About Makin'Magic
MakinMagic.net



Realistically, Makin'Magic began in 1971, in Memphis, Tennessee. That is when and where the creator of this site obtained his very first magic trick and the bug, aka art firmly set it's hooks into a fourteen-year old aspiring magician. Here, in his own words is the rest of the story.

Back then, I owned, managed and worked my own business, a swimming pool cleaning business. I would travel in between seven different apartment complexes and a couple of residential pools, cleaning them as I had been taught at a local pool company that went belly-up. The vast majority of the funds I earned would then go into the till at a local downtown establishment called The Fun Shop. That shop, in 1971, was already several decades old and did not lack in character in the least bit. My memory fails me now (I forget the name of the kind proprietor) but the owner was an accomplished magician. He took the time and taught me several sleights that I used, if not abused over the forthcoming years.

Over the course of a few years, all before 1975, I acquired the U.F. Grant Temple Production, the must-have milk pitcher, a chrome Phantom Tube, The Acrobatic Silks, a splendid, well constructed sucker die box, the linking rings and a few more lesser known items, all of which found their way into my act. Like a lot of young magicians just starting out, I worked the "birthday party circuit" and on occasion would be invited to perform at some business venues as well. My single most memorable performance took place at St. Jude Children's Hospital in Memphis. That was the BIG-TIME for a magician whose name wasn't known outside the confines of his home.

In 1978, something happened that led me to pack everything up and place it all into storage. Oh, I still did some close-up for friends and family as I couldn't simply walk away from something that I dearly loved; not cold-turkey anyway. What happened you ask?

In 1978, I pinned on a badge and was issued a weapon and a commission. I became a full-time law enforcement officer and remained so, until my retirement in 2011. I don't regret that career, as it was a true calling for me. I simply could not give up the lure or my love for magic, not that I tried real hard, 'cause I didn't. After retiring and the grandchildren began arriving, my wife and I retired to twelve acres in the country and I built my first real shop, a 30x40 job, out behind the house, complete with two lean-to's, one on either side and a full bath (my wife suggested that). My friends call it "the largest dog house" they've ever seen.

Well, if you're still with me, that's where Makin'Magic is now. From my collection of books, I began constructing some of the parlor effects that I once owned and some I never got around to acquiring. I'm not a dealer. I am nothing more than a collector who, now retired, lives on a fixed income. I personally build my collection and thought perhaps somebody, somewhere else, may like to see some of it. And the website was born.

I hope you enjoy.