Then there was the Traveling Jewel trick. Hill showed how brightly colored stones affixed to a tiny stick could shift with the flick of a wrist. Flick once, both stones crowd onto the same side. Flick again, the stones disappear.
And let’ s not forget the behemoths. Hill told of a box he built that is large enough to hold a full-sized person. A woman would lie down inside, and the magician would saw the box at two points, effectively dicing the woman into thirds. At the end of the trick, the woman would walk away whole again, completing the illusion. You won’ t find that one in the shop. The space is much too confined. Hill stocks his shelves instead with knickknacks, many of which, like the bigger tricks and props, he makes with his own hands to supplement his business.
The magic sticks and the floating-dollar kit? Those are his. He loves to demonstrate those and many others to anyone who happens to pop in. He reveals the tricks’ secrets only after the customer completes the purchase.
The illusions are really the whole point, after all. To give those secrets away early would hurt sales.
Hill has a first-hand theory as to what possesses people to reach into their wallets for something they know isn’ t real. He used to be a wide-eyed child himself. It was the reason he returned to performing magic in the shop and booking events like birthday parties after a 15-year hiatus to concentrate on building props for magicians.
“ Kids believe in everything,” he said.“ There’ s a kid who resides in each of us. We lose track of him as adults, but he’ s always there. Magic is a willing suspension of belief. It instills a nurturing feeling, and that’ s what’ s so cool about it.”
Hill said that although the shop opened only in October, he already has gotten a glimpse of how popular it could become. During spring break, many children and young adults saw the shop and stopped in on a whim. Many left with their jaws hanging open, mystified at the illusions Hill conjured up for their enjoyment.
The spring and summer months will provide more informal data about how well a magic shop can do in Nashville. Hill has no doubt. He said he eventually would add more shelves to his small shop, relocate to a larger space and continue to invest in a community that gives artists like him a chance to demonstrate their wares.
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May / June 2015 • Our Brown County 21