Magic supplies in Ontario, San Bernardino County, California

Trade-show magic is a specialist job and Ontario has plenty of it. A booth magician's task is to stop people walking past, hold them for ninety seconds and hand them to a salesperson. That rewards fast, visual, repeatable effects: a card that changes, a coin that vanishes, a prediction with the client's logo on it. Mentalism works well for this too — a PK ring or forcing dice let you deliver a 'mind-reading' moment that ties into a product message. Practise your reset; you'll do the same routine forty times a day.

Card magic is the backbone for everything else: family gatherings, restaurant tables, office parties. A Svengali deck gets a beginner performing in a day, a stripper deck adds a second set of effects, and a marked deck is the most useful prop most working magicians own. All three fit in a pocket, which matters when you're driving between gigs across the Inland Empire.

Start with a self-working deck, sponge balls and a close-up mat — the beginner collection is built around those — and perform them for real people until the methods stop feeling like secrets. Only then buy the next thing. The worst way to start is a big boxed kit: most of what's in it never gets performed.

We couldn't find a walk-in magic shop in Ontario. Ontario Mills, California's largest outlet mall, and the region's party stores carry novelty tricks, but not props you'd perform with. The nearest dedicated magic retail is in the Los Angeles area, an hour or more west in traffic. Most Inland Empire magicians order online. Our listings say what's included, whether there are instructions and how much practice it takes; unopened items can be returned within 30 days of delivery.

The Inland Empire is big and spread out, and its magicians tend to look west for clubs and shows. Los Angeles — with the Magic Castle in Hollywood, I.B.M. Ring 21 and S.A.M. Assembly 22 in Duarte — is the nearest concentrated scene. Closer to home, Rancho Cucamonga, Fontana, Pomona and Rialto all share Ontario's circuit of family parties, school events and community festivals.

Ontario has one of the Inland Empire's odder holiday traditions: the 3-D nativity scenes set out along the wide grassy median of Euclid Avenue every season since 1958. The holiday stretch from Thanksgiving to New Year is the busiest period for magicians here — office parties, church events, family gatherings. Plan for it in October: decide on your set, buy what you need early, and rehearse. Magic that suits a holiday crowd is warm and light — a prediction tied to a gift, sponge balls in a guest's hand, a card routine the whole table can follow.

We deliver to every address in Ontario and across San Bernardino County on the same terms as anywhere else in the US. Most of the range ships directly from our supplier, so we don't quote delivery dates — for a December booking, order early. See shipping and returns and refunds.