There is now a bonafide magician in Amarillo, who has been travelling around the Panhandle to different schools and groups and delivering a fun touch of magic to offer people an entertaining escape.
His shop, the Amarillo Magic Company, is having its official opening Wednesday, Oct. 1 at 11 a.m. at 5208 S. Western, Suite 300. Not black magic, Kyle Groves, owner and magician, is quick to say, but illusion and entertainment in what is now recognized as a legitimate art form as designated by Congress.
“Sen. Pete Sessions of Texas introduced the bill around 2012 before the House of Representatives to officially make magic a valued and necessary art form, and they passed the bill,” Groves said.
In addition, National Magic Week will run from Oct. 25 through Oct. 31, according to the magician in charge.
Groves was born into the business, with his mother and father, Marion and “Mr. E” Ed Groves, having graduated from the Chavez Studio of Magic in Los Angeles. His parents met in Three Forks, Montana, and were married. When Kyle was a child, his father was able to help him at school, and he said he got bitten by the magic bug. Kyle began going to the local library, which was in a boxcar, and they had one magic book that he would check out, read and return and check out again.
The astute librarian noticed Groves’ interest and started getting more magic books for him to read, “which is where our love for reading and literacy comes from,” he said. “I still do a lot of summer reading programs. I did 57 libraries in five states this past summer.”
Last year the theme was color, so he did the Colorful Carnival show. “It’s the magic that encourages kids to read,” he said.
Groves doesn’t read only magic books, however. “I like to read a lot of business type books about entrepreneurs. One of the books I love and have read multiple times is about the guy that started Rainforest Café. Nobody believed in him, so he started in his house. He transformed his entire home into the rainforest café to invite investors to come see his vision.”
Growing up, Groves said his parents were his mentors, and pictures show him in a play pen on the edge of a stage. “My parents had a traveling show (not carnival) that traveled all over the northwestern United States. By the time I was 8, I was a stage assistant. I set up the show, tore down the show, packed it, did the lights and sound.”
But in high school, he took a step back from the family business, because “it wasn’t cool then,” he said. “Cars and girls took precedence over everything.” He later tried for the military but ended up going to college instead.
“When I came back from college is when I started winning awards for close-up magic,” Groves said. He began learning more and really paying attention to the stage and the showmanship side of business, instead of just doing a trick. His work earned prestigious recognition including Illusionist of the Year (2008) by the Family Entertainers of Atlanta and the honorary title of Doctor of Magic by the International Magicians Society.
“Anybody can do a magic trick, but not everybody can entertain with a magic trick,” he said. “The showmanship side is so much more. When I teach lessons, that’s what I work with people on. I teach them the trick, then work on presentation of the trick.”
Groves said he has made a good living out of his magic talent. “I don’t think people would believe me if I told them how successful,” he said with a laugh.
With hundreds of shows each year, the Groves family has had shows spanning 45 states, seven Canadian provinces, and eight foreign countries. The artist and his family had a location in Pueblo, Colorado, which opened in 1999 and closed in 2021, before they moved to Amarillo. “We had the business for 20 years, and I was missing having it. This year, I’ve been almost 170 days on the road.”
Groves related that during Covid, when restrictions were especially high in Colorado, he kept his rent payments up and took care of bills. When it was over, however, the owner of the building raised his rent, so he made the tough decision to close down and store his magic memorabilia. His wife, who has a medical background, found a job at Northwest Texas Hospital in Amarillo. They moved here around three years ago, and the search began for a new magic store location.
Though he travels to perform, he prefers people to come to his new vintage stage and shop on South Western. Groves has crafted the area into a unique, colorful shop full of magic toys, props, games, posters and magic paraphernalia that defies the norm. He owns much of his father’s former equipment and has bought thousands of antique magic items through the years.
His current shop is in an unlikely small strip mall, south of the former Ashley Furniture store. But don’t let the building trick you — inside it is pure magic: The walls of the shop are filled with treasured magic posters, props, games, book, figures, and colorful graphics.
The Amarillo location includes a magic shop, library, Museum of Magic & Oddities, a whimsical concession stand and a theatre.
Using his skills he learned as a carpenter during summers, Groves built a small stage inside his store. The mostly black room has several tables covered with black linen tablecloths and a stage with black curtains and hanging twinkle lights. The room also has a few pedastals with flowers and one to perform some of his special illusions, with a pet bunny, Bandit, and a pretty, white bird.
One of the most unique items he owns is an Edison tube which has the voice of Harry Houdini on it. He said he expected Houdini’s voice to be low and strong, but it was high pitched, which was surprising, but still amazing. He said he also has some Wizard Holdout Clips, what gamblers used to use to hold a card up his sleeve, some of which date back to the 1800s.
One of Grove’s favorite gigs is to do birthday parties for children. “I often hear, ‘How did you get them to sit still for 40 minutes?’ a lot. Parents of a 5-year-old said, ‘That’s the real magic.'”
While he’s not a fan of the type of magic Criss Angel does, he respects David Copperfield. He said he would like to take the classics of magic tricks and re-invent them to where they work in the modern world.
“My goal is to entertain the public. If they can come in for 40 or 90 minutes and I can make them forget about what’s going on outside, and have a little bit of fun, that’s what I like to do,” he said.
Beyond his theatrical work, Groves has delighted festival audiences nationwide as Disgo, his Wild West alter ego with antics rooted in tall tales and comic mischief.
On Friday nights, Groves puts on a regular show called simply “Friday Night Magic.” It is a 90-minute show with an intermission, in which they serve popcorn and soft drinks to customers. The cost is $16 for an adult and $13 for children, and popcorn is $2. Birthday party packages start at $99 for a small, two-hour party with a 35- to 40-minute show with popcorn and drinks included.
“I’m not a corporation; I can do what I want to and change the rules,” he said. Groves said he tries to keep it family budget friendly, so people can afford to go out and do something different.
Halloween-themed shows are in the works for October, and beginning in November, they plan to host Murder Mystery Dinners in a unique addition to Amarillo’s growing entertainment scene.
Though he and his wife have children, none of them have been bitten by the magic bug — at least not yet. Groves said he has a daughter he thought might follow in the family magicians’ footsteps, but she’s into theater. “Of course, a grandchild could come along at this point and be interested,” he said wistfully. “But I’m really happy that they are all doing what they want to do.”
Amarillo Magic Company’s opening day on Wednesday, Oct. 1 will have doors open at 11 a.m. An opening ceremony will be held at 6 p.m., followed by a free show at 7 p.m. People should RSVP at 806-414-0282 or by emailing Kyle@AmarilloMagic.com. The Friday Night Magic opening night planned for Oct. 3 is sold out.
This article originally appeared on Amarillo Globe-News: Magician opens Amarillo Magic Co. to amaze audiences, encourage reading
Reporting by Nell Williams, Amarillo Globe-News / Amarillo Globe-News
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
