Magic Shop Near Me in the Inner Sunset: Joe Pon's Misdirections

San Francisco has lost most of its old trick shops, so a search for a magic shop near me in the city usually lands on one storefront in the Inner Sunset. Misdirections Magic Shop sits at 1236 9th Avenue, between Lincoln Way and Irving Street, a block from Golden Gate Park. It is run by Joe Pon, a native San Franciscan who learned his first trick at age five from his uncle and has kept this small shop going for roughly three decades.

The N Judah is the easy way in. Outbound trains stop at 9th Avenue and Irving Street, about a block from the door; inbound trains stop at Irving and 8th Avenue, one block over. From downtown the ride takes you through the Sunset Tunnel and Cole Valley before surfacing in the fog belt. Drivers should expect tight street parking near Irving's restaurants, so the streetcar is usually the calmer choice on weekends.

What makes Misdirections unusual is that it is essentially one person. Richmond Sunset News described it in 2024 as a one-man operation, which means the person ringing up your deck is also the magician who will show you how it works. In a 2015 Hoodline profile, Pon said he opened a shop instead of touring as a performer because his wife did not want to travel, and the neighborhood ended up with a teacher instead of a touring act.

The name is a lesson in itself. Pon has explained it with a line every magician eventually learns: the secret of magic is misdirection. The shop's walls make that philosophy visible in another way, with photos of Pon alongside David Copperfield, David Blaine and Penn and Teller covering the walls and spilling onto the ceiling, according to the same 2024 article. Card decks and props line the remaining space, so the room feels packed.

Cards are where most visitors start. The Mosaic Mantis playing cards, a decorative custom deck popular with cardists and collectors, are $15. For something more ambitious, FUEL by Lloyd Barnes and Craig Petty sells for $35, a routine by two well-known British magic creators. Ask Pon what suits your level before buying; a one-person shop means the advice comes from the same hands that will demonstrate the trick across the counter.

Regulars can join the Misdirections Magic Club, listed at $40 in the shop's online store. Membership ties into the shop's lecture program, which brings touring magicians to San Francisco for evening sessions. Those lectures are held at the Marrakech Magic Theater, 419 O'Farrell Street, rather than in the tiny shop itself. A September 2026 lecture by Docc Hilford, for example, cost $35 in advance for non-members and was cheaper for club members.

The schedule is short, so plan around it. Misdirections is open Tuesday through Friday from noon to 3pm, and Saturday and Sunday from noon to 5pm. It is closed on Mondays and on holidays, and the shop's holiday list includes Saturday, November 7. Weekday afternoons give you the most one-on-one time with Pon; weekend afternoons are when families and kids crowd in, especially once school is out and the weather turns grey.

There is no line system and no reservation for shopping, but timing still matters in a room this size. If a couple of groups are already gathered at the counter, browse the decks on the wall and wait your turn rather than interrupting a demonstration. With only one person running the shop, a single family can occupy the counter for a while. Arriving right at noon on a weekday is the surest way to get unhurried attention.

Kids are a big part of the clientele. A young magician can watch a trick, buy it and start practicing the same afternoon, which is very different from ordering a kit online and struggling with folded instructions. Parents shopping for a birthday should mention the child's age and patience level at the counter, since a simple self-working effect will impress far more in small hands than an advanced gimmick that takes weeks to master.

The October calendar shows how active the shop's community still is. On Tuesday, October 6, Misdirections hosted a live masterclass with Joshua Messado at 7:30pm at the Marrakech Magic Theater, with advance tickets at $25 for club members. Earlier in 2026, lectures by Yoan Tanuji in August and Alex Latorre in July followed the same format, so the club functions as a regular meeting point for Bay Area magicians year-round.

Afterward, walk one block north into Golden Gate Park. The San Francisco Botanical Garden at 1199 9th Avenue opens daily at 9am, with last entry at 5:30pm from March through October, and its Free Hour runs from 9 to 10am each morning. Irving Street, a block south of the shop, is lined with cafes and restaurants for a snack before the ride home.

Hours are midday only, so do not plan a morning or evening visit. The space is small and can be tight with strollers. Lessons must be booked by phone, and lectures happen downtown, not at the shop, so read event pages for the venue address before setting out.

Misdirections suits kids getting their first real trick, adults who want structured lessons from a working magician, and visitors who like small, owner-run shops with a story. It is not a costume or Halloween store, and it does not try to be one. Come in with curiosity, let Pon show you something up close, and you will leave understanding why the Inner Sunset has kept this tiny shop in business for so long.