Our Story

Do you remember when you saw your first magic trick?

You know the one – the one that left you awestruck thinking to yourself, ‘How did they do that? I have to learn how to recreate this’. Yep, us too!

At Global Magic Shop, our director Jonathon Fox was just four years old when he discovered magic after being gifted a Paul Daniels set. He was mesmerized, starry-eyed, full of wonder, and excitement. You could say it was love at first sight. And it was.

Jon became obsessed with all things magic, begging his family and friends to gift him magic books on birthdays and Christmases, to take him to magic shows, and of course, watch his lounge room performances.

GOING PRO: GETTING PAID TO PERFORM MAGIC

It wasn’t long until Jon was getting paid to perform magic. At nine years old, he was invited aboard the Christmas Victorian Express train at Churnet Valley Railway, England. And at 13 years, he landed his first paid gig. Jon did this every Christmas for 15 years!

Jon also went on to perform for UK icons, such as Elton John, Sting, David and Victoria Beckham, and at corporate events for brands such as Mercedes Benz, BMW, Ferrari, Volvo, and Coca-Cola.

While magic was his primary pursuit, Jon also became a qualified electrician, and was a talented dancer, coming 24th in the world at the prestigious Blackpool Dance Festival.

MAKING THE MOVE TO AUSTRALIA

After making a name for himself in the UK, Jon and his wife Charlene decided to move over to Australia for a fresh start.

The pair left the UK in December 2008 after the Global Financial Crisis and arrived in Australia with nothing – no job, no support network, just each other, and a suitcase full of magic books.

Charlene was fortunate to land a job straight away in Accounts Management for a well-known stationery supplier. Jon, on the other hand, had a harder time, having to walk the streets of Perth to land magic gigs in the Perth entertainment scene.

While continuing to pursue magic, Jon eventually scored a job in the mines (a move that saw him and Charlene gain their citizenship).

LAUNCHING AUSTRALIA’S LARGEST MAGIC SHOP

Once settled, Jon and Charlene noticed magic was a pricey hobby to have in Australia. Magic supplies were expensive to order, and Jon wondered why this was the case and why consumers could only really resort to overseas suppliers to get products at affordable prices.

In 2017, a passing comment over dinner planted the seed for Global Magic Shop. Jon and Charlene thought to themselves why not start an Australian magic shop themselves to solve the problem they were facing. And what started as a wild idea soon became a promising business venture.

THE GLOBAL MAGIC SHOP DIFFERENCE

Since launching Global Magic Shop, Jon and Charlene have remained focused on bringing quality, affordable magic supplies to Australians, coupled with expert advice and support.

You’d be hard-pressed to find Jon without a deck of cards in his hands, on his phone researching new products, reading books, or filming tutorials to spread his magic tricks far and wide.

Business-minded Charlene also shares a love of magic, working as a children’s performer and magician for birthday parties and events when she isn’t busy running the admin and marketing side of the business.

Together this dynamic duo has built a thriving magic business, and hope that their products will make magic accessible to more Australians and put Australia on the map for magic and (hopefully) be home to the next Dynamo, David Copperfield, or David Blaine.

Got any questions for our in-house magicians? Comment below or send us an email!