photos by Paul Minnis
~ by Paul Minnis
Life took a magical turn for Rich Hill one day long ago, when the third-grader visited the shop of a Fort Wayne magician.
The child saw card tricks. Illusions. Mysterious boxes that seemed to swallow up whatever was dropped inside, perhaps sending them to another plain of existence. Hill was hooked, and a dream began to form in his young mind.
One day he would become a magician. He would wow his friends. He would spark the very sense of wonderment in others that he himself experienced. He decided then and there that he’ d own his own magic shop.
Forty-some years later, Hill, now 53, has opened that shop. You can find Rich Hill’ s Magic & Fun Emporium in downtown Nashville, among the Antique Alley Shops at 75 S. Jefferson St. An accomplished magician in his own
Hill’ s Crystal Casket apparatus being used by magician Albert Llorens. photo from < www. richhillsillusionshop. com >
right, Hill stands ready to amaze any curious boy, girl, or skeptical adult who may wander inside.
The shop is the latest addition to his business. For years, Hill has built and sold illusion equipment and props to other magicians. His online website showcases stage illusions like the Crystal Casket, in which a seemingly empty, glass-sided box is covered with a cloth. When the cloth is removed, a person appears inside. His website also has card tricks like Final Card, a classic take on a this-is-your-card illusion that uses a colored wheel.
Eli Rodriguez, who, along with Hill, co-owns the Nashville magic shop’ s parent company, RH Adventures, said Hill is naturally gifted.
“ Magic has always been his secret thing,” Rodriguez said.“ He does stuff around here that is just mind blowing.”
Rodriguez said that showbiz mentality springs naturally from Hill’ s passion for theater and teaching. The magician was a theater major in college, and he uses that skill every day in his performance of magic. Teaching opportunities arise all the while, as Hill reveals how his tricks work during one-on-one and group tutorials.
Hill demonstrated on a recent Monday by wadding up a dollar bill, placing it in his left hand and coaxing it on with his right. The dollar bill twitched, turned and rose slowly from his palm. The magician waved both hands around the levitated dollar, showing that the impossible really is possible, if only the onlooker is willing to believe.
20 Our Brown County • May / June 2015