Magic supplies in Dover, Kent County, Delaware

When the General Assembly sits, Dover's hotels and halls host evening receptions where a strolling magician fills the gaps between speeches. Those rooms are full of people who talk for a living, so effects that let them talk back work well. Sponge balls that multiply in a guest's own hand, or a borrowed coin that passes through a Transparent Coin — Half Dollar, give them a story to tell the next group. Read our guide to building a close-up set, then browse close-up magic.

Between the casino hotel by the speedway and the university on North DuPont Highway, Dover has two audiences that don't overlap much, and mentalism suits both. Adults with a drink like to be read; students like to be stumped. A Mental Die — Brass or forcing dice makes a prediction land without cards, and the PK ring adds small physical oddities. Our article on mentalism versus traditional magic explains the difference in style. See the mentalism collection.

Make the drive to a Delaware Knights of Magic meeting. It is the only regular gathering of magicians in the state that we could confirm, and the club says it welcomes people at every level. A room of people who already know the methods is the fastest feedback you can get.

Between meetings, practise one effect until you can do it while talking about something else. Our magic tips for beginners lists the habits that matter. The beginner collection is a sensible first shop.

We found no walk-in magic shop in Dover or elsewhere in Kent County. Party stores in the shopping strips along Route 13 sell novelty tricks, which are made for one evening rather than a working set.

Most Delaware magicians buy online. Our listings say what you receive, whether instructions are included and how much practice it takes, because you can't try the prop first. If an unopened item is not what you expected, it can be returned within 30 days of delivery.

Delaware is small enough that one club covers it. North of Dover, Wilmington is the state's largest city and the closest to the club's meeting place in Hockessin; past it lie Philadelphia and Baltimore with far bigger scenes. South, the beach towns of Sussex County bring a summer season of restaurant and resort work. See magic in Delaware.

The Schwartz Center for the Arts downtown was renovated and reopened in 2001. Delaware State University now owns it, and it describes the 555-seat hall as the only historic theater in Kent County. That is the scale of room where a parlour act works. If that is your aim, the Linking Rings — Set of Four and Stick to Flowers read well from the back; see the stage magic collection.

We post to every address in Dover and across Kent County, from Camden to Harrington, on the same terms as anywhere in the US. Most of the range ships from our supplier and we don't quote a delivery date. See shipping and returns and refunds.