A Week of Magic

Keith Barry



We started off this week with the long-anticipated David Blaine special, and if you've been looking at our Hot/New section of the web site, we've featured many new products that were featured on that special as well as the Paul Harris Prime Time product line. Every one of these products is truly special and quite a value at the price. If you haven't already done so, do yourself a favor and check out the video demos of these products. Don't forget to watch Keith Barry tonight at 8:00 PM on CBS. Check your local listings for more details.


Ray Lum

We had a surprise visit from our good friend Ray Lum and his friend Timothy James. They're preparing for their upcoming tour, "House of Wonders, Volume 1" starting July 1st in the Campbell, California. They've made several visits in preparation to taking their show on the road. If any of you know Ray as well as we do, you know how much of a perfectionist he is. Also, while Ray was here, he presented Hocus Pocus with a welcome-to-our-new-home gift of a beautiful 8-sheet Carter the Great Cheating the Gallows poster, professionally mounted on linen. Ray knows that I've wanted this poster for a long time, and my jaws hit the floor the first time I saw it. We had a perfect spot right behind Mike's desk, where it resides:


Cheating the Gallows, Carter the Great

Yesterday was my son Max's 14th birthday, and for months, and for months he's been asking for an X-Box 360. For any of you who have looked for one of these, you know it's easier said than done. Betty looked for weeks to no avail, and Max was so convinced he was going to get one of these, we decided to fool him a bit. It wasn't until the day before his birthday that Betty finally found one left at a local store! Next, it was time to hide it in the house, but we had to make sure to hide it well, because Max goes on secret missions looking for his gifts. To really fake him out, Betty wrote a note where it was hidden in the house and wrapped it up in a small box. You should have seen the look on his face when she brought out his smaller-than-expected gift. He opened it up and immediately began searching throughout the entire house on a mock scavenger hunt. Needless to say he was thrilled and we never heard a peep or saw him again for hours. If only life was that simple again.

Believe it or not, we went from Winter right to Summer and skipped Spring entirely! The weather here has been in the 90s and yesterday we broke a record of 98 degrees for this time of year. The air conditioning units are getting a workout both here and at home. As we near the end of this month, graduation is approaching. Max will be graduating junior high school and my eldest son, Cole will be graduating high school and preparing himself for the big move to college in Moraga, California at St. Mary's.

Just got off the phone with Dexter, and they're wrapping up the final shoot for the upcoming Criss Angel Mindfreak season, starting Wednesday, May 31.

So there you have it -- lots of magic, lots of sunshine, and lots of excitement. Don't forget to spend time with your family and enjoy your weekend!

Until next time,

Paul

What a Week It's Been!

Well, we're finally all the way moved into the new building and everything is put away and organized and I must say, it looks outstanding. We'd like to invite any of you, whether you are local or out of town to please stop by any time! We'd love to see you and show you around the new place. Again, I want to thank everyone who sent in their 8" X 10" photos. We received over 2 dozen within the last week, and we're putting them up as fast as they're coming in! It's exciting to see the mail every day as we get a chance to finally put the pictures to the names. Keep sending them our way!

If you're an online member, be watching your email very soon as you'll be receiving a special members-only announcement along with a free gift. It's just our way of saying thanks for all your support!



The hot new 3rd Degree Burn finally arrived today. We shipped over 250 of them over the morning and afternoon and still have plenty to fill any new orders. If you want a totally impromptu, anytime, anywhere effect, this is a must-have. You'll never leave home without this precision-made gimmick, and it's and effect you're audience won't forget. If you don't believe me, check out the online video!



In other news, we just received a brand new product imported from Italy called the Devil's Candelabra! If you're a mentalist or into Bizarre Magick, this is a great utility prop that doesn't look like a prop at all! Extremely well-made and an exceptional value for the price, you won't be without this. There is a limited supply of these, and when they're gone, we don't know whether we'll be able to get any more, so order yours today!



Another new product from Mephisto Magic Studios is The Shining, a great effect utilizing a real Tarot deck and would be perfect used in conjunction with any of the effects above! There are more new products that Mike has added, so go over to the Hot/New section to see them.

Turtle Haven

My son, Max, decided that he wanted to buy a baby red ear slider turtle. You might remember these as a kid; they're the tiny ones that used to be sold everywhere. Well guess what? They're not anymore! After several weeks of searching relentlessly, we found only one pet shop in the entire city that still sells them. As part of the yard work he did, I promised to buy him one. Ah, but it's never that simple, is it? There's the bowl, the food, and the filter. As soon as we got to the pet store, the owner informed us that we really should have two to keep the other one company. To make a long story short, we have four!!! So that makes 15 tropical fish, 4 turtles, 10 Coi in the Coi pond, 2 dogs, and a partridge in a pear tree. Just kidding. Maybe I should rename Max Dr. Doolittle!

And before I close, I must mention the passing of the great Billy McComb. Not only was Billy one of the best performers I've ever seen, he was also one of the nicest people you could ever meet. No matter who you were or where you were, you were never a stranger to Billy. The magic world will, of course, never be the same.



Hoping the weather here stays cool and sunny this weekend because I have lots to do. Enjoy your weekend and your family.

Until next time,

Paul

WE'RE IN!

It's about time. Yesterday marked our one week anniversary of being in our new location, and we are so happy! Everyone has their own work station, there's so much room to move, it's almost hard to get used to. Mike documented the move through pictures, so you can see the progress we made. We still have some things to put away and organized, but we are about 85% completed. The move itself was fairly seamless with no interruptions whatsoever with shipping and receiving departments. We've had many of our regular local customers stop by and say hello. They are all in awe of how much more room this new building has to offer. I owe a special debt of grattitude to my wife, Betty, Tony Blanco, Jay Leslie, his friend Vaughn, for their untiring efforts in getting us up and running so quickly!


The old location...


Watch the incredible vanishing Hocus Pocus...


The Stage area slowly vanishes...


The boxes become fewer and fewer...


The inventory shelves are next...


Only the shipping department is left...


All the shelves are now gone...


And the inventory makes its way to its new home...


Until there is barely anything left...

The great thing about moving is finding all the great things you forgot you had. We've found many boxes of used/estate/collectible items and have a special place we've racked and dedicated to displaying them. Check out the photos below:


The new office spaces with the estate/collectible items displayed...


A view from the other side...


The new warehouse and shipping department


Almost all the inventory is in place...


The maze within the inventory


Another view...


From the inventory space to the shipping department


The shipping department within the warehouse


Paul's new office


Mike's new office


Tony's new office and workstation


Jeremy's new office


Ken's new office in shipping

I don't know where we kept it all in our other location!

Do you believe in ghosts? I asked this question because something very strange happened this week. Several months ago in the blog, I spoke about the House of Magic in San Francisco. The owner, Marvin Burger, affectionately known as Buma, had in his storefront window a neon clock. After many years, the clock stopped working and Buma stored it away in the back of his shop. About 15 years ago after his death, his son, Mark, gave me the clock as a gift. Although the neon worked perfectly, the clock's hands were stuck at 5:10. For sentimental reasons, I never had the clock repaired but displayed it in the shop with the neon glowing brightly. About three years ago, I unplugged the clock during some remodeling and never plugged it back in. So for three years, it sat lifeless. The other day I was putting my office together in this new building, I plugged the clock in for the first time, and the hands began to move and keep perfect time to our surprise! I hope it's a sign from the Buma watching over me saying that all is well...


Buma! Is that you?

Lots of magic coming up. In just a few more days in May, David Blaine's 2-hour special will air on ABC (May 8). The week after, Kieth Barry's special will be broadcast on CBS, and at the end of May it's the season 2 premiere of Criss Angel's Mindfreak! All this magic is great for your business as more people are exposed and interested in the art. Pay close attention to our web site as Blaine's special draws near; we'll have a special announcement that you won't want to miss!

On Monday, Mike and I will be busy compiling a list of the estate/collectible and used items I mentioned earlier and we'll be sending out an email to all our members. If you are not yet a member, do yourself a favor and join. There's going to be a massive list of items at great bargain prices that you won't want to miss!

Thank you for your nice letters about our move and thank you for sending your 8" X 10" photos. As I'm typing this, Tony Blanco is busy putting them all in frames to be hung around the inside of the offices. If you haven't yet sent us your photo, you still can do so. Just send it to:

Hocus Pocus
1492 N. Clark, #104
Fresno, CA. 93703

We'll have pictures of the project up and running just as soon as the task is completed.

So there you have it. It's been an eventful 2 weeks. I'm looking forward to the weekend, where we are expecting the temperatures to finally rise to the mid 80s. No more rain! It's about time...

Until next time,

Paul

Stay Tuned

Just a note to let everyone know that I'll return to the blog on Friday as we are still moving into our new building. We'll have pictures and updates then, so stay tuned...

Until then,

Paul

T-Minus 8 Days and Counting...

Wow -- it's looking very sparse around here. We've already moved about 70% out of our old building and into our new one. The new building is taking shape as the racks are being put up, the inventory being restocked, etc. I hope these next 8 days really fly because we all just want to be settled into the new location. Special thanks go to Jay Leslie, owner of the House of Enchantment and his friend, Vaughn, and Tony Blanco, for unselfishly volunteering their time to help us move this entire week!


It started like this...


Then it began dwindling...


And dwindling...


Just about done...

The big news this week is that Yigal Messika's long (and I do mean long) awaited Electric Touch arrived on Monday, and all our pre-orders shipped the very next day! So, if you were one of the many who pre-ordered your unit, it should be there any day, if not there already. The good news is that if you didn't pre-order one, you can still buy one at the original price of $149.95, not the new price of $199.95. We're able to do this as we pre-ordered an extremely large quantity of units at the old price and we are able to pass the offer on to you. This offer will be good until our original inventory sells out, which will be very soon!

We're going to be going over to the new building where Mike will be working to put in the new satellite cable system which will enable us to have lightening fast T3 speed for all our computers in their respective departments. This means that not only will your orders be taken with lightening speed, so will shipping your orders! It is just another way we are looking to grow and improve Hocus Pocus.

Yesterday, Mike Wood of SmarTech, who created and hosts our web site, came in to show us some of the changes, features, and improvements (including a new look) for the Hocus Pocus website! Soon, you will be able to check out an entire product's features on the very same page as its thumbnail image without having to open a new window, you'll be able to instantly add items to your shopping cart, which will be automatically verified, and you will be able to know the cost of shipping your items, plus many other features. We are anticipating going live with the new site in as little as 4-6 weeks, so stay tuned.

Life is good at Hocus Pocus, thanks to all of you. This move and the changes to our web site could not have been possible without your support. You are the reason for our success and continued growth, and there's not a day that goes by that I don't remember that. By next week, I should be writing this blog from the new desk in the new location. Remember, if you are anywhere near our area and want to stop by and say hello, we'd love to give you a tour of the new facilities.

If you celebrate Easter, we hope you have an enjoyable time with your family and friends. My son, Max, doesn't want much -- just a Corvette! I wished him luck in this endeavor.

Until next time,

Paul

Just 14 Days to Go!

I apologize for not posting and updating recently, but it's been a little busy around here... As many of you know, about 3 weeks ago, I had some minor surgery and a stay in the hospital, but I've been back and feeling better each day and excited because, in just 14 days, we'll be in our new building! Each and every day, they are taking truckloads of inventory and shelving, etc. and this place is starting to look pretty sparse. Mike will be taking pictures of our progress, and we'll document the entire move here on the blog.

After April 20th, our new address will be:

Hocus Pocus Magic
1492 N. Clark, #104
Fresno, CA. 93703

Our phone numbers and email addresses will all remain the same. If you are ever in our area, we'd love for you to stop by; we'll show you around.

A couple of weeks ago, we asked for you to send in your 8X10 autographed photos to be displayed in our new offices. Since then, we've received many, and I appreciate your efforts. For those of you who still wish to send a photo, we have lots of wall space, and we'd love to have your picture there.


Robert Baxt

We had a couple of visitors this week. Earlier in the week, our friend, Robert Baxt, stopped in for a couple of days to share with us his newest release "ByePod," a vanishing iPod effect. Robert's one of the most creative guys in the industry and always seems to come up with something topical. I'm always amazed at the number of projects Robert juggles, between performing full-time, TV consulting, acting, writing, and producing effects. This fits the bill whether you are a comedy magician or a children's entertainer! It's priced right and the effect is incredible. Check it out on our web site.


Noberto Jansenson

Our other guest this week was Noberto Jansenson from Argentina, who we always enjoy seeing. He spent several days shopping, picking up some new items for his show, and we even tricked him into helping us move! He even appeared as a guest on Mike's radio program for the Magic Broadcast. Listen for it Tuesday, April 11th at 8:15 PM. Mike claims it was the best show he's ever done, and Jansenson cuts loose about performing, being creative, tips on lighting and music, and coming up with original presentations. Don't miss it!

Noberto left this morning for Los Angeles, where he'll spend the next two weeks. From there he flies to Boston, where he is a featured headliners for this year's Cape Cod Conclave. We wish Noberto all the best of luck and a safe trip back home to Argentina until next year's visit.


Noberto and I moving.

Surprisingly, business has been hectic, even with tax time looming. It's the dreaded tax season here. Maybe more people got refunds than ever before.

I'm happy to report that Hocus Pocus has obtained the exclusivity on the new Paul Rohmany line of magic. Several of these items have popped up on our web site but there are much more to come. The Big Ten is a classic example of solid comedy, excellent routining, and audience participation. If you are a stand-up performer or a cruise ship entertainer, the Big Ten has everything you'll ever need, and it packs small and plays HUGE! Look for this on the web site also.

That about wraps it up here on the homefront. Have a relaxing weekend, and don't forget to send us your photos!

Until next week,

Paul

Please Stand By

Hey there!

Just a quick note to let everyone know that Paul and the gang are busy overseeing some minor construction and cleaning over at Hocus Pocus' new location, so he will return to the blog this Monday. Until then, have a fantastic weekend!

Mike

And So It Goes...

Greetings from the ever-condensing warehouse here at good ol' Hocus Pocus. The blog is mine once again as Paul has undergone some minor surgery. I spoke to Betty, his wife, last evening, and Paul is doing fine; better than expected as a matter of fact. So, we're all taking bets as to when his first day back will be. I'm surprised it wasn't yesterday immediately following the operation!


Channing Pollock 1927-2006

I was shocked, as I'm sure you were, of hearing about the passing of the great Channing Pollock earlier this week. Channing Pollock was legendary. According to most experts, he is probably one of the most influential magicians of the 20th century. He had a fascinating career which emcompassed films and magic. Whenever you see a magician performing a dove production, we know we can thank Channing Pollock for such innovation, as he was the creator of the modern "Dove Act." His technique with cards was so close to perfection, that very few have been able to accomplish what he did on stage. He will be sorely missed!

Last Tuesday marked the conclusion of the semi-annual Most Embarrassing Moment, a contest I hold on the Mike on the Mic Radio Program on Magic Broadcast. Congratulations go to Magic Chaz from West Virginia who called in with an unbelievable embarrassing moment. It won him a slew of prizes, including the 2 MasterMinds DVDs by Criss Angel and R. Paul Wilson's new Spectrum Deck we donated! Make sure you listen to the show every Tuesday evening at 8:15 PM PST to find out how you can be a winner, too!

We're slowly integrating supplies and equipment into our new location, which has been freshly painted and the carpets cleaned! I can't wait to officially move in with all that new space. We're also making improvements to our Internet connection as I've been talking with some IT companies about having T1 speed at the new place. So if you think we're fast in putting up the hottest and newest products on the web now, wait until next month! We'll all be happy and comfortable in Hocus Pocus' new home!

On the home front, I love my new house! Everything is literally falling into place as the boxes disappear. I've donated and gotten rid of a lot of personal items and magic to accommodate the new space, and I couldn't be happier and more comfortable! The Salvation Army knows me well as I make a donation overy other day or so, and they're now thinking of making me an honorary member!

So that about does it for this week. I'm sure Paul will be back to his regularly scheduled blog next week.

Until then, have a fantastic well-rested weekend!

Mike

Erin Go Bragh!

It's time to bring out the corned beef, cabbage, and let the green beer flow! If you celebrate St. Patrick's Day, here's to you! Our very own Tony Blanco will be celebrating in Fresno's Fagan's Irish Pub dressed in a leprechaun performing magic for all! Let's hope he stays sober...

UPDATE ON HOCUS POCUS' NEW LOCATION:

The excitement is building here. The offices are slowly being emptied out and transported over to our new facility, but the phones remain. The offices are being painted this weekend, and after that, we'll start moving full force!

Here's your way to be a part of the Hocus Pocus Wall of Fame: If you have an 8" X 10" photo, autograph it and send it to us. I've collected many autographed photos over the years and have never had the space to display them. That is, until now. So send yours to:

Hocus Pocus
2311 E. McKinley Ave.
Fresno, CA. 93703

As many of you know, I've told you about my youngest son, Max, who's beyond car crazy. He's stuck on cars from the 1960s-1970s and knows everything there is to know about them! This weekend, the AutoRama is coming to town, and Max and I will be first in line tomorrow to experience the thrill of it all! He'll be in hog heaven as we walk through aisles and aisles of custom cars, each one better than the last. It's still raining here, even though Monday is the official first day of Spring... It's a good thing the AutoRama is indoors!

Later this afternoon, Mike and I will be compiling a list of estate and collectible items we came across during this move, so if you are a member, be on the lookout. If not, make sure you sign up to become a member today and get first dibs on some of this great magic!

Until next time,

Paul

Look What I Just Found!

That's been the standard saying as we've been busily packing up our things. We're finding a lot of stuff in the warehouse we forgot we had. Boxes and boxes of used magic and estate items we purchase that were never listed are being accumulated so you can surely bet that there'll be a list for members appearing soon.

The interior construction of the offices in the new building are complete. Wednesday, the alarm company will install the alarm and we're anticipating a new paint job by the end of the week. We'll start methodically moving into our new location and trucking the inventory over, but we're going to be very careful how we do it; we want our new location to be as efficient and as work-friendly as possible. Every time we go over, we get excited over what this new mega-space will offer!

Our friend, Robert Baxt, has been busy filming a new pilot for a new television series called "The Jeff Garlin Show." You may remember Jeff Garlin from HBO's "Curb Your Enthusiasm" along with Larry David, and alongside Eddie Murphy, he's just finished a pilot for the new sitcom in Hollywood. The first episode features Robert Baxt as a circus promoter who stages an impromptu audition for Jeff while they're in line together at a bank. The scene features magic, plate spinning, juggling, contortionists, unicyclists, stilt walkers, and dog acts as Robert orchestrates everyone in the bank into his performance. Also in the bank with Robert is special guest star Wayne Newton, and the shows regular co-stars are Bob Einstein, better known as "Super Dave Osborn," and Dan Castelleneta, better known as the voice of Homer Simpson. Let's hope the network picks it up!


Jeff Garland and Robert Baxt


Robert Baxt & Dan Castelleneta


Robert Baxt and Wayne Newton

Saturday night, Betty and I watched our eldest son, Cole, star in the play, "Flowers for Algernon" as one of the main characters. He did a fantastic job and as always, we are very proud of him.

The weather here has been bizarre, to say the least. One minute is glorious sunshine, and the next it's hailing, which is what it did most of Friday and Saturday. Now, it's just cold with more rain to come. That's good news for the folks in the Sierras as they need the skiing business, and the rain always cleans out the air here on the valley floor.

Tonight, my oldest daughter, Renee, is coming up from Santa Barbara to introduce us to her new boyfriend. Am I prepared for this? We'll see... I'll be back on Friday with more to report.

Until next time,

Paul