Magic supplies in Livonia, Wayne County, Michigan

Livonia's paid work is mostly private: graduation parties in back yards, retirement dinners, wedding receptions in the banquet halls along Plymouth Road and Middlebelt. Walk-around close-up is the format, and it rewards effects that play in a guest's own hands. Sponge balls and a Transparent Coin — Half Dollar do that well. Our guide to coin magic for beginners covers the basics. See close-up magic.

The offices and plants along the I-96 corridor generate holiday parties and team events where card magic still lands, because everyone knows what a deck is and what should be impossible. A stripper deck gives you a reliable location effect with little practice; the Marked Deck — Reader Back opens up mind-reading with cards. Our card magic for beginners suggests a running order. The card magic collection has more.

Join the club in Plymouth. Meetings run from 7 to 9 PM on the second Wednesday, with a holiday party in December, and you will meet hobbyists and working performers who started exactly where you are. Then book Michigan Magic Day: a day of lectures and dealers ten minutes up the road is a rare chance.

Buy slowly. A self-working deck, one close-up prop and a close-up mat are enough for months. Our magic tips for beginners covers what to practise. Start from the beginner collection.

We found no walk-in magic shop in Livonia or the neighbouring Wayne County suburbs that we could confirm as trading. The nearest shop we could confirm is Abbott's in Colon, about two hours west, which makes and sells magic apparatus and keeps a showroom open to visitors. Dealers also set up at Michigan Magic Day.

The rest of the time, most local magicians buy online. Our listings say what is in the box, whether instructions are included and how much practice the effect needs.

Metro Detroit has more organised magic than most American regions. Besides the club in Plymouth, the Detroit Magic Club meets in Clawson, near Troy, and Flint is an hour north. Ann Arbor, Dearborn and Detroit are all within half an hour. For the shop and convention in Colon, see Colon. The full list is at magic in Michigan.

Long winters push entertainment indoors, to living rooms and party rooms where people sit close and pay attention. That is the ideal setting for mentalism. A Listening Dice Box, forcing dice or the Mental Die — Brass gives you a short, personal piece that works across a coffee table. Read mentalism versus traditional magic, then browse mentalism.

We send orders to every address in Livonia and the rest of Wayne County on the same terms as anywhere in the United States. Most of our range ships from our supplier, so we don't quote a delivery date. See shipping and returns and refunds.