Magic

This is the oldest magic shop in North America 52 years around. They were very helpful and patiently showed magic tricks to my 10yo. They also have lessons and magic shows. Worth checking it out.

Jay is a great magician. We love to go in and see some magic. We always leave qith a few tricks. Great place to fund licak magic shows.

Our son just completed the annual one week magic camp. What a gem! Our son isn’t very dexterous, he’s nervous around audiences and we were amazed to see him preform one illusion and one magic trick in front of a packed house. This is a great place for kids to experience magic and the annual summer magic camp will teach them not only magic skills, but performance skills as well.

This family owned shop is AMAZING! Pedro is brilliant! As the general Manager, he’s a force with whom to be reckoned. My son is a lover of all magic. Our family had been visiting this store for 10 years and we never leave disappointed. We’re always welcomed by our own close-​up show. The Magic Inc staff keep things (patter and such) appropriate for my kids. When my kids have an opportunity to purchase a new item, they steer them towards tricks they can be successful in performing, even if they aren’t the most profitable. We also had the pleasure of participating in a special camp they offered last summer. My son LOVED it all. It’s also great to hear about the magic happenings, in the area but also world wide. It’s even better when we’re informed of the family friendly options as well as great detail about different professionals to hire for varied parties and even events for work. Thank you Magic inc!

Outstanding magic shop!
I go to magic shops all over the country and try to visit unique and interesting ones. This store definitely qualifies! It us the first non-​touristy, working magician’s shop I have been in. Not only did Jay spend time with my son but also helped him with some tips on showmanship and building routine to properly to tie tricks together. We got to meet several chicago-​area magicians just coming in for supplies, and they were very patient while Jay spent time with us. The only thing was missing was coffee! Maybe coffee and magic together on Saturday mornings! Thanks to Merl-​ot for Wyatt’s gift certificate! Really highlights the brotherhood of magicians!!! Thanks for everything!

Weirdly amazing.
I went here because I have a lot of specific interests that happen to overlap with magic, like playing cards. There was a book I’d seen on their website and when I realized they had a storefront in Chicago I decided to just go and check it out.
So I walked in and there were about five older men, presumably magicians, hanging out around the counter. They immediately offered to help me though and while one looked for books for me, another showed me all kinds of cards, card tricks and other books. They are very willing to help with any request and took lots of time with me even though I came in close to closing.
It’s fairly small and most things seem to be behind the counter, so it’s not really a browsing shop — don’t expect to just walk in here and look around without talking to anyone.
It was pretty weird, but that was exactly what I had expected and hoped for. I got a magic show and everything. If you want to have a truly bizarre experience you should just stop reading and go here.

I’ve adored magic since i was a kid. You’d think it would be no big deal as an adult, but this stuff is captivating.
The atmosphere alone is worth a visit. It has a similar mysterious feel to the Magic Castle in Hollywood, but one room.
Pedro was the bomb diggity, patiently answering my questions. As a non-​professional fan of magic, I appreciated getting a context for the history of the place and what a gold mine of resources it is for magicians.
It’s a little out of the way, but worth a walk up from Lincoln Square. Pedro showed me a few close up super neat magic tricks. I ended up buying one of my favorites that I saw long ago and now I’m practicing to entertain my friends. Feels a little silly, but I’d love to give the awe I felt to my friends.

Like some of the other reviewers, we’ve driven by this place countless times. My fiancé’s son is into magic gathering cards and magic so we thought we’d bring him here. The owner is very knowledgable and friendly. We were surprised to learn this shop has been around for such a long time and has serviced many famous magicians. Penn and Teller once stayed above the shop. We enjoyed our visit and will come back again!

I’ve always passed this place while driving on Lincoln; today, my friend and I decided to stop by to finally check it out. We expected some seedy-​used-​bookstore-​vibe-​ish type of a store, but was pleasantly and shockingly surprised when we walked in. It was full of items and materials for amateurs to the experienced — Luis, who was extremely genuine, very entertaining, and hilarious, showed us a few card tricks that still boggled my mind — he didn’t push any items upon us, but gave us awesome suggestions on which products would be best to begin with. You can really tell that the customer service here is top notch, and the people who are employees are also magicians themselves who actually love sharing their passion for magic tricks. The store has been around since the ‘20s, which is such a cool thing. The place also services famous magicians like David Copperfield, which I thought was pretty darn impressive. They also have featured magicians and such in their theater as well as information on other magic shows in the Chicagoland area. Our experience in there was amazing — this place is wonderful, and I highly recommend anyone to stop by to check it out. I’m now a huge fan of this place, and everyone of all ages will definitely get all giddy with glee. Many thanks to Luis and to Magic, Inc.
+magic tricks for beginners to the experienced
+ask for Luis: D

Our 13 year old nephew was visiting from Seattle and he has an interest in magic. He had some ideas of tricks that he wanted to get, so we took him to Magic, Inc, not knowing what to expect.
The staff was friendly and welcoming, gave us a demo of lots of tricks and showed our nephew how to do the tricks (while we waited in the chairs near the front window so we couldn’t see how it’s done).
The place was lively with lots of people coming and going and chatting. It’s obviously a well established community. I saw that they have a kids magic camp, and we would’ve signed up the nephew if we could’ve kept him in town for it!
If you’re in the market for some magic, THIS is the store to go to! Amazing customer service.

What fun! I bought a GREAT trick at a very low price and entertained many of my friends. Also when they did not have what I needed they helped me find it else where. How cool is that!

That last of a dying breed. I’ve been going to this store since I was a kid, and have had the pleasure of taking my kids there. There just aren’t that many places left like Magic Inc. The place itself is magical. The shelves are stocked to the ceiling with tons of cool magic tricks, gadgets, boxes, bowls, etc. The ceiling itself has a little magic, but I’ll let you discover that for yourself. The staff is knowledgeable, helpful, and really knows magic. You’re not just getting a trick, you’ll get a demo that sets you on the path to performing that trick with a good patter and performance.
I’ve never found another magic store like this one. Chicago is lucky to have it. Check it out while it lasts, and enjoy the magic.

My husband and I have driven past this place every day on our way to work and always meant to stop in. Finally on Friday we did just that and we’re so glad we did.
You know when you walk into a store that specializes in something you think you might like but you don’t know much about it Like maybe a comic book shop or a bike store? It’s so intimidating, right? And the staff is always kind of snotty, and you just slink out wishing you’d never gone in? This was the total opposite of that.
We walked in, not only not knowing anything about magic tricks, but not even really knowing what we were looking for. Instead of dirty looks, we were treated to a plethora of magic tricks by the staff. As professional magicians wandered in and out, one staffer in particular stuck with us, bringing out tricks that our 6-​year-​old could easily preform and showing us how they worked.
We left with a few tricks that our son loves, and with big smiles on our faces because, well, magic is really cool! They told us to come back any time, even if it was just to see a new trick or to get some help for our son — no pressure to buy anything.
It’s a really cool place that’s been around forever. A total gem. If you’ve been driving by it forever like we were, you should make a point of stopping in.

My girlfriend and I had been wondering about this place and decided to stop in, even though we have no ambitions to become magicians. One of the clerks gave us a short magic show (about 5 minutes) with some cards and a few props that completely blew us away. We still have no idea how he did that stuff. This is an excellent daytime, weekend fieldtrip for anybody on Chicago’s north side.

Even though Ash’s so-​called «shop» is just down the street, Magic Inc is the ONLY magic shop in Chicago as far as I’m concerned. This is the real deal for those who love magic as a hobby or profession. The store is neat and very well organized, the staff is friendly and helpful, and the selection of items is good. I particularly appreciate that they showcase some of the work of the local Chicago talent, which means they have some merchandise you can’t find at every other magic shop and/​or on the web.
It is very sad to me that brick and mortar magic shops are almost completely extinct. In Chicago alone, I was told there were once seven or eight magic shops located in the Loop. Over time they have gradually disappeared and there’s no doubt the internet and on-​line shopping have helped drive the final nail in many a magic shop’s coffin. Magic Inc is a survivor and a class act for anyone who enjoys this type of performance art. I’ll always support shops like this in hopes they continue to succeed for generations to come.

I just wanted to look around in peace because magic stores are really cool. I couldn’t because one of the magicians working there kept telling me about the private shows he could perform if I had kids or knew any kids or if I wanted him to just come over for a party of adults. Let it rest my magic friend!!!
One time they had this sale upstairs of magician Jay Marshall’s stuff and it was an insane collection of awesomeness. An entire floor upstairs had enough books to put some libraries to shame. I bought soooo many books and I could have bought so many more. Wild Animal Man has the best cover of any book in the world and I cherish it. There were tons of really great old posters and I bought a whole bunch. It was the best estate sale EVER.

I’ve been doing magic for a long time (on and off since I was 9, about 16 years ago). This is a really great shop. They have a lot of things you can’t get anywhere else and will always be happy to reccomend some great tricks.
I probably stop in once or twice a a month. Perhaps I should drop in more frequently, the staff always remembers me but never what tricks I have, so they always ask me if I have all the staples.
All in all, I love this place a whole lot and the staff is really friendly.

These guys have been at it for years!
Such a cool little trick shop, great to take kids or a silly date.
My lil’ bro must have bought their entire inventory as a kid… he learned how to do all sorts of card tricks and slight-​of-​hand stunts. The magicians there are not hesitant to sample their products… i.e. you get a free magic show just for stopping by!
Keep an eye on the ventriloquist’s dolls on display… whether you watched Eerie Indiana, Are You Afraid of the Dark, or Goosebumps… that’s scary.

I’ve lived near this place for years and never stopped in until one night a year or so ago and it was absolutely great. You’d never guess it from the outside but on the inside it looks just like what you’d imagine an old curious magic shop should look like. The shelves are stocked with tons of odd items in interesting packages.
The night I was there about 3 other magicians were hanging out and talking with each other. You could tell they were all industry guys and it seemed like they just liked hanging out there. All I wanted to do was look around but they engaged me in friendly conversation and then began to perform various tricks for me. A real gem in the neighborhood.

I ‘won’ three magic posters in an action and had to pick them up at Magic, Inc, the home of recently deceased Magician Jay Marshall and his sidekick, a puppet named Lefty. His family has been auctioning off his collections of magic ephemera (historical posters, including original Harry Houdini posters that sold for over $ 13,000 each), books, puppets, and props. Jay Marshall was an avid collector, and the liquidation of the estate has turned into a full-​time job for many members of the extended Marshall clan.
The unassuming building is on an unassuming block on the northwest side. The building is for sale, and the family is under pressure to move the collections before they have to vacate the building. The shop is comfortable and old-​school, and staffed entirely by magicians (like Jay Collen —
) who also have a monthly magic show at the City Lit Theatre. They sometimes host visiting magicians from other cities as well. All this I found out on my first, and possibly only trip, to Magic Inc.
They’ve got a great collection of magic magazines, magic books, interesting props, and even more interesting staff who, if you are lucky, will show you a trick or two.
Even more amusing to me, however, was Susan Marshall, who has temporarily relocated to Chicago from New York to help with the liquidation of Jay Marshall’s estate. While I was chatting with her, she asked me if I was single. Why yes… I was, in fact, single.
Would I like to meet her son?
Is he good looking? I asked.
Is he taller than I am?
Yes, yes she answered.
Do you like animals, she asked me
Do you smoke?
Yes, I like animals.
No, I don’t smoke.
And I asked, Why isn’t he married? Most people my age are married.
Oh, he was married… when he was young.
Are you a sports fan? Asked one of the magicians. He hates sports.
I was wearing a red sox hat. Ah. No, I’m not. I just like my red sox.
Okay! She said. She called him. «Lindley E is here to pick up her posters and would like to meet you.» She hung up. He’s coming, she told me. He’s in another part of the building working on something.
As we continued to chat (I learned it was hard for him to meet people… gee, I can relate), her son showed up. Good looking guy. Suddenly I found myself reciting my resume… and then I did this, then that, then I got my MBA, I heard myself saying. He left for a moment to bring one of his dogs back to meet me. His mother took a moment to ask me what I thought.
So, she asked. Do you think he’s good looking?
Oh yes, I said.
Do you want to go out with him?
Uh, well, I’d certainly go out with him. I told her that if he wanted to get in touch, she had my contact information.
And then she told me that he was shy and probably terrified of «MBA types» — I tried to assure her that I was normal-​ish. Really.
The trip to Magic inc ended with her son wishing me luck on my condo closing. And we parted ways.
oh, and here’s a link to their eBay auctions: