Betty and I spent a great day in Monterey last week. We were at the coast to pick up a new estate acquisition and decided to make a weekend of it; this is such a beautiful area of the state and we welcomed the opportunity/excuse to spend a little extra time in Monterey.

After our leisurely day in Monterey, we loaded the rental truck and drove back to Fresno to start sorting. You know, it’s just amazing to see the treasures of magic that are out there. We’ve already sold many of the items we brought home within minutes of putting them on the website. Some of you out there are definitely keeping an eagle eye on the Private Estate category.

Paul and Max Gross sorting through the latest Estate acquisition at Hocus Pocus

There was a signed Dai Vernon book that went yesterday before we even put it on the website. And, we sent a photo off to a major auction house to authenticate Houdini’s signature on the plaque we’re showing here.

Signed Houdini plaque at Hocus Pocus

I think a lot of people just don’t know what they have in their magic collection that has no value to them and they don’t use, but someone else would love to have. Seriously, I can’t stress it enough; call me if you want to sell/consign/trade some of your magic. I’m always looking for more items for the Private Estate collection and there are a lot of people browsing the Private Estate categoryon the website looking for these items.

Black’s Magic and Wacko to the Rescue

Wacko with the Bag to Light Foulard at Hocus Pocus

This week I welcomed back my good friend and part-time supermodel, Wacko. We received a shipment of new Black’s Magic items and needed to take photographs for the website. Wacko to the rescue! He very patiently posed for pictures and entertained us with The Wacko Show in the process. (He also helped sort through the new acquisition). Thank you, Wacko! We are honored to be the exclusive U.S. distributor for Black’s Magic. This is really great product at a fair price; there is a limited selection, but we’ve given in its own category on the website because it is such a good assortment of key effects.  You should check out the Black’s Magic category.

Pick of the Week

Every now and then I highlight a new product; I don’t do it every week, but when I do, it is because I am really impressed by it.  Whenever you can say both “comedy” and “horror” when describing an effect you know it’s going to be good. This week we put Peter Loughran’s Creature Shock  on the website. I love everything that Peter introduces because it is original, high quality, with well thought out routines and the professional performer in mind. Take a look at the video,

Have a great weekend.

Until next time,

Paul

Monday, we hosted a Lecture by Rich Marotta. What a performer! The audience (our biggest ever for a lecture) was enthralled the entire time. I even got a thank you letter the next day from an audience member because he thought it was so good and so worthwhile! Rich showed so many card tricks and moves and then explained in great detail how he does it. Of course, the performance of Rat Trap was a highlight, but really the entire evening was great and if you ever have a chance to see Rich Marotta perform…DO NOT MISS IT!

Paul Gross, Rich Marotta, Tim Mannix at Hocus Pocus

Sometimes Change is a Good Thing

Just this week, we have finally gone live with online shipping options and charges! It is so exciting to finally get to this point after weighing and measuring thousands of items. I never, in my wildest dreams, thought this project would take so long (almost a year), but it is here now and so far, so good. Like with any new system, we know there will be some tweaking over the course of the next few weeks so we ask you to bear with us as we work through it. Now that this is done, I can’t wait to get started on the next project on our list of enhancements. Stay tuned…

On The Road Again

Betty and I are headed out of town to pick up a new estate acquisition for the Private Estate Collection. We had to rent a truck because there are so many items, but I only know what a few of the items are; it’s going to be like Christmas morning when we start opening the boxes! Monday morning we will start unpacking and cataloging the items, they should start appearing on the website Monday afternoon.  I’ll get them on as fast as possible so keep checking the Private Estate category on the website!

I’m keeping the blog short this week because I have to get on the road (actually, by the time this blog is published we’ll probably be at the destination). Have a great weekend!

Rich Marotta riding the kangaroo at Hocus Pocus

Until next time,

Paul

We’re Ready For Our Close-Ups

It’s Friday the 13^th and we have been at the shop since 4 a.m.  One of our local TV stations, KMPH26, and anchor Clayton Clark, filmed live from the Hocus Pocus Showroom starting at 5 a.m.  

Hocus Pocus has a full house of magicians and we were entertained for hours as they all performed for the television cameras this morning.

Our Cast of Characters:

Greg Wilson (who arrived at 3:30 a.m. from L.A.) performed Billiard Balls and The Alakazam Egg and a little magic jazz…

Tim Mannix (from L.A., but soon to be local) performed Devil’s Pitcher, Fish in a Bottle, produced a rabbit from a pan and more

Wacko (who also came in from Los Angeles) thoroughly entertained us with The Wacko Show and together with Tanika Twigg performed Fire Cage

Tanika Twigg who is from the local Fresno/Hanford area wore a sample of her face painting and entertained us with balloon art as well as working with Wacko

Nate Delahay, also from Fresno, and a member of the Fresno Magic Club, performed close-up card magic

We were also honored with the presence of Norm Lambert, President of the Fresno Magic Club (phone 559-255-7637 for more information), who gave his stamp of approval to all the performers.

A GREAT BIG THANK YOU TO ALL OF YOU!!!!

Standing: Nate Delahay, Greg Wilson, Norm Lambert, Tim Mannix, Paul, Clayton Clark; kneeling: Wacko and Tanika Twigg

I’m sorry you couldn’t all see the performances (on and off the camera) because it was truly entertaining having all these professional entertainers here. So for this week’s blog, I’m going to share some of the photos from this morning and as soon as the videos are uploaded we’ll add them, too!.

KMPH 26 crew

Tanika and Wacko at Hocus Pocus

Tim Mannix producing a Rabbit at Hocus Pocus

Wacko, Tanika and the Fire Cage at Hocus Pocus

Paul with Greg Wilson and Clayton from KMPH26

Nate Delahay and Clayton at Hocus Pocus

Tanika Twigg and Tim Mannix just before performing Devil's Pitcher

Reviewing The Devil's Pitcher at Hocus Pocus

Rich Marotta Lecture This Monday!

I’m so pleased to be hosting a lecture featuring Rich Marotta. Rich is one of those great peformers that has it all…comedy, magic and just great entertainment. If you’re in the area, you need to be at this lecture.

Date: Monday, January 16, 2012 Time: 7pm $20.00 advance purchase $25.00 at the door

Rich Marotta

Rich Marotta is a stand up comedian and one of the best magicians working today. He headlines all the major comedy clubs in America and has appeared on countless television shows. Rich has also published books and authored DVDs that set the standard for performing magic. He seamlessly combines great magical effects to create an unforgettably exciting show.

What makes the Rich Marotta Lecture unique is that he is not a professional lecturer, he is a professional entertainer, and everything he demonstrates in his lecture he performs for paying customers. The lecture will feature Close up, Stand up and Stage effects.  There will be many things in the lecture that you will be able to use but even the ones you don’t use are worth knowing because Rich explains why he presents the effect the way he does and analyzes each effect from the standpoint of the spectator. Definitely an evening NOT TO BE MISSED.

Until next time,

Paul

I received a letter from a customer, yes we get many letters (emails really) from customers, but every now and then one just makes you feel good. It makes up for the long hours and hard work and gives you a pat on the back, but, more importantly to me, this letter shows that OUR CUSTOMERS LOVE MAGIC just as much as we do.

This is my indulgence today because it made everyone here at Hocus Pocus smile and feel good about their magic obsession and I think all LOVERS of MAGIC will relate to the sentiments conveyed in this letter.

LETTER FROM A CUSTOMER:

Hey Paul!

I thought I’d a take a moment this Christmas morning to thank you for making my Christmas a very magical one indeed.

Many moons ago (somewhere around late May or early June) I made my very first purchase from Hocus Pocus. It was the complete set of Bruce Cervon’s Castle Notebooks from the Robinson estate. When the package arrived, I jokingly told the delivery person that they had just brought me my Christmas present. How little did I know…

Later that evening as I sat down to open the box, I was interrupted by a phone call that would take me away for the evening. By the time I returned I was too tired to think about magic, so I left it as a pleasurable task for the next night. But that next day saw even more work which took me away from my magic and once again the box went unopened. And the day after that I received a long-awaited offer of a new job – which now meant moving in less than two months.

Rather than risk any damage to these treasured tomes in my move, I figured I’d just leave them all nice and securely packaged as they seemed to be, transport them in my vehicle (along with a few other pieces I would never entrust to a moving company) and then open them as a magical housewarming gift once I got settled.  (There were no signs of any mishandling or damage in shipping or I would have taken pictures and then opened the box immediately.)

By the time I got around to seriously working on my den it was already mid-October (my new job started two days after the moving truck unloaded all of my stuff in late August.) So mustering all the magical willpower I could, I made the decision: the Castle Notebooks were indeed going to be my Christmas present to myself. I would not open the box until Christmas day.

Well here we are. I’m happy to say I made it to Christmas morning with the box looking exactly like it did the day it arrived in June. So about an hour and a half ago I finally gave myself this very belated but right on-time Hocus Pocus Christmas present I had promised myself. All I can say is that it was very much worth the (self-imposed) wait. The books are absolutely pristine and you did an outstanding job of packaging them so they would be well protected during shipment (and even my subsequent move.)

After spending about an hour skimming through the books – all the while still not believing I actually had a complete, number-matched set of them in my possession – I thought I would tear myself away for a few minutes and relay this little tale of how Hocus Pocus Magic made my Christmas a little extra special.

Thank you so much, and I look forward to acquiring more magic through Hocus Pocus in the days and years ahead.

Happy holidays to you and yours!

Now My Letter to You

Thanks to ALL of YOU, our Hocus Pocus family, for LOVING MAGIC; because of you I get to do what I love and I get to share that with people, like you, who love the same thing.

I was just talking about all the new introductions that have arrived today (and actually the last couple of days) and it sparked my enthusiasm for magic, once again, and I wanted to share that excitement with you, through the letter above, and because we MAGICIANS are a SPECIAL GROUP with a unique interest. No one else understands! How lucky we are to share this common interest!

And One More Thing

I found this great movie clip from 1942. It features Veronica Lake in the movie Now You See It Now You Don’t performing a great version of Billiard Balls and other classic magic effects. I thought you’d like to see it. Enjoy!

Until next time,

Paul

We’ve seen a lot of changes this year, some very visible and some not so apparent. On a personal note, the biggest changes for Betty and I were becoming grandparents (thank you Renee and Jonathan), we welcomed our grandson Zachary in February and the world will never be the same; we became “empty nesters” when Max moved out last summer; and we welcomed our other son, Cole back to Fresno from the Bay Area. We couldn’t be happier!

I want to give a GREAT BIG THANK YOU to you, our Hocus Pocus friends, supporters and customers; because of you we have had the BEST YEAR in our history.

 We’re continuing to enhance the shopping and ordering experience at Hocus Pocus. Many of the product video trailers are now embedded and easily viewed on mobile phones, ipads and other devices; we’ve converted several thousand items to embedded videos and still have several thousand to go, but we will diligently work at completing this project! We’re just finishing up the testing phase on a new shipping calculation program (never in my wildest imagination did I think testing a computer program could take so long!) and it should go live this month.  The list of enhancements to our systems that we want to accomplish in the coming year is HUGE and we thank you for your patience as we accomplish them.

We try to make Hocus Pocus all about you and hope we have succeeded. We want to continue to Deliver the Magic in 2012, not only the latest greatest magic product, but the customer service, the ease of shopping and the personal contact and conversations with all of you.

Have a Happy New Year.

Until next time,

Paul

When I was a kid, every year my parents would have my sister Jan and I make a list of what we wanted for Christmas. We were to make sure and make the list in order of importance as we couldn’t get everything. Well, I would take it one step further and use a check mark system, the more checks next to an item, the more I wanted it. So one year, when I was about 13 years old, I put a UF Grant French Guillotine on my list. It had four checks, it was the absolute most important thing on the list and we always got what we wanted the most. So my parents head up to San Francisco to see Buma at the House of Magic, but they came home EMPTY-HANDED. They explained to me that it was just not going to be possible to get me the Guillotine that year.

The catalog page for the French Guillotine

Every Christmas Eve our family tradition was that Dad would go to work and as soon as they were done with all the deliveries (he had a furniture store), he would come home and we would open our gifts. Jan and I would separate all the gifts into piles for each family member so that it was all ready for when Dad came home. Dad would come home early and then he would stretch out the afternoon, building up the anticipation for the Christmas gift opening. Another thing Dad did was to always trick Mom about what her gift was going to be, it was something he did every year, the joke was always on Mom. Finally, after Dad was home for a while, we got to open our gifts from our piles. When we were done opening the gifts from under the tree, Dad told me to help him bring in Mom’s gift. So we go out to the garage and there, in the back of his truck, was the Guillotine. The joke was on me that year!

Since then we’ve had many French Guillotines come in and out of the Hocus Pocus showroom, but none as great as the one I got that Christmas.

Tomorrow we will have Christmas Eve lunch at my mother-in-law’s house, then go to Christmas Eve party tomorrow night at my cousin’s house and finally, on Christmas morning, we will be at home with the family. It is a wonderful life!

Merry Christmas, The Elves Need to Rest

I can’t believe it is already here; it seems like yesterday was Thanksgiving and now we’re at Christmas. We’ve been working like Santa’s Elves in the shipping and receiving department all month long; huge shipments arriving every day and zillions of orders being shipped out every day.  

The Elves resting at the Hocus Pocus Christmas lunch

 Sometimes I wonder how we get it all done.

Through the Eyes of a Child

Zachary with Santa

I have always loved Christmas and I especially loved it when the children were all small. The excitement of Christmas morning was something I always looked forward to; it is just a wondrous thing to look at all the possibilities of the world through the eyes of a child. This year, I have new eyes, this is my grandson Zachary’s first Christmas. I know he still won’t be quite aware of the holiday and everything going on around him, but I have many years ahead of me where he will be bringing the excitement and wonderment to Christmas morning.

I’m wishing you all enjoy the holidays with the wonder and excitement of a child.

Until next time,

Paul

Chipmunks

From Thanksgiving through Christmas, the radio station we listen to at work plays only Christmas music; 24 hours a day, seven days a week. (You can listen to it live online at, kjwl.com) We all love Christmas music, especially since we only listen to it seasonally, and we all have our favorite carols.  I have a few Christmas carols I like a lot, but one brings back a very special memory from childhood; The Chipmunk Song (Christmas Don’t Be Late) by Alvin and the Chipmunks. I know, I know, you’re thinking I’ve lost my mind, but I have a great story.

Ross Bagdassarian, the creator of Alvin & The Chipmunks was born and raised in Fresno, CA. Bagdassarian was a songwriter and he and his cousin, William Saroyan (yes, THE William Saroyan, also from Fresno) co-wrote the song, Come On-A My House which was recorded by Rosemary Clooney.   As a party joke, Bagdassarian taped his voice singing a song and sped it up three different degrees. This was a huge hit at the party and David Seville (Bagdassarian) and the Chipmunks were born; a party joke had turned into a multi-million dollar business.

Bagdassarian rented a house in Fresno which was owned by my parents. My Dad and Grandfather used to do all the repairs on the rental properties. One day, my Dad tells me, “we’re going to David Seville’s house to do repairs; do you want to come along?” I was 8 years-old, of course I wanted to go to the Chipmunks home! So we get to the house and my Dad introduces me to “David Seville.”

Alvin & The Chipmunks

 I then very politely ask if Alvin, Theodore and Simon are home. Mr. Seville, with all seriousness, told me they were napping and couldn’t come out at that time. This was my close brush with the Chipmunks and it remains a very fond memory to this day. Just thought I’d share that with you.

Christmas is Coming

This time of year, all day long, we get phone calls asking about deliveries. We totally understand this; we’re buying Christmas gifts, too, and want them by Christmas. Do you have it in stock? When will you ship? How long will it take to get here? While people ask these questions all year long, it is just so much more so during the Christmas season. Our goal is to always deliver when we say we’re going to deliver. Most importantly, if we don’t have it in stock, we say we don’t have it in stock and really try to give an accurate estimated time of arrival. It’s as important to us that you receive your order when promised as it is to you. We know how frustrating it is to wait for something you really want (we’re the same way with our vendors). We never want to over-promise and under-deliver, you have our word on that; we’ll always be upfront about your order status.  We’re very pleased to say that we have a pretty good delivery record and we will keep trying to make it even better!Santa Claus Delivering Gifts

Santa Claus Delivering Gifts

Gift Certificates

Gift Certificates are still available, and thanks to the magic of the internet and email, we can scan and email your certificates immediately. No fretting about whether they will arrive on time! But, if you do want an item shipped, we have a lot of stock on hand and available for immediate shipping. UPS expedited shipping can still deliver before Christmas!

So, on that note, I’m on my way out to the warehouse to help unpack incoming product and ship out the orders. Just like that…it’s MAGIC!

Until next time,

Paul

Last week I shared with you some photos of my house decorated for Christmas. You know I love Christmas and I LOVE CHRISTMAS DECORATIONS! I think our house looks spectacular, but there is always room for more. Betty jokingly told me no more decorations, that we have enough and I had to agree that we don’t need any more decorations. Then I found the best Santa Claus at a local store, I wanted this Santa, but decided no, it’s enough so I didn’t get it.

A few days later I get a call from our son, Max, and he tells me that Santa was at his house and needed to come see me. “Okay”, I said. Next I hear a knock at the door and who is there, but “Santa”, Santa Max that is, bringing me a gift.  I open the gift and there is the Santa Claus I wanted!!! Now that is a good son!

Santa Max and the gift

Shopping Just Got A Little Easier

Tim is already making his mark at Hocus Pocus. He just started this month and he already thinks he can change things and he can! New eyes are always a good thing. We added two new product categories to the website this week thanks to Tim, Livestock Magic and Production Magic. Livestock Magic is all about rabbits and doves and other animals. If you need a device to produce any kind of live animal in your show, this is THE PLACE to look. Production Magic includes any device for producing items or any production item such as flag staffs, feather bouquets, silks and banners. You get the idea; shopping just got a little easier.

Virtuosity

Ten years ago, I retained the manufacturing and distribution rights for Virtuosity from Larry Becker. Then, the unthinkable happened, and the components necessary to make Virtuosity became unavailable. We have done some hard research and have successfully found the components. BUT, these components are available in VERY LIMITED SUPPLY. We are able to produce enough of Virtuosity for a re-introduction to the market this week and they will be in stock and shipping the end of next week.

Virtuosity by Larry Becker

Another Dream Come True

In 1969, when I was 14 years old, the UF Grant catalog advertised the Buddha Torture Tube. It was priced at $250 which was so far out of my financial reach that it was the same as catching a space ship to the moon.  Today, the space ship landed and the Buddha Torture Tube is in the Hocus Pocus Showroom being assembled by me and Tim. At this point in time I‘m trying to decide if I’m going to sell it or not…

I hope you’re enjoying the Holidays; whichever one you celebrate, please take care to celebrate it safely and joyfully.

Until next time,

Paul

Last weekend, keeping with the annual tradition in the Gross household, we pulled out all the Christmas decorations and started decorating for the holidays. Actually, we started and finished the decorating. All the boys were there to help out, my sons Cole and Max, and my son-in-law, Jonathan. Even my grandson Zachary made an appearance!

This is a family affair and I am not exaggerating when I say this is a huge, massive undertaking, but it is also one that I love. It’s an all day project starting at 10am and finishing at 5pm. All the neighbors come by as we’re decorating the yard to see what is new and different for the year. I have to admit that our yard sets the tone for the neighborhood. The house is totally lit up and decorated with animatronics, blow-ups, lights and various and sundry other things.

Merry Christmas!

The unpacking begins

Beautiful!

 

The "Gang" waving hello

 

 

 

Cole and Max reviewing their work

Paul supervising Cole and Jonathan

Getting everyone in their proper place

 Windy City…WHAT!?!

The winds hit California this week and what a MESS! Even Fresno, which usually has mild weather systems (cold or hot, but nothing else) was hit by the winds. Last weekend we decorated the yard for the holidays; yesterday it was all undone. Penguins without heads, Santas in the wrong location, Snowmen strewn across the yard; it was like a Christmas war zone. My son-in-law Jonathan came over last night to reassemble it all and anchor it to prevent anything from knocking it over again. All is right now.

 New Tenyo Releases

Every year about this time, Tenyo releases new product. We selected what I think are the best two items, Flying Carpet and Third Eye, which arrived in stock today.  All the pre-orders have already been filled and we do still have a limited quantity on hand for sale. Tim and I have had fun all morning long playing with the Flying Carpet! You need to get these now, because when they’re gone, they’re gone forever!

Tenyo Flying Carpet

Private Estate

Tim’s been putting up items from a recent estate acquisition and as fast as he can put them up, they are selling. Yesterday, we sold an Abbott’s Super X Levitation in two hours. Two hours! Some of these Estate items are just so rare and so special and hold many memories of past performers that we hate to see them go, but congratulations to the new owner. Enjoy! Be sure to check the Estate section of the website daily for all the newest acquisitions.

You Want It, We Have It

Black Friday sales hit with a vengeance and we have hired extra help to get us through these very busy times.. If they have spare time, we give them a job!

Now is the time to UPDATE YOUR WISH LIST. When your wives, girlfriends, friends and other family members call to buy you a gift we can access your Wish List and make sure you get what you really want. And don’t forget Gift Certificates if you don’t have a specific item right now or want to apply it as partial payment to a more expensive item. Our warehouse shelves are BULGING WITH STOCK to fill orders and most orders ship complete within 24 hours.

Don’t see what you want on the website? Give me a call…I can probably make your magic  wishes come true!

Until next time,

Paul

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving yesterday and I hope all of you did, too! What can be better than gathering with your friends and family for a great meal to celebrate and give thanks for all that you have. Betty and I are grateful for so many things; each other, our kids, our grandchild, our family, wonderful friends, our health and the continued success of a business we love. 

This year we had two new additions to our Thanksgiving table, Zachary our grandson who was celebrating his first Thanksgiving, the first of many, many more to come and our good friend Tim Mannix joined in the family festivities, also. My mother-in-law, who is a wonderful cook, has been working on this meal for a week and she had my sister-in-law, Susan, an equally great cook, helping her out. With these two in charge you know you’re in for a feast! We had all the fixings with our turkey. One of my favorites, and a tradition with Betty’s family, is souberag. Basically, souberag is dough with butter and cheese… I mean, really, how can you go wrong with that? You know, I looked around the table yesterday and thought I really do have it all – what more could I want. We should really take time more frequently and regularly to recognize and be thankful for our blessings. 

Speaking of Tim

I have a BIG ANNOUNCEMENT! After years of begging and pleading, Tim Mannix has FINALLY agreed to come and work at Hocus Pocus. YAY! Tim, as you know, has come to Fresno frequently to help out with Private Estate items and promotional items. He has gone to Magic Live and the Magic Castle Swap meets with me to help find new items for our Private Estate collection as well as new introductions. He’s been at Hocus Pocus the last two weeks helping me inspect, catalog and photograph a huge amount of new arrivals for Private Estate and has even been the model for some new magazine advertisements. Tim will be making the permanent move in February and will continue to do shows and performances in the Southern California, as well.  Just one more thing to be thankful for…WELCOME, TIM!!!

And, one more thing to be thankful for is all of you and the support you continually give to me and Hocus Pocus. THANK YOU!

I hope you’re all enjoying a long weekend.

Until next time,

Paul