During the late 1970’s through the early 1990’s, I planned my month of January around the MagiFest. Initially it wasn’t difficult as I was in college or working in the Pittsburgh area. Then in 1980 I began a decade long stint in the consulting industry. Attending required finessing travel arrangements. No matter what the obstacle, I managed to attend most if not all of the conventions. I stopped attending in the early 1990’s when I moved west.
It was a much smaller gathering than now. It was considered a regional event drawing attendees from within driving distance. While the performers, lecturers, and camaraderie were reasons to attend, they had wonderful dealers. People like Al Cohen, Joe Stevens, Howie Schwarzman, Al Goshman, Paul Diamond, and others that unfortunately don’t come to mind. What made them wonderful was that as one visited each room (yes, they each had their own hotel room with the furniture removed), there were unique and varied products. Each dealer had their own selection of magic.
These unique offerings are regrettably more and more rare today. The last convention I attended in January 2020 shortly before the world shut down, there were some dealers with the unusual and different. However, most magic that is purchased today is online and mostly through two or three dealers. The selection is almost entirely the same – even the one who claims to curate.
To find the unique, distinctive, and unusual today takes work. One has to move beyond the big names and seek out the smaller vendors. They’re still out there however they’re becoming more and more rare. It’s up to us to find and support them.
