New Shop and New Hopes: The Grand Magic Shop OpensInside MagicMagic News Updated Daily for the Professional Magician

John Paul Scirica

The North County Times (San Diego, CA) has a great spread on John Paul Scirica and the new Grand Magic Shop’s opening.

The article notes the shop’s sales include a broad-range of items from itching powder to dove effects — an essential mix for the modern brick-and-mortar shop.

We were saddened to read Brad Burt’s shop is no longer in business down in San Diego. Mr. Scirica points out the traditional magic store is a vanishing institution. His new store is an effort to fight against the trend.

Like almost all magic shop owners, Mr. Scirica works essentially seven days a week. Monday through Saturday, the shop is open to sell not only itching powder but to also hook the itching powder buyer (IPB as we say in the trade) into the wonderful world of magic.

On Sundays, Mr. Scirica offers magic lessons and puppet shows for kids at the shop.

The itching powder is Scirica’s top-selling novelty, at $1.60 for a can, followed by the no-tear toilet paper and shocking pens. Scirica sells to amateurs, professionals, pranksters and collectors alike.

Collectors tend to buy top-shelf items, such as a box that transforms doves into a rabbit ($430), or a fish tank that fills with water and live fish after a mere wave of the hand ($110).

The product mix can make or break the magic shop owner. It has to be tuned to the traffic and the traffic has to exist. Fortunately for Mr. Scirica, the shop is right on the path to the local school. The location makes for a busy afternoon.

“The kids along this complex and along this street have kind of kept us going,” said Scirica’s wife, Lauren, who helps run the shop.

Just like the kids running in and out of the shop every afternoon, Mr. Scirica started out in his magic addiction by hanging out at the local magic shop. His story is identical to ours and maybe yours:

Mesmerized, Scirica visited the magician’s shop to learn the trick. It became a regular after-school hangout for him, and the magician changed into a mentor.

“He would give me pointers. He’d say, ‘OK, J.P., your sleight of hand needs a little work there.’ “

He bought the card trick and an instruction book, and buried his nose in it for three months.

“That taught me the fundamentals of how to shuffle, how to control cards, how to force a card onto somebody.”

He’s working hard to apply his knowledge of sales and marketing from his prior job to make the shop a success. Good luck to him.

We would normally include a link to his shop’s web page but we were not able to find one for him. If you have a link or email address, let us know so we can update this article.