Magic supplies in Rialto, San Bernardino County, California

Private parties and family gatherings are the bread and butter of magic work in Rialto. The format is simple — twenty to thirty minutes, the guest of honour as the star, lots of participation — and the props are ones a volunteer can hold. Sponge balls that multiply in a spectator's hand, a stick that blossoms, a cups and balls routine with a big final reveal. Look at the close-up collection. Choose props that survive being handled; at a party, they will be.

Card magic covers the rest: family dinners, cousins visiting, work breaks. A Svengali deck is the classic starting point because it does several strong effects with almost no sleight of hand. Learn one routine properly and perform it for everyone you meet before adding a marked deck or a stripper deck.

If you're buying for a child, get them three things they can perform the same day — a self-working deck, sponge balls, and a close-up mat to perform on — rather than a big kit. If you're an adult starting out, do the same; most professionals still use exactly those props. The beginner collection is a good place to begin.

We found no walk-in magic shop in Rialto. Local party and toy stores sell novelty magic sold as toys, which rarely survives more than a few performances. Most magicians in the Inland Empire buy online. Our listings say what's included, whether instructions come with it and how much practice each effect takes; unopened items can be returned within 30 days of delivery.

Rialto sits between Fontana and San Bernardino, with Ontario and Rancho Cucamonga a short drive west. The Inland Empire has a lot of working family entertainers but few organised magic clubs that we could confirm meeting today; the concentrated scene is in Los Angeles, where the Magic Castle, I.B.M. Ring 21 and S.A.M. Assembly 22 are all an hour or so away. For a beginner here, local libraries and community centres are the best places to see magic performed live.

Route 66 culture is roadside showmanship — giant signs, odd motels, things built to make you stop. It's a good reminder of what makes magic work in a city like Rialto: the effect has to stop someone in seconds. Whether it's a community event on Foothill Boulevard or a car-show crowd, quick and visual beats long and clever. A coin vanish, a card that changes in a hand, sponge balls appearing where they shouldn't — each takes under a minute and needs no table.

We deliver to every address in Rialto and across San Bernardino County on the same terms as anywhere else in the US. Most of the range ships directly from our supplier and we don't quote delivery dates. See shipping and returns and refunds.