obtain the same items I guess you would have had the option to cancel the order and get a refund when they first told you that you needed to send more money to cover their price increase, but if the items were only available from them, what else could you do? When it involves made-to-order props sometimes you just have to wait. I don't like it , but that's the way it is. I suppose it would have been worth the wait if the latex rubber items you had ordered were usable for what you had intended to use them for. I can see how that left a bad taste in your mouth.