It has been a must-visit shop for aspiring magicians in Glasgow for well over a century and was named the city’s favourite business just seven years ago.
But Tam Shepherds Trick Shop, the world’s oldest joke and magic store, has been forced to close its doors for the final time.
In a social media post the Walton family said that higher running costs and uncertainty over the future of the building’s redevelopment meant that business was ‘not sustainable’.
It has been a fixture on Queen Street since first opening in 1886 and was bought in 1969 by Roy Walton.
Credited with inventing many well-known card tricks, he passed the shop to his daughters, Julia and Sarah, before his death in 2020.
In a social media post they said: ‘We are sad to announce Saturday, November 9, was the last day of trading from our long-established shop in Queen Street.
‘The building we are part of is to be redeveloped.
‘The uncertainty over the redevelopment, together with the high costs of running a small independent shop in the city centre, are not sustainable’. They stressed that the business will continue online, adding: ‘We hope to welcome you back in the future.’
Customers responding to the post lamented ‘the end of an era.’ One wrote: ‘The magic shop is known all around the world. Magicians would always pop by when in the city.’
Another added: ‘You were such a big part of my son’s life as he was growing up, fostering a lifetime’s love of dressing up and making people laugh.’
The developers are said to be planning a 195-bed complex with a gym and cinema at the site.