I'm just getting into magic, and I was happy to learn that there are 3 magic shops within 35 minutes from my house. Did anyone have any good or bad experiences with the following shops and which one would you reccomend? Thanks in advance.

Illousions Magic and Costumes (Eastlake, Ohio)

Yendor's World of Magic (Willowick, Ohio)

Yellow Barrel of Magic (Elyria, Ohio)

I don't know about any of your shops, but there is one (and ONLY one) in Columbus, Ohio called the Be Amazing Magic Shop. Larry's website is http://www.beamazingmagicshop.com

Do any of the shops you have listed above have a web presence. I would really like to visit another shop in Ohio just to see what they may have that's different.

Illousions Magic and Costumes (Eastlake, Ohio) http://www.illusionsmagic.com/

Yendor's World of Magic (Willowick, Ohio) Yellow Barrel of Magic

Yellow Barrel of Magic (Elyria, Ohio) Yellow Barrel of Magic

There's also a shop in Middlefield, Ohio on rt. 87 that has a nice array of magic. It's called Perfect ocassions Costume & Magic.

Are there any in Dayton or Cincinnati? Also, do the ones in middlefield, elyria or willowick have a website? Thanks!

The sad part about Columbus is that it used to have two or three such shops. One went out of business because he moved AND changed his store's name. The other died because the father lost interest after the loss of his son. If it wasn't for Larry, we would be bone dry. What really makes this bad is that our town is the site for MAGI-FEST.

Haines house of cards - cincinnati

artie's magic shop just south of cincinnati in covington

KAMPMANS COSTUMES on high street in Columbus
don't know if it s still there.

Since you're new, be aware that it's really easy to get ripped off when it comes to buying magic. There is a TON of junk out there...

I haven't had much experience with most of the shops listed thus far, but I can vouch for Larry. The Be Amazing Magic Shop has a pretty good selection, especially for a beginner. Larry is also a really great honest guy. I knew him before the shop opened and I can tell you he has a lot of integrity.

Of special note for a beginner, he has a good selection of books and DVD's.

I haven't done much business with Haines House of Cards (I don't do much card magic) but their Pop-Eyed Popper and Mirage decks are the best I've found. The few experiences I've had have been positive and they seem to have a good name in the magic community.

Yendor's is a great shop. I've been there many times, spent much money, and have always been satisfied!

Chad...originally from Cleveland, but now from Cincy.

In Cleveland there's a place near Ridge Park Square, but not In RPS, right down the street from it on Ridge. It's firstly a costume shop, but it sells some booklets and tricks, spongeballs and bunnies.

It's overpriced, the salesman didn't know as much about magic, and you have to ask for service.

But it's the only thing within 20-30 minutes that I could find so I've used it for a Svengali and Stripper update... That's it.

I was just at illusions magic this past weekend and Yendors. I was pleasantly surprised by both. Both guys were great. Yendors has a lot of cool stuff. Illusions magic was well stocked as well including books and DVDs.

The last magic I was in before these, was the US Toy Company in KC. That is fairly large shop with LOTS of stuff.

Anyone remember Ted Carrothers Magic Studio, that is where I went when I was starting out. Ted was a great guy.

James

I remember Ted. He was the nicest guy, but he also had a wild sense of humor too.

He really valued his customers, and always did his best to get whatever you needed.

Remember when Magi-Fest dealers were set up in actual hotel rooms ? Ted would always post huge price tags on all of the furniture in his dealer room. For example : He'd put a price tag on the hotel room lamp and call it "The Asrah Floating Lamp" $850.00

It's funny how goofy little things like that stick in your mind all these years later. But , yeah. Old Ted was one of a kind !

Illusions, Yendors, Yellow Barrel of Magic and Perfect Occasion are all great shops. It depends on what you're looking for. Buck at Illusions carries a great selection of standard effects but will order you anything you see on the web. He has a terrific assortment of books and DVDs, and is the guy to go to if your into card magic. Illusions is one of the last brick and mortar shops that is just like the old days. Buck smiles when he sees you, pulls your chain a bit but won't sell you anything he won't stand behind. Plus, he loves to shoot the breeze and has a lot of regulars who just like to hang out and share stories and moves. Rod at Yendors is a great guy too, but more of an apparatus dealer. He often has quite a few collectibles in stock, and is quite the inventor and designer of his own effects (check out his work with Paul Harris). He's made it public that he's closing the store soon, and is running a very generous sale right now including a lot of vintage magic. I believe both stores offer discounts on non-sale items if you show proof of membership in the IBM. Hope this helps. Enjoy these stores while they're still around. There are fewer and fewer every year.

If you guys from Ohio cross the order to Michigan, I would like to show the ABC and Wunderground magic shops to you.

While in Michigan please also visit Hippity Hop Magic in Grand Rapids, Abbott's in Colon, Fab Magic in Colon, Mystic Cove in Houghton Lake, and The Timid Rabbit Magic And Masquerade Shop in Kalamazoo.

Take care and take cards
Antony Gerard