By John Oppenheimer

Having mastered his first magic trick at the age of 5, San Francisco native Joe Pon has devoted his entire life to the art of illusion. After opening Misdirections Magic Shop in the Inner Sunset, Pon and his store have become a cornerstone of the Bay Area’s magic community. When Joe got married, his wife said she did not want to travel, so Joe came up with the idea of a magic store.

“Magic is my first love, I’ve been doing it since I was 5,” Pon said. “I became a teacher and a mentor. Over the years, I’ve actually taught some of the biggest names in magic nationwide as well as here locally.

Pon said one of the most interesting aspects of teaching and mentoring future magicians is that there is a “magician’s code.” If you buy a trick, Joe will be more than happy to teach you how to do the trick, hoping you will invest your own time to practice. But the code is set in stone: You don’t ever tell anyone how you did the trick.”

Pon shared his favorite part of running this type of business.

“It’s the community here,” he said. “I think I have created a magic place in the Bay Area and have cultivated so many friendships throughout the years around magic. This is truly the heart and soul of our shop.

“My other favorite thing is I get to do my passion every day. It is my dream and I live it each and every day. I get to teach new students, young and old. I meet my heroes in magic and inspire others in the art”.

I asked Joe how he came up with the name for his shop. He replied, “The secret to magic is “Misdirection.”

Misdirections is celebrating 27 years in business.

https://misdirections.com