While the Main Street Magic shop and the shop behind the castle have closed at DisneyWorld; there is magic to be found elsewhere on the property. In the WestSide of Downtown Disney, there is a MagicMaster's store. Be warned, however. They have a fairly limited inventory -- most of it what they call 'Magic for Beginners'. Not that it's the cheap plastic stuff that you can find in other stores. In fact, they're pretty expensive ($15 for a Wizard deck: no book!) I visit occasionally for the demonstrations, but know that I'm often better off buying from one of the online stores. There is also a chain of magic stores in the area: Magic Max (formerly Old Town Magic Store). They're similarly expensive, but the prices on their web site are usually better.

Didn't Leo Behnke have something to do with that magic shop at Disney Land?

I too have fond memories of the California Disneyland magic shop. I haven't been back there for a number of years, but the last time I was (perhaps 1992?) it was already on the decline. What's interesting is that I just returned from Japan and, since I now have three young children, we made the trek to Tokyo Disneyland. I couldn't believe my eyes... the magic shop there was still a magic shop! They had several magicians performing outside of the store and they sold very few novelty items. Most of what they do sell is a broad range of Tenyo and Disney exclusive items, but this is not the cheap plasticky Tenyo stuff, rather it appears to be a more upscale line of items featuring material from well known performers. They also had Linking Rings of various degrees of quality / size, cups and balls, chop cups, etc... and a number of higher end coin gaffs and the like displayed at and behind the counter and they were willing and excited about demonstrating each and every item in sight. The store was crowded and the registers were ringing. It was truly one of the highlights of our trip.

JC Wagner and Steve Martin... That would have been a sight to see. I too remember Merlins as where my grandfather introduced me to magic back in the days of the E-Ticket ride... While the other kids were spending all of those A tickets, grandpa and I would spend the afternoon in the magic shop watching and learning!

When I win a billion dollars in the lottery, I'm going to do what Eric Cartman did on 'South Park' - open a theme park just for me!

Here are some of the theme areas I'll have:

Magic Land - with a stupendous stage magic show, lots of closeup performers, and the best magic shop in the world. I'll provide permanent employment for 33% of the best magicians in the world. (Angel and Blaine won't be allowed in.)
Retropolis - a 30's-styled 'rockets and rayguns' future theme, with flying cars, shiny dirigibles, Tesla coil sparks, and round television communication tubes.
West World - with gunslinging robots that look like Yul Brenner.
Sea World - with only the cool, dangerous sea creatures like big sharks and giant squids. It would just be one huge tank, and visitors will have to scuba dive their way from one side to the other armed with only a speargun, like Lloyd Bridges. (I won't feed the sharks, so they'll always be plenty hungry.)
Noir Land - a living 30's detective story, with dingy bars, jazz bands, cheap whisky, car chases, and lots of hoods and their molls drawing their roscoes and drilling private dicks, while dirty cops look the other way.

Of course, there will be dozens of other theme areas, as they come to me.

I won't even let the public in. It will be an 'invitation only' theme park.

So be nice to me if you want an invitation...

Make sure you a have a hotel there - I want to live in Noir land.

Airship - buy a lottery. your idea is great

One of the reasons I opened my own magic shop (a B&M) was because of being inspired by the magic shop in Disney Land and World. My mom used to manage a gift shop on Main St. in Disneyland back in the 60's and into the early 70's. They actually had a daycare for us back then (just imagine that...I think it had a permanent impact on me!) I used to love visiting the Disney World magic shop...it was pretty good back in the 70's...to bad it sounds like it's gone for good! (Actually, I just moved it here!)
chris

The only magic shop on DIsney property is currently Magic Masters at Downtown Disney's Westside.

No love lost there.

This is the most pleasant post for me in Magic Caf$B!&(Bas I was the first manager of the Tokyo Disdney Land magic shop. My main work was to create products which suite the theme of 'Disney Magic'.

I can say one of the reasons of its success is we have been giving magic shows (with the products sold there) repeatedly. We never caught guests and started demonstration to sell the products. Our show was/is the part of Disney Entertainment.

It was golden days for me that I entertained so many guests and inspired them to start doing magic. One of famous young magicians told me he started magic after he bought magic tricks at the store. A wonderful experience for a magic seller.

Hideo Kato