Happy Father’s Day to you if you’re a father, a stepfather, uncle or a surrogate. Thanks for all you do.
My dad was always supportive of my interests. He didn’t push me one way or another. His support included my magical pursuits.
When I was in third or fourth grade, I discovered that there was a magic shop downtown Pittsburgh. I asked my dad if he would take me and he agreed. It was Jim Swoger’s House of Enchantment.
What we didn’t know was it wasn’t a house nor a normal storefront until we arrived that Saturday morning. At that time, the operation was on either Penn or Liberty Avenue which for years was a seedy area. We found ourselves in front of an adult bookstore. I remember waiting outside while my dad ventured in to assess the situation. I’m sure that much to his chagrin, Jim had a small area inside. Being resourceful, my dad covered my eyes and guided me through the store to the shop area.
I remember it was small with a counter and some shelves. I remember Jim only showing me tricks that were appropriate for me. I remember when I wanted one item, he asked, “how many gross do you want?” Again my dad came to the rescue explaining what a gross was. I bought a set of Chinese sticks, a set of cups and balls, and a small set of red wooden billiard balls with Jim’s book, Enchanted Ball Manipulation.
I still have all of these items but most importantly, I have the memory of a supportive dad.
