On Thursday July 21st, 2011 - Joseph Malkiewicz passed away. He was a fixture of our shop and the Buffalo magic community. He was one of my best friends, a mentor, ever present cheerleader, and confidant. Joe was a large man in every sense of the word and we have felt his loss deeply. I was honored to speak at Joe’s memorial service. I thought it fitting to share those words here...

Joseph Malkiewicz, has been retired for years but he was a teacher even in the end. I suppose it’s fitting then that he would leave behind - a writing assignment.

I am standing here because I knew Joe best from the world of magic. Although, I assure you his reach into my life - and that of my family - went far deeper than time here permits me to share.  People are drawn to magic for different reasons. Some for fun, some to perform, some to learn secrets - but some because they see the deeper metaphors within it. Don’t let the top hats and sequined jackets fool you - sawing a lady in half and bringing her back whole has some serious spiritual implications. We’re talking life and death, big idea kind of stuff and I think that’s one of the things Joe loved about it.

Good magicians seek out ideas from every source imaginable. They will travel, as Joe did with myself and others, to the biggest cities and the smallest towns to hear someone talk about some tiny finesse with a pack of playing cards or an obscure performer from 70 years ago who the world has long forgot. Good magicians do this because they understand that they are part of a rich history and they are obligated to carry it on and make it better.

Joseph Malkiewicz certainly did that. He supported magicians and world of magic more fully and deeply then almost anyone I know. He embraced magic and the people within it - like all things in his life - with love, caring, and an enthusiasm that affected all who met him, even briefly. Back in the days when I had a retail magic shop on Elmwood, Joe would often cover for me when I had to go off and do a show or magic convention. I was always amazed that I would come back to find some item – an item that had sat on our shelves for years - had been sold by Joe. Something I could not sell for love or money. When I asked Joe how he did it - he would always reply, “I just talked to them.” For Joe, “just talking to someone” was like creating a work of art - and he liked his creations to be large and meaningful.

Anyone who knew Joe well, knew the experience of standing and waiting while Joe had a deep and profound conversation – often with a complete stranger. Over time I learned never to rush Joe as this was happening. Once while trying to get back from a convention in Las Vegas, we had a layover in Chicago - when suddenly the skies opened up and oceans of water fell down. O’Hare Airport shut down completely, thousands of people scrambling to find a place to stay and harder still a way to get there. I made calls, looked for taxis, a rental car anything - but none was to be had. It was Joe who saved the day. While everyone else was getting angry with ticket agents, cab companies, and airlines - Joe was having a quite and genuine conversation with a man who turned out to be - a limo driver. The driver, no doubt surprised by Joe’s honest interest in him as a human being - not just a lift - offered to get us anywhere we needed to go. While others stood back, frustrated and yelling in the rain, we were being escorted via limousine to a lovely hotel by the newest friend of Joseph Malkiewicz.

Joe was so good at making these connections that he even began conducting interviews with renowned magicians for my monthly newsletter - and later our web site. These were interviews with performers and creators who traveled the world.  Many of which spoke with professional reporters and writers on a regular basis - true stars and celebrities within our field. Almost always they would go out of there way to come back to me and share how much they enjoyed their talk with Joe. Expressing real and genuine gratitude for the chance to talk with him. One of those interviews was with an award winning magician by the name of Michael Ammar. I want to close with a short poem that was made popular in magic by Michael. The author is unknown, but Joe and Michael discussed its profound meaning. I could never match the courage and enthusiasm that Joe showed when he spoke these words, which he did often. But I know Joe was always fond of it, so I’ll do my best.

It’s called The Careful Builder…

I saw them tearing a building down
-a gang of men, in my hometown
With a heave and a 'ho' and a "Yes! Yes!" yell -
they swung a beam, and a sidewall fell
I said to the foreman "Are these men skilled?
Like the ones you'd use if you had to build?"
He laughed and said "Oh no! Indeed! The most
common labor is all I need. Because I can
destroy in a day or two, what it takes a builder
ten years to do."
I thought to myself, as I went my way:
"Which of these roles am I willing to play?
Am I one who's tearing down,
as I carelessly make my way around?
Or am I one who builds with care. So my craft
- my community, are just a little better,
because I was there?"

Joseph Malkiewicz was a careful builder.

I can think of no better way to share and protect his legacy than by being one too.

I was deeply saddened to learn that JC Wagner passed away on Sunday evening...

I was 16 years old when the Commercial Magic of JC Wagner hit the shelves. For a young aspiring magician that book was a life changer. It was filled with powerful, practical, and contemporary magic…most of which I still use to this day. Not too long after its release, JC came to Buffalo to attend the 4F convention. Ray Mertz set JC up with a lecture the night before the convention and I was on cloud nine as I made my way up the stairs of the Forks to see him in action.

JC was the first magic lecture I ever saw and it was a night I remember as clearly now as if it had happened yesterday. I saw the miracles from the book come to life...Super Closer, Card Under Drink, Poor Man’s Matrix, Torn & Restored Card, and so much more…the quantity and quality of the content was staggering. I remember being utterly stunned by his Estimation work. If you had told me it was real magic, I probably would have believed you. People thought of cards and somehow he knew them...it was that simple. Pure magic.

During his Estimation he used brilliantly constructed “outs”…one of which was the Snap Change. I had never seen the move performed prior to JC and the next day I mustered up enough nerve to ask him to help me with it. He directed me over to the steps to the second floor and sat down to show me the move in detail. The position, the approach, the clean up...everything. Keep in mind this was during 4F and around him stood some of the best close up magicians on earth. But in that moment JC gave some convention crashing teenager his full attention. I would realize later that that was just JC being JC...always giving with no expectation for return.

At the end of last April he made his way back to Buffalo for the 40th 4F and then up to Canada for the CAM convention. I had the chance to spend quite a bit of time with him during those two conventions. He had no bitterness about the cancer that had taken hold of him, he just wanted to share magic. I count myself lucky to have had so many opportunities to spend time with him. He was one of the best - not just in magic, but as a human being. Always teaching a lesson, even when he didn't have a pack of cards in his hand.

Thanks for everything JC.

We continue to make updates to our site in an effort to make it even more superfanatastic incredible...I just coined that term. We’ve recently spent a great deal of time increasing the site resolution to allow for more content to be presented in an easier to access format. Here’s just a few of the updates you may find interesting and useful:

• Enriched Search – You’ll notice that each page on our site now allows you to sort information in more useful ways. You’ll find a drop down menu that allows you to sort products by Best Sellers, Alphabetically, Price, Top Reviewed, and Newest.
• More Control Over Results – You can now choose how many results you want to see on any page.
• Right Hand Navigation – You’ll now see a number of useful tools laid out in the right hand navigation of our site. Some of these are new tools and some have been “freshened up” to be more user friendly. We will continue to experiment here, so keep an eye out.
• Bye Bye Buddy – You may know that we would often feature a little guy named “Buddy” on the site. Well “Buddy” felt it was time to retire and we wish him the best of luck. But never fear his tasks are still being performed round the clock. You’ll find his recommendations in the updated Personal Shopper section. His popular Buddy’s Specials have been transformed into Weekly Specials and once a week they will continue to appear for our registered users. The new Weekly Specials button will appear once every seven days at the top center of the site. But you must be registered and logged in for this feature.
• Free At Last – We also decide to open our Elmwood Speaks With section to all users. I really think this is a valuable area filled with insight and information from some of the biggest names in magic. It seemed a shame that some people were missing out simply because they aren’t registered. My hope is that our new visitors will enjoy these interviews and will be inspired to register with the site.

Next we’ll be cleaning up some design issues with our older pages to make them easier to use and then on to even bigger changes. Don’t forget that that you can get the most current information on changes, products, news, and more by connecting with us on Facebook and Twitter.

Finally, and at the risk of repeating myself, your input is always valued so feel free to pass along your thoughts. You can email me us by clicking here.

Meir Yedid posted an interesting article on Steve Forte today on and it started me reminiscing a bit...

In the late 80’s I worked at a magic shop in Buffalo, NY called It’s Magic. The owner operated a business that kept him on the road most of the week, so I was generally left on my own to man the shop. I was still in high school at the time and cherished this opportunity to hone my magic skills in front of real people. We had our cast of regulars and often when magicians visited Buffalo, they would make a stop in the shop. Some were well known and some were not...and I must admit not every name has stuck in my memory from back then. I was still very much a newcomer to the world of “real” magic and, like many beginners, many of those names went in one ear and out the other. I had yet to learn the value of remembering all those details.

But there is one name I wish I could remember...

I had just seen JC Wagner lecture at the Forks Hotel. He had taught his work on the Marlo Snap Change and I was in love with the move. I worked on it all the time…and not just using cards. I experimented with using it for coins, bills, matchboxes, sugar packets, and even bars of soap! If it fit in my hands, I tried to Snap Change it.

During the time of that obsession, a gentleman from Lake Tahoe came in and looked at what books we had to offer on card magic and technique. He was well versed in cards and showed me a number of things I had never seen before. I shared with him my endless array of Snap Change ideas. I don’t think I fooled him with a single thing...but he seemed impressed with my drive and general enthusiasm for magic. As he left, he took one of our business cards and said he would send me something when he got back home.

A few weeks later a package arrived at the shop with my name on it. I opened it up and inside was four VHS tapes. It was Steve Forte’s Gambling Protection Series.

At the time, I had no idea who Steve Forte was. I put in the tapes and watched.

My first thought was, “Bullshit.”

I simply could not fathom that one guy could be so good at so many obscure and difficult moves. He did move after move flawlessly. Many magicians would kill just to be able to do a handful of these things...even one. But Forte could do them all...and he could do them better than anyone I’ve ever seen.

These were not meant to be “instructional” tapes in the modern sense. There was no detailed explanation; the goal of these tapes was not to teach the moves. Rather it was to inform the viewer that these techniques were possible. To arm the player with knowledge to hedge against being taken.

But in truth they were “instructional” tapes…as long is you were patient and committed enough to learn what they had to offer. I can say without question that those tapes changed my life. I certainly never came close to the skill displayed on the screen but it taught me one of the most important magic lessons I've ever learned:

There are guys out there who are so good that your mind will tell you that you must have missed something just to make you feel better. But you didn’t miss something, because there was nothing to miss. You could have burned them all day and not seen a thing. They are good...skilled beyond anything you can imagine and committed in a way that most of us can not comprehend.

There’s also a chance you’ve never heard of them.

Be humble or be humbled.

To this day, I have no idea who the guy was that visited the shop. I wish I did, I’d like to thank him.

It’s Close Up Magic Week on David Letterman. I wish nothing but the best of luck to the talented and deserving guys appearing on the show. I also hope they make it out alive!

Maybe I should explain...

Generally speaking I’m a Letterman fan, although I must admit the real charm was staying up until the wee hours and watching him when I was in high school. But when it comes to magic he always seems set against letting magicians perform. He loves to interrupt, interject, and otherwise disrupt magicians. It escapes me why he doesn't use this strategy with other acts. Why not comment throughout a stand up comics set or perhaps add a few well chosen remarks during a singers spot? I’m sure that would add immensely to their performances.

No? Perhaps I’m wrong.

Dave, I love you man...but these guys are your guests.

Why not treat them like ones?