Martinka & Company is America's longest running magic company. The business was for a period owned by

Houdini Harry Houdini (, born Erik Weisz; March 24, 1874 – October 31, 1926) was a Hungarian-American escape artist, magic man, and stunt performer, noted for his escape acts. His pseudonym is a reference to his spiritual master, French magician R ...

and throughout the years the company has acquired and combined with over 30 other magic firms including Flosso-Hornmann, and Milton Chase.

Beginnings and early history

The business was founded as Martinka & Company in 1877, by two brothers: Francis (1842–1924) and Antonio (1833-1915) Martinka. It is claimed to be the oldest continuously operating magic shop in the United States. The back of their

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

store housed a workshop where the company was soon building magic illusions and props for virtually all the famous magicians of the day. In 1902, the

Society of American Magicians The Society of American Magicians (S.A.M.) is the oldest fraternal magic organization in the world. Its purpose is "to advance, elevate, and preserve magic as a performing art, to promote harmonious fellowship throughout the world of magic, and ...

was founded in Martinka's backroom. And, early on the Martinka magic shop became a hang-out and gathering spot where both famous and unknown, professional and amateur magicians alike could socialize, swap stories and share insights. Over the decades of its circa 150-year-old existence, generations of magic enthusiasts have congregated there. Customers of the past included

Alexander Herrmann Alexander Herrmann (February 10, 1844 – December 17, 1896) was a French magic (illusion), magician, better known as Herrmann the Great. He was married to magician Adelaide Herrmann, known as the Queen of Magic. Biography Early years Alexande ...

Harry Kellar Harry Kellar (July 11, 1849 – March 10, 1922) was an American magician who presented large stage shows during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Kellar was a predecessor of Harry Houdini and a successor of Robert Heller and Isaiah Hug ...

Howard Thurston Howard Thurston (July 20, 1869 – April 13, 1936) was a stage magician from Columbus, Ohio, United States. His childhood was unhappy, and he ran away to join the circus, where his future partner Harry Kellar also performed. Thurston was deeply ...

Joseph Dunninger Joseph Dunninger (April 28, 1892 – March 9, 1975), known as "The Amazing Dunninger", was one of the most famous and proficient mentalists of all time. He was one of the pioneer performers of magic on radio and television. A debunker of fraudule ...

, John Mulholland and Harry Houdini. And in more recent times,

Woody Allen Heywood "Woody" Allen (born Allan Stewart Konigsberg; November 30, 1935) is an American film director, writer, actor, and comedian whose career spans more than six decades and multiple Academy Award-winning films. He began his career writing ...

, Dick Cavett,

Alan Alda Alan Alda (; born Alphonso Joseph D'Abruzzo; January 28, 1936) is an American actor, screenwriter, and director. A six-time Emmy Award and Golden Globe Award winner, he is best known for playing Captain Benjamin "Hawkeye" Pierce in the war come ...

Penn & Teller Penn & Teller, Penn Jillette and Teller, are American magicians, entertainers, and scientific skeptics who have performed together since the late 1970s. They are noted for their ongoing act that combines elements of comedy with magic. The duo h ...

David Copperfield ''David Copperfield'' Dickens invented over 14 variations of the title for this work, see is a novel in the bildungsroman genre by Charles Dickens, narrated by the eponymous David Copperfield, detailing his adventures in his journey from inf ...

David Blaine David Blaine (born April 4, 1973) is an American illusionist, endurance artist, and extreme performer. He is best known for his high-profile feats of endurance and has set and broken several world records. Early life Blaine was born and r ...

and celebrity magician John Stessel among others, have visited the shop. The original shop location at 493 Sixth Ave, New York city has been listed as a historical site by Place Matters and is identified as the oldest in New York City. The

New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

once described the shop while owned by the Flossos as "a messy Aladdin's cave of magical marvels from trick cards and ropes to a live lion that one owner, the magician Carter the Great, kept in the back room. It was

ike Ike or IKE may refer to: People * Ike (given name), a list of people with the name or nickname * Dwight D. Eisenhower (1890–1969), Supreme Commander of the Allied forces in Europe during World War II and President of the United States Surname ...

a fraternity house where a visiting European magician . . . and a curious teenager from

Queens Queens is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Queens County, in the U.S. state of New York. Located on Long Island, it is the largest New York City borough by area. It is bordered by the borough of Brooklyn at the western tip of Long ...

might rub elbows, ideas, and magic wands.

The Back Room

Martinka's "Back Room" contained magical treasures dating back to the 1800s along with other secret items that were reserved for a select few. Being invited into the back room was said by some to be a rite of passage in the world of magic. In this space, professional magicians would perform for each other and discuss "the latest developments in the world of magic". Over time, these meetings became more formal, and in 1902, the

was founded at the back of the store.

Special projects

The Martinka brothers also built the special effects for number of shows, including the classic 1939 film production of "The Wizard of Oz". Wall Street Journal
/ref>

Owners

The business was owned or run by several famous magicians, including Charles Joseph Carter The Great (1917), Harry

(1919), Al Flosso the "Coney Island Fakir" (1939), and his son, Jackie Flosso. Most recently, the firm was acquired by Ted Bogusta who pioneered the online magic auction with high end collectables that on many an occasion achieved record prices for certain items. According to Martinka's then own website, the company continued to purchase magic collections and libraries, which are used to supply

magicians Magician or The Magician may refer to: Performers * A practitioner of magic (supernatural) * A practitioner of magic (illusion) * Magician (fantasy), a character in a fictional fantasy context Entertainment Books * ''The Magician'', an 18th-ce ...

and collectors throughout the world with vintage and modern

magic Magic or Magick most commonly refers to: * Magic (supernatural), beliefs and actions employed to influence supernatural beings and forces * Ceremonial magic, encompasses a wide variety of rituals of magic * Magical thinking, the belief that unrela ...

and memorabilia. In 2004, after closing the Martinka brick and mortar shop in NYC, the company had only an online presence for a year before reopening a store in

Midland Park, New Jersey Midland Park is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough's population was 7,128,American Museum of Magic The American Museum of Magic in Marshall, Michigan, houses a large collection of magical paraphernalia and illusions, including an extensive collection of devices that once belonged to famed magician Harry Blackstone Sr., (1885–1965). Museum co ...

List of magic museums There are more than two dozen notable museums concerning illusionary magic and its associated magicians and magical apparatus, and all but two are publicly accessible. Permanent museums North America * 278 West 113th Street, New York City, New ...

References

External links

*
Jack Flosso Obituary - ''NY Times''
{{coord missing, New York (state) Midland Park, New Jersey Entertainment companies of the United States Magic organizations American companies established in 1877 Companies based in New York City Magic museums Museums in Bergen County, New Jersey Performing arts museums in the United States Magic shops