READING, Pa. – For nearly nine decades, the Mingus Magic Shop on Lancaster Avenue has kept the art of magic alive in Berks County.
“We’re a brick-and-mortar magic shop for about 87 years. We’re considered to be one of the oldest in the country,” said owner Wayne Shifflett.
The shop was originally opened in the late 1930s by magician Leroy Mingus. Shifflett walked through the doors himself at age 16, and never left.
“He taught me a very simple, basic trick. It was the cups and balls. That’s the first one I learned,” Shifflett recalled.
This Saturday, the tradition continues with “Magic till Midnight.”
“Starting at 5 o’clock, there will be a different magician performing about a 15-minute show every half hour up until midnight,” Shifflett said.
Shifflett says what makes Mingus Magic special isn’t just the tricks; it’s the community that gathers around them.
“It’s a meeting ground for magicians. A lot of times on a Saturday afternoon, there’ll be two, three, four magicians just hanging out,” he said.
From feather flowers featured in national TV shows, to a key once used by Houdini, the shop holds decades of magic history. And for Shifflett, preserving that legacy has become a lifelong promise.
“I’ve owned this shop for over 49 years,” he said. “So it’s a commitment that I made. And I’ll be here as long as I can.”
The event is free and open to the public.