The Vanishing Palaces of Mystery

I grew up in Brookings, South Dakota, a small college town near the borders of both Minnesota & Iowa.  While Magic Shops were more plentiful when I grew up in the 60's & '70's, our town wasn't blessed with one.  I was forced to dream of these miraculous places while turning the pages of catalogs from Abbott's, Tannen's, Magic Inc., and others scattered across the country.  I imagined what the actual magic shops looked like... regal, reverent, and mysterious, with all the wondrous tricks described in the catalogs on glittering display, ready to be demonstrated by the master wizards behind the counter,.. a Palace of Mysteries!  

I was 9 or 10 when I finally walked through the doors of a real magic shop, and while the experience was somewhat different, it was no less thrilling.   It happened on a family trip to Minneapolis, which was a thrill in itself to a young man who's only "big city experience" up to that time had been Sioux Falls, SD (population then around 72,400).  The first thing I did when we got in our room at Howard Johnson's was to flip to the "M's" in the phone book (yes, I recognize how these statements age me), and there is was, under "Magic Supplies,"  Eagle Magic Shop! I didn't realize at the time that it was considered the oldest magic shop in the country (purportedly opened in in 1899), all I knew was that I was about to start begging my parents to take a drive down Portland Avenue and experience this Wonderland!

It really didn't take that much persuading, as "finding a magic shop" had been my only topic of conversation on the 4-hour drive to the Minneapple. My mind was spinning with possibilities as we headed into the heart of the city.  Would the shop take up an entire city block?  Would it have turrets? Perhaps there was a giant, gold-gilded eagle over the entrance, it's talons clutching a magic wand!

As it turned out, we missed it completely the first time we drove by.  At the time Eagle Magic Shop was housed in a small, unassuming storefront, and it was a bit of a blink or you'll miss it experience, despite the large sign over the windows.  When I stepped inside, however, I realized that the modest exterior was simply misdirection.  True, in size the interior was also modest, but was it housed was a King's riches in magic!  Shelves & and glass cases were filled with the tricks I had only seen in catalogs, the walls lined with posters of famous magicians, new & old, and the Wizards behind the counters, while not exactly in top hat & cape, were masters of magic... and the sale.  I left with a large bag of magic tricks, an empty wallet, and another element to my magic addiction.

Yes, I'm addicted to magic shops. As the years have gone by, I've been to many, some still thriving, others not so much. When the magic bug was biting hard again last fall, my wife & I visited Rome, Italy, where I tracked down Eclectia, the oldest magic shop in Rome.  I was that giddy little kid again, and I truly believe that Isabella behind the counter could have sold me the moon and stars.  Sadly, while I was absorbing the atmosphere of shops around the country and across the pond, I had been driving by a Palace of Mystery in my own town every day without stopping for a long time.  As it turned out, I would regret that.

The Magic Corner is tucked away in a small strip of stores on Capital in Raleigh.  While Jon and his wife were not the first owners, they are the only ones I've known since I moved here, and early on I would drop by to pick up a magic magazine or the latest trick, share magic gossip with Jon, and pet George, their "vicious guard dog."  Time passes, the magic bug wasn't strong enough yet, I lived in D.C. for a couple of years, and when I returned, I was distracted by other things, and while I saw Jon's pickup with The Magic Corner sign parked in front of the building, I was always too busy to stop in.

A few weeks ago, I noticed that the pickup was gone.  While my first thought was that he was using it to haul inventory, something felt wrong.  Checking their Facebook page when I got home, I was faced with sad news.  Jon had posted some months prior that The Magic Corner was nearing the end, and the doors would be closing... sometime.  When?  Did I miss it?  What the hell??  I got in my car and drove over, fearing that the doors would be locked, but when I pulled up the neon Open sign was flashing.

I was greeted by an owner who was still cordial, but sad.  I told him I was sorry, but my words felt inadequate, more empty than his shelves.  "Well, you know, the internet," he said.  I did know.  Magic isn't a high-volume product; even in the best of times, brick and mortar shops have been more labors of love than gold mines to their owners.  The mass-marketing power of online magic shops has cut heavily into what little revenue the real world shops were making, and Jon certainly isn't the first owner forced to shut off the lights.

I asked him how much longer he'd be open, and he told me he wasn't sure.  I asked what was next for him.  He smiled and said, "Well, I might start doing shows again."  I told him that was great, that he would be great, but the sadness still lingered.

I bought a few things, petted the vicious guard dog, shook Jon's hand and said, "I'll come back before you... you know..."

"Watch our Facebook page," he said.

I left feeling a bit ashamed.  I know that the few things I might have picked up at The Magic Corner weren't going to keep the doors open, but while I'm a poor magician (at the moment), I'm better than average at advertising & marketing... perhaps I could have been a better cheerleader for the shop, at the very least.

I don't condemn online magic shops for "killing the brick & mortar storefronts."  It is an element of the issue, of course, but I think the deeper problem is how interactions have changed among magic enthusiasts.  Personally, I am a member of both the Society of American Magicians and the International Brotherhood of Magicians, but I don't go to meetings or conventions.  What interaction I have with other magicians is via email or the various social networks, there's no face-to-face.  This may not be the norm, but I don't believe it's rare, either.

The real magic of real world magic shops isn't the tricks, it's the sense of wonder, shared by those who love the art, together, live.  It's the dealer behind the corner feeling out your interests and experience level and offering effects that match them.  It's a place magicians can physically call home.

I there's a Palace of Mystery in your town, I encourage you to experience it, because it too may vanish.