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Now that Andy Dallas is 48, he feels he’s a bit too old to be hanging from a helicopter while upside down and in a straightjacket, or to be shackled and chained in a 40-pound body bag thrown head first into the water.
He doesn’t do escape routines any more, but he’s still challenging himself with magic tricks that he performs on national tours and at least once a year during “Magic Weekend” at his Champaign store, Dallas & Co. Prairie Fire profiles Dallas, talking to the performer about his start in the magic business. He was first exposed to magic at a carnival in his hometown of Memphis, Tenn., when he was 5, and has practiced it ever since.
Formerly co-owner of the Apple Duck Arcade on Green Street where he started selling masks, Dallas eventually opened Dallas & Co. with his wife, Barbara. It started out in a 6- by 8-foot space, and now covers over 14,000 square feet, selling magic, juggling and ventriloquism supplies, plus renting 2,000 costumes and novelties such as rubber chickens and phony dog doo.
Segment duration: 08:35
Producer: Alison Davis
This segment is filed in these categories: Arts/Culture • Cinema/Theaters/Film • Illinois Culture/History • Champaign
48 is NOT old!
Andy Dallas is wonderful. If you are interested in magic make a trip to Champaign, Illinois and visit Dallas & Company. The people working there are helpful, patient and enthusiastic about what they do.
I first met Andy Dallas at Apple Duck Arcade, where I started buying masks from his incredible selection. He introduced me to the Color Monte, and I was hooked. When he moved his shop to University Ave store, I hung out there as much as I could. He was always so inviting, so patient - few would so openly and warmly entertain a young kid like that. I continued to buy masks and magic tricks until I moved away as a young adult. It’s been a while since I have visited, but his store will always be on my list of stops. He and Barbara are wonderful people and I will always be grateful for their gracious hospitality.
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