Magic Shop Near Me in Studio City: The Magic Apple Upstairs

The Magic Castle gets the postcards, but it is a private club with a dress code. The place where Los Angeles magicians actually buy their cards and gimmicks is up a flight of stairs in a Studio City strip mall. The Magic Apple sits at 11390 Ventura Blvd, 2nd Floor, in the shopping center at Tujunga Avenue and Ventura, and it calls itself The Magic Store on the Second Floor. If you searched magic shop near me anywhere in the Valley or the Hollywood Hills, this is the counter you want.

Brent Geris, a professional magician, opened the shop in 2003. When L.A. Material profiled the store in June 2026, it pointed out that Geris had several competitors when he started and that his brick-and-mortar shop has survived long enough to be called the only magic shop in Los Angeles. The same piece noted that it is probably also the only store in the city where you can rent a box for sawing a woman in half, which tells you something about the range of the inventory.

That range is real. The site's catalog lists 991 products, from beginner kits and children's tricks to mentalism, coin magic, stage and parlour props, Tenyo puzzles and theory11 decks. The shop is candid that the website and the shelves do not always match: some items are in the store and not online, and the reverse. Its advice is simple, and it applies to anyone driving over the hill for one specific trick.

Start with playing cards, because that is where most visitors end up. The Office Playing Cards by theory11, one of the newest arrivals added in October 2026, cost $12.95. Working decks sit next to collector decks, and the people behind the counter can tell you which brands handle well for shuffling and which are better kept in the wrapper. A card case or a second deck for practice makes sense if you plan to do the same trick twice in one evening.

For something you can perform the same night, look at small close-up props. The Houdini Disk by DiFatta is $8.95, and the Four Color Flower Prediction from DiFatta Magic is $15.00. Predicto Terror Edition by Jonathan Sadowski, a seasonal prediction trick, is $14.95. These sit at the friendly end of the shelf, where the method is short and the effect plays well at a dinner table, which is exactly what most first-time buyers need.

Serious students go straight to the books. Ansology by Max Maven, a collection from one of the best-known thinkers in mentalism, is $65.00, and Dear Mr. Fantasy by John Bannon, a card-magic book, is $45.00. Magicians often say the best secrets are in print rather than in boxes, and a book from this shelf will keep a hobbyist busy for months. Ask the counter which title matches your level before you commit to a thick volume.

Know the house rules before you pay. The Magic Apple does not accept returns on any magic supplies. Its policy says that once you have bought a trick, it is yours, because magic is based on secrets and the secret is sometimes very simple. The shop's suggestion if a trick feels too hard is to put it on a shelf for a few months, practice other magic, and try again. Defective items are replaced with the same product as long as it is still available.

The store will also price match against other real magic shops. If you find an item for less at a legitimate brick-and-mortar magic retailer and it is in stock there, The Magic Apple says it will try to match or beat the price, and that some products are already at least 10 percent below the list price. It does not extend that to one-page websites or to special manufacturer promotions, so bring a link to an actual shop.

Lessons are on hold for now. The private lessons page says that as of October 2026 the shop has temporarily paused magic lessons and asks interested students to email MagicAppleStore@gmail.com or call. That makes the counter conversation more valuable. Go in on a weekday afternoon when it is quieter, tell the person working what you already know, and you will usually leave with one trick that fits your hands instead of three that end up in a drawer.

The illusion rental side is its own business. The Magic Apple has teamed up with magician Tony Clark to rent tricks and large illusions for film, television and live shows, including a Zig Zag Sword Box, a Houdini Milk Can Escape, a levitation, a guillotine and a sawing-a-person-in-half box. The shop also stocks royalty-free playing cards cleared for TV, film and print. Rentals start at $400 per day, with a full price list sent by email.

Plan your timing around the hours. The store opens Tuesday through Saturday from 11 am to 6 pm and on Sundays from noon to 5 pm, and it is closed on Mondays. Late October is busy with Halloween shoppers looking for something stranger than a costume, and Saturdays bring families and working magicians at the same time. A Tuesday or Wednesday visit gives you the most time at the counter.

When you come back down the stairs, you are a short walk from Tujunga Village, the stretch of Tujunga Avenue just north of Ventura with small cafes, boutiques and a slower pace than the boulevard. On Sundays, the Studio City Farmers Market sets up off Ventura Boulevard, which makes a good pairing with an afternoon in the shop. Film fans can also continue along Radford Avenue toward CBS Studio Center, the working studio lot a few blocks away.

Practical notes. The Magic Apple is at 11390 Ventura Blvd, 2nd Floor, Studio City, CA 91604, email MagicAppleStore@gmail.com. Hours are Tuesday to Saturday 11 am to 6 pm, Sunday noon to 5 pm, closed Monday. The shop takes phone orders, ships within the United States for $5.95, and accepts credit cards, money orders and PayPal. All sales on magic supplies are final, so ask the counter to show you a trick before you buy it.

The Magic Apple is the right stop for a curious beginner, a parent hunting for a birthday trick, or a working magician who wants a book they cannot find elsewhere. Pair it with dinner on Ventura and you have an easy Valley evening. If you want Karpo to suggest a place to eat nearby or a magic show to see afterward, ask in the Karpo APP and it will build the rest of the night around the shop.