Ash’s Magic Shop

Mr. Ash is a local treasure and no visit to Chicago is complete without stopping by his shop. Who cares if it’s a little «cluttered» there are treasures to be found everywhere you turn! I was told Jeff McBride spent hours digging through the shops vast inventory. When you’re done at Willis Tower … stop by and see a real landmark!

I’m a simple man. I like a few things: family, friends, food, and good times. One way to have an awesome time? FAKE MUSTACHES.
I now have a collection of fake mustaches, gathered over years of costume shopping (I am a Halloween maniac — it is the greatest holiday ever).
I have been all over the city, my friends — standard rate for a hi-​quality fake stache is at least 25 clams. ASH SELLS THEM FOR $ 5.99!!!
You are LOSING MONEY if you don’t do that — sincerely.
Beyond the fake mustache’s, Ash is a great magician, will show you how to do a bunch of cool tricks and also tell you cool stories. He is a great man.
Go there. Get a fake stache. Partake in the mystery of life.

For over 20 years — I never miss stopping in this shop when visiting Chicago. An experience. Great stories from the owners, entertainers & patrons that hang-​out. Space is limited with items piled high to the rafters — but wife, Bonnie, seems to know where everything is.

LOVE this store. Yes, the store’s ridiculously messy, but that’s part of its charm. I have no problem fishing through merchandise… especially when Mr. Ash is there. Mr. Ash is not only an outstanding magician/​entertainer, but he’s a really nice man. When I was 12 I’d send change in the mail (I was 12 and didn’t have a check) for magic catalogs. The only shop that sent me a catalog was Ash’s Magic! Besides bargains, there are some serious «finds» for magic enthusiasts here. You won’t believe the amount of inventory this little store has.

My wife and I walked in on a Saturday afternoon a few weeks ago. Not being from Chicago and having heard all my life about the «good old days when Chicago had a dozen magic shops», I had to see Ash’s.
The place looked like a flea market after a tornado hit. The only person in the shop was a woman sitting and talking on a phone; I presume she was Mrs. Ash. She was telling the person on the other end something about her husband being away, so I assumed that meant we’d not get a chance to meet Mr. Ash himself. If there was anyone else in there, they were burried alive under God knows what.
The place smelled like dirty socks. We took about ten seconds to look around and left in search of Magic Inc.
I’ve been a fair number of magic shops over the years, including a couple of childhood haunts (Bentley’s Magic in Santa Ana and Joe Berg’s in Hollywood), so I get the whole pack rat/​collector thing. But this place was over the top and even though I’m sure there are many gems to be found in that huge pile of crap in Mr. Ash’s store, I just don’t have the time or patience to dig through it.
People wonder why brick and mortar magic shops are disappearing off the face of the earth and after seeing Ash’s, I’m pretty sure part of the mystery has been solved. No one, except the most hard core, would waste their time in a store like this.
Back in the 70’s I joined the Magic Castle and began to regularly bump into professional magicians; people like Dai Vernon, Peter Pitt, Al Goshman, Harry Anderson and so many others. Then and over the years since, I’ve heard those magicians and countless others extol the virtues of PRESENTATION, PRESENTATION, PRESENTATION. Somehow I guess presentation applies to magic performance, but not magic shops. That’s too bad, because places like Ash’s are on the endangered species list and I fear it won’t be long before they are gone forever.
When that happens, at least in Ash’s case, I’m not guessing there will be many people who even notice.

This is actually for Mr. Ash himself. He performed at a BBQ I went to last weekend. It was hilarious because there were about 5 kids at the party but Mr. Ash engaged the adults more. Which turns out, magic for adults is pretty damn funny. He performed the standard card and handkerchief tricks but in a self-​effacing way. He answered his cell phone during the show and turned it into a ‘Your wife called…’ joke. Picked one guy out of the audience and said, ‘Your wife wants you to pick up some milk…’
Any magician who can perform for 2 hours with a wire hanger used as a microphone holder has my vote. I haven’t seen a magic show since about 1987… it is funnier when you see drunk people participating in magic tricks.
Such a nice man… hilarious in that kitchy kind of way.

This place is a hidden gem. It’s been there for many many years, but it’s one of those places that I’m sure many many people have driven right by without any idea that it’s there. If you’re looking to buy a magic set for a holiday gift, this is the place. If you’re a pro magician looking for a big illusion, this is the place. If you want to get a trick deck of cards to cheat at poker or amaze the grandkids, this is the place. They also carry Halloween costumes and clown supplies, practical jokes (blue mouth gum and the like), and a bunch of other stuff. Mr. Ash and his wife Bonnie are really nice too.

This place is small, stuffed to the hilt with supplies and costumes, and cheesy as all hell — exactly as it should be. I was here on Halloween grabbing some last minute face paint (50¢, what?) and was utterly charmed. Truth be told, I don’t have a whole lot of reason to go buy magic supplies or fake vampire teeth on a regular basis (which is a total shame), but if I did, Ash’s would be my stomping ground. The owner even did a slight-​of-​hand with my change! Tee hee!

I’m giving this place five stars, mostly because I appreciate places like this that have managed to stay in business this long, despite the fact that very few people visit magic/​joke/​novelty shops anymore.
When I went, I was shopping for a friend’s birthday present. It was so cramped inside, and was filled with various random masks, lame gags, and books. What I assumed were the owners were hunched in the middle of the room, looking very unhappy and unhealthy. This is not the magic shop Pee Wee Herman shops at.
But they’re here. If you need some wacky glasses, trick gum, or gorilla mask, give Ash’s your business.

At one point in my childhood life, living in the bay area, I remember being really excited about spending all my allowance on magic tricks because I wanted to be a magician like my Uncle Johnny.
Uncle Johnny was actually a friend of my parents but we called him uncle cause you know… it was rude to call adults just by their first names… Anyway, Uncle Johnny was amazing! He could make cards disappear and reappear… whip colorful handkerchiefs out of places handkerchiefs weren’t supposed to be and all that good stuff…
Anyway, Ash’s Magic Shop triggered that childhood memory slash feeling slash warm fuzziness of, «Aaw… I miss being a kid…» thought.
It was kinda random.