Tam Shepherds Magic Shop Closes

[Q. Kumber]

On their Facebook page Tam Shepherds Trick Shop in Glasgow announced that they closed on Saturday, 9th November. The building they are in is to be redeveloped and while they may return after the development, they aren't optimistic. Their online business will continue at www.tamshepherds.com

[AJM]

Sad news but perhaps a slight air of inevitability given Mr Walton is no longer holding court behind the counter.

I do hope they return.

Andrew

[AJM]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/ckglyrx0yqpo

[Tom Moore]

Truly the end of an era.

I wish it wasn’t true but there’s basically zero chance of them coming back in any form- they never made any serious inroads into internet sales and their only USP was the history of the physical shop and the experience of jamming with Roy; without them they’re nothing.

By my calculations this means that International Magic in London is the uk’s last actual magic shop and even they have given up trying.

[Tarotist]

I am so sad to hear that. I used to go in there as a small boy in Glasgow years and years before Davenports took it over. The place must have been in existence for at least a hundred years or so. I suppose a combination of Roy not there and the internet has killed it off.

[Tarotist]

By my calculations this means that International Magic in London is the uk’s last actual magic shop and even they have given up trying.

Oh God! I hope not! In any event I doubt it. I used to work for them and if they could survive that they can survive anything!

[Ian Kendall]

Technically Alakazam still count. And there's Wonder & Co in Edinburgh.

[Tom Moore]

I class a "magic shop" as one that is in some sort of retail environment and picking up passing trade / being the place that people who don't know anything about magic see as their entry point. Alakazam are fine people who i'm certain will be around for many years but they are in a unit in an industrial park that you have to make a conscious decision to go to; if that counts as a magic shop then I'm technically a magic shop.

[Edwin Corrie]

Sorry to hear about Tam Shepherds. I managed to go a couple of times over the years, and on my first visit was privileged to meet Roy Walton. It was a quiet day with no other customers, and he was very friendly and helpful to me, a complete nobody in magic. I really wish I'd the time and courage to stay longer and talk more with him.

A couple of months ago I found Wonder & Co. in Edinburgh after seeing it mentioned in Genii. It's quite small but has plenty of things, and the guy there was also very friendly. Definitely worth a visit - it's good to support these places.

There must be at least a few more magic shops left in the UK. Mike Danata's Magic Studio in Bournemouth still seems to be there, for example.

[AJM]

Magicbox in Newcastle used to have a shop on the ‘high street’ which I visited a number of years ago while in the area. While they technically still have a shop, I see their address is also now a unit in an Industrial Park.

I have passed the Wonder & Co shop in Edinburgh a few times but have never yet ‘crossed its portals’. I’ve no idea who owns it but it has that look about it that indicates that it won’t be there for very long.

Cheers

Andrew

[Richard Kaufman]

A new magic shop just opened in suburban Maryland. Called Maximum Magic, it's located in Potomac and happens to be a few minutes from a famous (and enormous) museum known as Glenstone.
https://mocoshow.com/2024/11/11/marylan ... -now-open/

[BarryAllen]

An end of an era indeed - albeit not surprising given that Davenports have now completely vanished - even from the internet. The writing was no doubt on the wall, upon Roy's sad passing.

However, Tam Shepherd's never appeared (from their website) to carry much of a Magic range anyway. Roy's books, over-priced Dover publications and some USPCC packs of cards aside, it appeared to consist primarily of cheap plastic flim-flam, to appeal to kids.

So whilst it's sad to see any business close down (particularly for any staff directly affected), I don't think this closure will have too much of an impact upon the UK Magic Community if I'm honest.

Bricks & Mortar-wise Mark, there are a few shops operating still within the UK. As well as International, to the best of my knowledge, there's:

Merchant of Magic - Southampton
Top Secret Magic - Plymouth
MagicWorld - Stockport
Saturn Magic - Lutterworth
Merlins - Wakefield
The House of Magic - Stourbridge
MagicBox - Newcastle
Alakazam - Ashford
Magick Enterprises - Sheffield

Davenports was such a sad loss, as it held so many personal happy memories. No doubt, the costs involved setting up their World of Magic 'experience' was the straw that broke the camel's back financially for them. That said, siting such an event in the arse-end of rural Norfolk, miles from the nearest civilisation, was hardly the most astute business decision that they'd ever made.

[Bob Farmer]

I have many happy memories of visiting Davenport's and Tam Shepherd's. Both were truly like visiting a genie inside his bottle.

[Leo Garet]

Merlins Of Wakefield is top notch.

It's a proper shop on the ground floor, plus two further floors stacked with....well, all sorts. Owned and run by Mark Lee and Phil Peters, they retain their enthusiasm for Magic and this is reflected in the welcome that any visiting magician can expect.

[Tom Moore]

Sorry to hear about Tam Shepherds. I managed to go a couple of times over the years, and on my first visit was privileged to meet Roy Walton. It was a quiet day with no other customers, and he was very friendly and helpful to me, a complete nobody in magic. I really wish I'd the time and courage to stay longer and talk more with him.

A couple of months ago I found Wonder & Co. in Edinburgh after seeing it mentioned in Genii. It's quite small but has plenty of things, and the guy there was also very friendly. Definitely worth a visit - it's good to support these places.

There must be at least a few more magic shops left in the UK. Mike Danata's Magic Studio in Bournemouth still seems to be there, for example.

Mike Danata's shut several years ago.

That's quite an interesting though arbitrary list. Saturn Magic don't have any visiting options; they prefer mailorder; Magicbox & Alakazam are in industrial units; if we're counting any place in the uk that sells magic with some sort of physical premises then there's 25+ of them but none of them are a "magic shop" surely? It's nice to see there's still 4 or 5 actual magic shops still out there; I'm going to make a point of visiting them all just to try and help keep things ticking over.

The demise of Davenports was family rivalries and disputes along with a steadfast refusal to see the direction magic retail was heading. Their decision to not meaningfully embrace internet sales or change their business model meant their fate was written in the 2000's and they were just treading water from then on. In their final years they only continued to exist because their landlord (whose grandson was a magic fan and now minor magic celebrity) effectively subsidised them and ongoing angst over the failure of the magic museum and the shop has stopped several attempts to try and save something of their legacy.

[erdnasephile]

This is sad news for the business and the state of B & M magic shops in general.

Perhaps there is hope though: a few years ago, there were many news articles on the demise of the local bookstore. However, I just spoke with someone who is a proprietor that said actually the latest data are looking up in this regard. For example: https://www.inc.com/howard-tullman/book ... -back.html and https://www.fastcompany.com/91174796/ba ... cities-map ) I also remember when some folks thought the physical magic book publishing business was dead. Thankfully, many wonderful magic books are selling well (and we are all eagerly awaiting the mother of all magic book projects to come to fruition!)

I wonder if B & M magic shops might one day make a mini comeback? (Fingers crossed)

[Ian Kendall]

I have passed the Wonder & Co shop in Edinburgh a few times but have never yet ‘crossed its portals’. I’ve no idea who owns it but it has that look about it that indicates that it won’t be there for very long.

Wonder & Co was set up by Cammy Gibson, originally as a small venue for performance, but the magic retail side grew from that. It seems to be ticking over - mostly mail order - but there have been people in the shop when I've visited. Cammy also has Sunday meetings where people can come in to session every month (or two weeks, I forget).

I hope it stays for a bit, if only to have some kind of ground zero for what remains of the Scottish scene.

[AJM]

Thanks Ian - I will make sure to look in when I’m next in Edinburgh (which I’ll admit isn’t very often these days even although it’s only 20 minutes away).

And I should have added to my last post that, my own observations aside, I wish it every success.

Cheers

Andrew

[chriscaldwell11]

So sorry to hear this. One of my favorite memories in magic is getting off the train in Glasgow and walking to Tam Shepherd's, and spending a couple of truly magical hours with Roy and then at the pub next door with the guys from the Nine of Diamonds. Maybe his daughters will somehow keep it going.

[Dave Le Fevre]

No doubt, the costs involved setting up their World of Magic 'experience' was the straw that broke the camel's back financially for them. That said, siting such an event in the arse-end of rural Norfolk, miles from the nearest civilisation, was hardly the most astute business decision that they'd ever made.

My wife and I visited it in 2013 and again in 2017.

On each occasion, we enjoyed it but it was almost deserted.

[BarryAllen]

On each occasion, we enjoyed it but it was almost deserted.

There was just a handful of people when I visited as well Dave, in 2015. Given the vast size of the building, this certainly didn't contribute towards creating any atmosphere.

However, I also greatly enjoyed it. The highlights for me were the vast array of vintage props; and the mock-up of an early 20th Century Davenports shop - although that's possibly because I adore the Magic of yesteryear, rather than today's rubbish!

The worst part of the day was undoubtedly getting there. The three and a half hour drive from The Midlands to North Walsham was one of those journeys that felt never-ending. It truly was located in the back of beyond - and this must surely have contributed somewhat towards it's eventual demise.

Without Davenports, there's every chance that Dad would not have become a professional Magician after WW2; in which case, my interest may never have materialised either.

I feel so sorry for Roy and the rest of the Davenport Family. For such a major influence in British Magic to just evaporate into the ether the way that they have, is truly heartbreaking. The Davenports deserved better, much better, than that.

[Dave Le Fevre]

"the mock-up of an early 20th Century Davenports shop"
Bryan Baggs in the old-fashioned magic shop was superb.

"The worst part of the day was undoubtedly getting there"
We were holidaying in Norfolk on both occasions. Else I wouldn't have gone there.

I'd been into conjuring (at a relatively low level) for about fifty years, then I visited a magic-related exhibition at the Church Farmhouse Museum in Hendon in 2001. Most or all of the exhibits came from Davenport's. It was at that exhibition that I first saw an advert for a local magic club, which prompted me to join. Thus it was Davenport's who aided my progress.