The Vanishing Rabbit Magic Shop

For Brent Smith, owner of The Vanishing Rabbit Magic Shop just north of 16th Avenue Northeast on Edmonton Trail, magic has been a lifelong love affair. He recalls getting hooked on legerdemain when he was only six years old after visiting a magic shop in Disneyland. His first trick was a classic of the magic world: the Chinese linking rings.

“Magic started out as a hobby, then a part-time job, then a full-time job,” says Brent. He opened The Vanishing Rabbit in 2000 when he realized local magicians needed a place to fill their magic kits. Today, The Vanishing Rabbit claims to be Western Canada’s largest dedicated magic store. While it services all magicians, it caters, in particular, to youth and “semi-hobbyist” prestidigitators. In fact, The Vanishing Rabbit even hosts weeklong magic camps in July and August for would-be magicians of all ages. One year, Brent recalls, a Snowbird pilot was one of his students.