From: jti01@DUTS.ccc.amdahl.com
Newsgroups: alt.magic
Subject: Magic in and around your city
Date: 21 Dec 92 19:02:24 GMT
Reply-To: jti01@DUTS.ccc.amdahl.com ()
Distribution: na
Organization: Amdahl Corporation, Sunnyvale CA


atekant@wimsey.bc.ca asked, "Where to see/buy magic in San Francisco?"

I sent him the following reply and thought it might be interesting and
informative to others so I decided to re-post again. I thought it would
a great FAQ if others would post information about their towns. Someone
could collect the info for a monthly FAQ (I would volunteer but I'm
already keeping the FAQ Movie listing, ;-) ). Welllllll, what do ya
think?
----------------------------------------------------------------------

Here are the two best magic shops in the San Francisco Bay Area. Both
places are equally helpful.

House of Magic, The (415) 346-2218
  2025 Chestnut St. San Francisco, CA
   My Comments:
   "I've been here a few times and they have always been friendly and
    helpful. The major problem is parking (as with anyplace in San
    Francisco). They have most of the common stuff that you will find
    in Tannens, Hank Lee's or Abbott's but most of it is behind the
    counter or in the glass display. HINT: One of my magician friends
    was recently there and bought a bunch of stuff. Before he bought the
    stuff he kinda waved back and forth so they gave him a discount as
    an added incentive to buy. I don't know if this is common practice
    but it's certainly worth a try."

   Comments from the net:
   "Carries both old and new stuff, and specializes in antiques, imported,
   and limited edition stuff.  The primary drawback with this place is
   that it's full of rubber doggy-do, inflatable women, rubber snakes,
   etc., and seeing into the over-stuffed counters is sometimes tough.
   You have to become sort of known face to get the most value out of
   this store.  It does have the largest local book section."
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Magic Touch - (408)263-9404; Towne Center Dr; N Milpitas Blvd; Milpitas
   My Comments:
   "This is where I usually do my shopping due to the convenience. It's
    a good shop and if Steve Dawson (the owner) is working, the help is
    really good. It is a pleasantly run, well equipped shop worth stopping
    in if you have the time". BTW: Milpitas is a small town in the south
    Bay of the SF bay area. It's about a 50 minute car ride from downtown
    SF. BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit) will take you as far as Fremont
    and I'm sure there are buses that can get you the rest of the way.
    (Its about another 5 miles from the Fremont BART station). Good Luck

   Comments from the net:
  "Tends to carry new stuff only, not antiques or second hand. They also
   carry a few of their own manufactured tricks of various types. They
   have a newsletter which comes out every few months.  Steve Dawson owns
   and runs the place. Steve can get many more things than he stocks. What
   he stocks is a good selection of closeup stuff, including coins, plus
   standards like vanishing canes, cups & balls, etc.  And some of the
   usual strangely painted boxes & tubes.  Steve keeps a close eye on the
   trade, and can usually offer comments on new or old tricks."
----------------------------------------------------------------------

 As for Magic Performances, sorry but I can't help you. There used to be
 a Pizza parlor that had "open mike" magic every Tuesday from 7:00 PM
 in San Jose (its called Golden Mushroom on Saratoga, Pruneridge and
 San Tomas Expressway). They started "open mike" stand-up comedy and the
 comedians alienated all the magicians with vulgar routines in a family
 setting. The last 2 times I dropped in, there were only comedians.

 Some of the SF Comedy Clubs (Improv, PunchLine, etc) will have a
 comedic magician sometimes. You'll have to check the schedules.

 There are usually a few magicians performing on the streets in Fisherman's
 Wharf. They usually hang around in front of this one shopping area that
 I think is called "The Anchor". There's a large anchor in front and
 there's usually a large crowd during performances and small crowds just
 before the performance starts up. (If the place is not called "The
 Anchor", you can find it by looking for Houlihan's Restaurant or a
 small place called "SF Sour Dough Experience", or something like that).

 There is a black guy who usually draws a very large crowd. He's moderately
 funny but his magic is minimal (not many effects/tricks and usually
 pretty simple stuff). He's worth watching if you ever want to work the
 streets because he really works the crowd. There is another guy named
 Jerry Salazar. You'll recognize him by his attire (he wears a plaid,
 suit with knickers from the 1930's or so. He's short, very slim and
 wears a hat and a fancy handlebar mustache). I've seen some of his
 stuff before I really got into magic and was impressed. I've seen him
 recently and was not so impressed. He usually plays to small crowds.
 You'll see him standing on the street with a small table. If you stop
 to watch, he'll start performing. Tip him if you want to see more.

 There is also a small stage at Pier 39. There are street performers
 scheduled every hour or so. These performers are usually the cream of
 the crop so this is a good place to go for top notched performances.
 Usually, the performers are jugglers and acrobats but they do get
 magicians. I believe they post a schedule so stop by early to see the
 line-up.

 Well, that's about all I know about magic in the San Francisco Area.
 Have a great time.


 Jeff Isozaki (jti01@duts.ccc.amdahl.com)
Newsgroups: alt.magic