Swap Meet Success!

What can I say? The Swap Meet was an incredible success and exceeded even my wildest expectations! We had over 250 people in attendance and everyone had a great time! I want to thank all of you who attended and for the nice emails, phone calls, and cards since. We'll definitely be doing this again this year, and we'll keep you posted on the upcoming dates, so stay VERY tuned!

For those of you who attended and could not attend, check out the photos and captions below for a full report:

The night before, I took everyone to dinner at the Joy Luck Club Restaurant, where we were treated to great company and a ridiculous amount of food!


Shoot Ogawa , Suds, Tony Blanco, Mark & Nani Wilson, Gerald Kirchner, and Dick Barry all enjoy themselves before the big day.


Food as far as the eye could see, and boy, was it good!


Chuck Kirchner, owner of Magic City, was bright-eyed and bushy tailed the morning of the Swap Meet!


My son, Max (right), and his cousin Joey manning the video booth.


Sell those videos, Max & Joey!


The Swap Meet officially begins and the space is flooded with people and dealers!




















Wolfgang Wollet of Wonder Warehouse


Suds is always a crowd favorite at every gathering.


Dick Barry demonstrating his latest effect to a captivated crowd.


Shoot Ogawa performs the Ninja Rings for all to see and disbelieve!


Shoot Ogawa and his teacher, Masahiro Yanagida.


Paul and Tony talk and demonstrate at the Hocus Pocus table.




Nani Wilson signs autographs and DVDs.


Nani & Mark Wilson talk about their rich history and sign autographs for the fans.


Mark had a fantastic time!


Everyone takes a break for an outside lunch.


Patrick Snowden, my cousin, Karen, and Chuck Kirchner.


Mark and Nani autographing the Doll to Life Illusion, which I purchased from them.


"The Original Doll to Life, debuted on The Magic Land of Allakazam, 1961. This is the 2nd version from the Magic Circus TV Special."


Mark seals the deal with his signature.




With Mark & Nani, a great moment for me! This illusion is one that will be in my private collection and has special meaning for me as well as many others. If it weren't for Mark & Nani, I would never have been introduced to the wonderful world of magic.


Suds lectures to standing room only!


Next up was Robert Baxt, who had 'em all in stitches!


Dick Barry, our 3rd lecturer, proved he was a master of both close-up and stage magic!


Shoot Ogawa performs his lecture on our stage to 135 people.






Shoot killed that night and displayed his parlor and close-up skills to all!


After Mark & Nani Wilson lectured, they signed autographs until no one was left empty-handed. Truly first-class people!


Tony and I with Shoot, Masahiro, and Shoot's girlfriend, Ai.


Dick Barry, Karen, and Dick's wife, Gwen.


Is it over already? Gerald Kirchner buys a video to end a fantastic day!

So there you have it: quite the day. I don't think anyone went to sleep until the next morning... Oh, before I forget, Mark Wilson has invited Hocus Pocus to be one of the featured dealers at Dealer's Day at the Magic Castle on Sunday, February 25th, so if you're in the area, we'd love to see you there!

Hope you enjoyed all the photos and once again, thanks to all for participating and making the first Hocus Pocus Swap Meet & Get-Together a huge success!

Until next time,

Paul

Ready, Set, Swap Meet!

After several months of planning and preparing, tomorrow is the big day! We're all excited for the First Annual Hocus Pocus Swap Meet & Get-Together. All the tables are set up and the vendors have already begun to arrive. I can tell you that by looking around at the stuff on display, there's some great items at real rock-bottom prices. I mentioned Tony constructing the stage in last week's blog, showing the skeleton of it, and now it's complete. Thanks, Tony, for all your hard work; it really paid off:



The stage is now a permanent fixture that we'll be using for future lectures and events. I hope that if you are in the Central California area, you'll make the short trip to Fresno tomorrow and participate. I look forward to seeing you all here. You'll be able to meet the entire Hocus Pocus staff, take a tour of our new facility, and if Mike is really good, I promised to let him out of his straight jacket. Stay tuned to next week's blog for photos and a complete report.

Until then,

Paul

Let The Magic Begin!

What a week. So much is happening and happening FAST, that we are now finding ourselves one week away from the 1st Annual Hocus Pocus Swap Meet & Get-Together and everything is shaping up, including the new stage Tony has been working on diligently since last week! This weekend, he'll hang the curtains, install the lighting, and hook up the sound system. Remember, the Swap Meet itself is absolutely free to attend and to buy, but in order to sell your magic, tables are only $15.00 for the entire morning and afternoon. Five lecturers are now scheduled, including Robert Baxt, Suds, Dick Barry, Shoot Ogawa, and Mark & Nani Wilson! You can see all five lectures for only $30.00. Individual lecture tickets can also be purchased. If interested, please inquire to: tony@hocus-pocus.com or call toll-free at 800-407-4040. There will be a barbeque lunch, free gifts, and gift certificates to be given away in a drawing. Don't wait; call us now to reserve your table and spot!


The stage in progress. Great job, Tony!


Bruno Copin

A little over a year ago, I was told about a certain underground French performer taking the magic world by storm! His name is Bruno Copin, and he is one of the greatest performers magicians have ever seen! His magic is so different and unique from everyone else, that magicians have been clammering for his released items for quite some time. The problem was that these items were extremely hard to come by...until now! Hocus Pocus, through special arrangements, has purchased every single released effect available by Mr. Copin and is now in stock and available for immediate delivery. Simply click on the special category devoted exclusively to Bruno Copin and check out all the cool items for the taking. Remember, Hocus Pocus is the only place you can purchase these items at this time, so order today!


Bruno Copin's Friends DVDs


Wedding DVD by Bruno Copin


Crazy Ball by Bruno Copin

Today, I'm going to do something a little different. As today is my wedding anniversary, I'm going to spend the rest of the day with my lovely wife, Betty, and hand over the rest of the blog to Mike, who has also had a very busy week, depite his absence here for a couple of days. For now, I hope to see a lot of you next weekend as it promises to be one great, memorable, magical experience.

Until next time,

Paul

Hi, everyone. Mike here.

Wow. It's been one heck of a week for me and my girlfriend, Julie, and it all started with a wonderful wedding and reception of my good friend, magic creator, and illusion builder, Ray Lum and his brand new wife, Marjorie. Ray invited us to his house where only his closest friends and family were invited to partake in good food, great company, and some good times. It meant a lot to me that Ray asked us both to join his family before heading over to the only authentic Chinese restaurant in the Morgan Hill, California area able to accommodate all the people who were invited to attend the reception. I was asked to perform along with Ray and Marshall Magoon for the crowd of 150 people, and it was a good thing I packed light because space rapidly became a valuable commodity. The show went well, and before long, we had to drive the 3 hours back to Fresno to begin another packed week! Congratulations, Ray and Marjorie!


Ray and Marjorie (center) with her parents (left) and Ray's father (right)


Cutting the cake together


Jules and I with Ray and Marjorie

Wednesday, Julie had to have eye surgery to correct her glaucoma problem in her left eye, and I needed to leave my post at Hocus Pocus to help her mend the last couple of days. This will make it her fourth surgery on her left eye, where she's encountered cataract problems, macular degeneration, and now glaucoma! No doctor can explain where these problems came from or how they were caused, so I was worried enough for the both of us when her day of surgery drew near. Her surgery went well, and she is home now recuperating and relaxing. Hopefully, in the long run, this particular procedure will take so that she will no longer have to take four medications every single day and it will control the pressure in her eye. On that note, I want to thank everyone for sending us well-wishes, thoughts, and prayers. It was so overwhelming the number of emails, phone calls, and cards we received, that we were both shocked. Thank you again to all of you. I also owe a debt of gratitude to Paul Gross for his understanding during this more-difficult-than-I-thought-it-would-be situation, and I wish both him and Betty a Happy Anniversary.

Now it's time to start thinking about the upcoming Get Together & Swap Meet, and I can definitely say that I am excited to meet all of you who plan on attending. Make sure you stop by and say hello and remember to have a great time. I know I will.

Best,

Mike

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year, everyone, or as they're saying, "Happy 007." As this new year begins, we're very excited about upcoming happenings here at Hocus Pocus. Coming up very shortly on January 20th is our first annual Hocus Pocus Swap Meet and Get-Together. Everything is coming together and so many of you have already called to reserve your tables and spaces for the lecturers. It's turning out to be a miniature convention. Who knows -- maybe it'll turn into something much, MUCH bigger in the future... If you live in California, we are centrally located, so getting here is a snap! We've even reserved special rates at a hotel located very close to Hocus Pocus! For more information, click the banner below:



On the home front, we had a very quiet New Year. Betty and I stayed at home and relaxed the night away and watched the Producers with Matthew Broderick and Nathan Lane. Of course, I watched the Twilight Zone Marathon, my yearly habit and close to midnight, we switched over to Dick Clark and watched the Ball drop. I hope all of you celebrated in your own way and had a great time.

Mike's evening was a little more eventful, having been hired at one of Fresno's more posh restaurants, "The Chef's Table," where he rang in the New Year bending their silverware and having cards appear in all sorts of impossible places (some of which we can't divulge here; you fill in the blanks). He was a huge hit and was asked back again for next year. Some of his family then arrived later to surprise him and they all ended the evening together with a great meal, a few drinks, and even a limo ride home!


Mike has a spectator sign a fork!


Mike and his girlfriend, Julie.

It's a family affair! We've been so busy this week, that we enlisted the help of my youngest son, Max, who as you can tell from the picture below, is exasperated with excitement. He's been helping out by filing, packing, unpacking, shredding, and doing what he does best: destroying! Cardboard boxes, that is... He's hoping to earn enough money to add to his bank account for a car. In just a few short months, Max will be 15 years old, and then driver's training begins. I don't know how I truly feel about that yet...


Max hard at work.

We've just received a huge shipment from another private collector who has decided to part with some of his treasures. This is always very exciting for me as it's a trip down memory lane. I'll now be spending the rest of today and the weekend and most of the first part of next week setting everything up and going through it all. You might have noticed that Mike has already started listing some of it on the web site and already, they've begun to disappear almost as quickly as they go up. So keep tabs on the web site to get first dibs on some of these goodies.

Tony has been hard at work constructing and putting the finishing touches on the beautiful stage for Hocus Pocus. This will be christened on January 20th, when Robert Baxt, our first lecturer, sets foot on stage to begin the lecture portion of the day! Also, I just got off the phone with Carl Ballantine to finalize the details of his visit, and he couldn't be more excited to meet and greet all of you planning on attending.

So there you have it, just a smidgen of things going on here at Hocus Pocus. Don't forget to mark your calendars for January 20th as we'd love to see you here for the First Annual Hocus Pocus Get-Together and Swap Meet!

Until next time,

Paul

What A Year It's Been!

I hope you all had a happy holiday last weekend and were able to enjoy your friends and family. I personally had the best holiday ever this year! I had two great days of family and cheer, and my good friend, Robert Baxt, spent Christmas Eve and Christmas with us. He was the hit of Christmas day at my sister's house, performing impromptu magic for everyone! I especially want to thank all of you who sent emails, cards, and Christmas wishes from all over the world. I hate to take them all down, so I think I'll leave them hanging up until after New Year's Day. Thanks again; it really means a lot to all of us here at Hocus Pocus.

And what a year it's been! So many things have happened, so many things have changed. First, we moved from our old building into our new 10,000 square foot location, which has been a real blessing and enabled us to do so many things we could never do before and to be able to efficiently run the business and pack & ship packages out faster than ever! It even enables us to hold our First Annual Swap Meet & Get-Together just a few weeks away on January 20th.


Old location


New location

My daughter, Renee, moved back to Fresno this year after graduating from college and has a great management job in a formidable department store just as my oldest son, Cole, moved away to begin his college life. He was able to get into the college of his dreams, St. Mary's, and is doing extremely well there. My younger daughter, Aimee, went back to school and will graduate next year with a business degree, taking after her old man. And last, but not least: MAX! Starting high school this year and now, almost as tall as I am (6' 2"), it seems almost impossible to me that at one time, I could hold them all in my arms at a time where my first building was a mere fraction of what it has become. And next, one of the biggest changes of all this year (I almost didn't put this up as it is a bit embarrassing) was my recent weight loss of 178 pounds! Don't believe me? Check out the before and after image below:


Me before (top) and me after! The real magic trick!

I've never felt better, never been healthier, and have never had more energy than I do now. I feel like a kid again, ready to go out and tackle the world. It's the best thing I've ever done for myself, and everyone here tells me that I should be very proud of myself; it was no easy task, but one very much worth it! And I couldn't end this all without talking about the best thing in my life, my wife Betty, without whom none of anything I've talked about would even be possible!

As this year draws to a close, I find myself very much looking forward to the new year. 2007 promises to be one of the most exciting and successful years to date, and I have you all to thank for it. I couldn't end this without thanking you all for THIS year, 2006. Your continued support and friendship are the lifeblood of Hocus Pocus. All of you are truly the reason Hocus Pocus has become what it is today, and I will never forget that.

So, however you spend your New Year's, be safe and enjoy it to the fullest!

Until next time,

Paul

Merry Christmas!

From all of us here at Hocus Pocus, we wish you a Merry Christmas and the happiest of holidays. It seems like just last week we were talking about the beginning of the holidays and now, in just a few short days, Christmas will be upon us. The showroom is all set up for our Christmas Luncheon this year, and everyone is exchanging gifts with one another. I wish it could be like this all the time: great music, great cheer, and great memories.

Update: We just ate and everyone is full and happy:







My good friend, Robert Baxt, who spent Thanksgiving with us, will also be spending Christmas with us as well as he travels from Hollywood to be with us. We'll all be spending Christmas Eve at my mother in-law's house and Christmas day at my sister's place. All my kids will be there, as well as everyone else's kids, so it' will be two great days filled to the brim with excitement and merriment.

Thank you all for keeping us busy this time of year and, of course, for your continued support and friendship. No matter what you do or how you celebrate, I hope you create new holiday memories of your own to cherish forever!

Until next time,

Paul

HO HO HOOOOOOO!

Run, run, run, and I'm not talking about Rudolph. It's in high overdrive here at Hocus Pocus as the big day is just about here. We're having multiple UPS, Fed-Ex, and Postal pickups here daily, and the UPS driver remarked the other day that it seemed that we were shipping 3 times the number of boxes than from last year. I think he's right. You still have time to do your last minute shopping with us and with expidited shipping, still get it in time for Christmas.

We're getting lots of responses about our upcoming Swap Meet & Get-Together. I spoke to Robert Baxt last night, and he's also planning on attending and doing a lecture as well. Carl Ballantine is planning on making the trip with Robert as an added surprise!


Robert Baxt & Carl Ballantine will be attending the 1st Annual Hocus Pocus Swap Meet & Get-Together

I don't want to spill the beans, but there will be more announcements once other committments have been fulfilled. For more information about the First Annual Hocus Pocus Swap Meet & Get-Together, click the banner below:



Next Friday, we'll be celebrating the holiday here with a catered lunch for the entire staff. There'll be photos posted and lots of fun to be had by all. We'll try to keep Tony out of his Elf Suit while he dances merrily around the tree...

I want to thank everyone for their holiday emails and Christmas cards which adorn the inside of Betty's office. It truly has been a great holiday season. Our good friend, Paul Romhany sent us this great email:

To my dear friends at Hocus-Pocus,

I just wanted to send you a Christmas message wishing you all a very Merry Christmas and a very Happy New Year. Thank you so much for all your support in 2006 and I am so excited about 2007 as I have some wonderful new products coming up that I know you'll be excited about.

Lots of other wonderful products to come. I think if 2006 was anything to go by then 2007 will be even better with the products I am going to produce. Let me reiterate my sincere thanks to you all for your wonderful support and encouragement, it really has meant a lot to Natalie and myself.

I've attached a photo taken 2 weeks ago here in Vancouver. We fly out to NZ in two days time and I will be away in March. I will be in touch while I'm away and can still produce the Ultimate DVDs while I'm away if any come in.

Fondest Regards,

Paul and Natalie Romhany



Before I go, let me share with you a special poem written by our good friend and customer, Frank Collins. Enjoy:

'Twas...

'Twas weeks before Christmas
and all through the place,
orders were called in
no more room no more space.

Hot items there going
Fast off the wall,
Magicians from everywhere
Were beginning to call.

Please ship the order
Hurry they say,
I have a gig
It's later today.

The shop was buzzing
World fame it was great,
Paul you look good,
Did you lose weight?

Tony's weekly tips
With encouragement bound,
Vegas was great,
But in Fresno I'm found.

What to pick what to chose,
They are not all the same,
Which trick will take me
To glory and fame?

The one by Dexter
Of mental delight,
Can I be the next Kreskin
If I practice all night?

And Mike by his wonders
and marvelous sleights,
has entertained passengers,
on cruises at night.

Ken's seen so much
A book he will pen,
Writing of greats
Like Tarbell and Ginn.

Sister Jan in shipping
Memories of Paul's sword in the neck,
Don't have the full story
It's a trick what the heck.

Cousin Karen receiving
She has Joey a son,
The next Lance Burton
Is he the one?

Jeremy in warehouse
I heard him say,
If you want it tomorrow
Should have ordered yesterday.

If you look closely
Read all the facts,
There's a young man on the screen
That's Paul's son Max.

True magic to Paul
And Hocus Pocus life,
Is his loving partner
Betty his wife.

I heard Paul say
Ever so merry,
No time rest
We have Wilson and Barry.

And to all who shop here,
My blessings I send.
When you see a rainbow
The shops at the end.

Until next time,

Paul

Warp 5, Captain!

It's definitely looking a lot like Christmas here at Hocus Pocus. To quote Mr. Scott from Star Trek, "We've got 'er at warp 5, Captain!" As fast as the orders are coming in, and I do mean they're coming in, they are going out the door just as quickly! My sister runs the shipping department and does an excellent job, as always! Remember, if you are purchasing for the holidays, the Post Office is now saying that anything shipped after December 11th by Parcel Post may not reach you in time for the holidays. You may wish to consider soon upgrading your shipping options. Rest assured that Hocus Pocus will do everything we can to make sure you receive your packages on time. Here's a quick shot of JUST the back of the shipping department with orders ready to ship out today!


Can you see your order in here?

Even though we live in California, and last time we saw snow here in Fresno was over 30 years ago, the weather here has been below freezing every single night for the last two weeks, and although that might not be cold for some of you, here in California, THAT'S COLD! Every morning windows, grass, rooftops, and cars are frozen over with frost. That's as close to a white Christmas as we'll probably get.

Last week, I talked about the upcoming Hocus Pocus Swap Meet this January 20. I'm happy to say that we'll have two guest lecturers that day: Dick Barry and Mark & Nani Wilson! It's turned into a one-day mini convention. We've already taken several reservations for tables, and if you want to join in to sell your magic wares, contact us here at sales@hocus-pocus.com or 800-407-4040. We're extremely excited about this event and look forward to seeing you here.


Proud new parents, Chance and Shelley Wolf

Congratulations to Chance and Shelley Wolf of Wolf's Magic as they celebrate the birth of their first child, a brand new baby boy! I spoke to Chance earlier in the week, and I could tell from his tone, that he was beaming at the prospect of being a new dad. What better Christmas gift could anyone receive?

On the home front, all our Christmas shopping is done, which is record time for us! With four children and other relatives to buy for, we're usually shopping right up to the last minute. My son Max checks the bottom of the Christmas Tree regularly, just to see if there are any new gifts for him. Betty has made it harder to guess what's inside this year as she's disguised every single one of his gifts. It's driving him crazy, and if you think I'm going to hint at what some of them are here, you're nuts; I know Max reads this...

We hope your holidays and bright, cheerful, warm, and cozy this year as you spend them with your family and loved ones. Remember, don't let the fact that we only have 16 days left until Christmas drive you crazy; relax and enjoy and take each day in stride.

Until next time,

Paul

Only 23 Days Left

How can it be? We just finished Thanksgiving and there's 23 days left before we celebrate Christmas. What a great holiday kickoff we had last week. All the family gathered for our traditional Thanksgiving celebration. Robert Baxt spent a couple of days here celebrating as well. Both of our families were entertained by Robert and his impromptu magic shows. See the photos below for a more in-depth look:


That's me cutting up the bird.


At my Mother in-law's house.

The day after Thanksgiving started off with a bang. We were busier than ever before. Max and Cole hung the Christmas lights outside the house and helped to put all the Christmas decorations up while Betty and I worked inside getting it decked out for the holidays as well. We were so much in the Christmas spirit Saturday afternoon, we went out and bought our tree. Sunday afternoon, my daughters, Aimee and Renee, my sons Max and Cole, and Cole's girlfriend, Amanda, came over to see the decorations. We all went out to dinner and afterwards came home to watch all the kids decorate the Christmas tree. It's been our tradition since they could walk to decorate the tree any way they want.

Here at Hocus Pocus, the holiday spirit's also taken over. Now that we have all this room in our new location, Betty and my sister have taken up the official duties of decorating. From the warehouse to the offices, the holiday spirit abounds!

There's been a huge influx of new and exciting products arriving daily. Most notable are Cody Fisher's Bet Your Bucks Routine. Hocus Pocus is excited to be the exclusive dealer and manufacturer of Cody's latest offering. This effect is two years in the making and definitely worth your time to check out! Other exciting products are Psy-Key and Kronos by Yves Doumergue. Also, do yourself a favor and check out Sykys as well as Mark Wilson's Color Changing Knife Routine! While you're at it, check out the special Holiday Items section of our web site, filled with tons of products that will satisfy that holiday urge. Don't forget: by adding one or two of these effects to your shows will set you apart from your competition. It's a small investment with a huge payoff.

Hocus Pocus will be hosting its first annual Swap Meet Day. Tentative date is Saturday, January 20th, and everyone is welcome to attend. If you wish to participate and sell within the swap meet, table fees are just $15.00 each and must be reserved in advance. To reserve your table, call toll-free 800-407-4040 and ask to speak to either myself or Tony. We will also have two guest lecturers that day as well as special guests to be announced very soon. Don't miss out on this chance to sell some of those items that you don't use anymore or pick up a few bargains yourself and check out a couple of great lectures at the same time.

Oh, one more thing: Do you want to win a free Bet Your Bucks by Cody Fisher? All you have to do is tune in to Mike Giusti's radio show on the Magic Broadcast Tuesday, December 5 at 8:00 PM PST for your opportunity. Mike will be giving one of these away absolutely free, so make sure you tune in. Check the link below to listen to the replayed shows:

MAGIC BROADCAST

So there you have it. No time to rest 'cause it's always busy, busy, busy! Hope you all have a great weekend and are in the holiday spirit.

Until next week,

Paul