SAN ANTONIO — The owner of San Antonio’s only brick and mortar magic shop is looking to retire, which leaves the fate of the store uncertain if he can’t find someone to buy it.
He'll be the first to admit: it's a fun job.
"It's a very unique art.” Julio said, “It can be fun, it can be mysterious."
But he stresses that it is still a job, and that it comes with its own unique challenges.
“I don't think I ever took a solid weeks’ vacation off,” he said.
Julio announced he was putting the business up for sale on July 27th. Posting the announcement to the store’s Facebook page and its website.
“I'm ready to retire,” he said. “I don’t feel so bad that I have to. But I want to.”
Julio got into the magic business in 1997 after another magic store went up for sale. He said the owner showed him a simple trick that blew him away.
He didn't buy that shop, but months later it did inspire him to open his own. He said he set his shop apart by having it open and accessible. He said many of the stores at the time had all of the tricks hidden away, so people wouldn't be able to buy something unless they already knew what they were looking for.
In 2018, Julio was featured on Great Day SA. When Paul Mireles asked him about the future of his shop, Julio said to keep going until "whenever." Whenever, it appears, has arrived.
"It's been amazing for our family,” said Julio’s Son David Ramirez.
“I mean, I started when I was 12, I was demoing. I had that was like my first job. He was paying me."
David said he was conflicted when he found out his dad put the store up for sale.
know, my dad's been doing it for a long time,” he said. “And so, it's kind of his time."
he said taking over the shop himself has crossed his mind, but he worries juggling it with his full-time job and his six-month-old baby will be too much to handle.
"There's plenty of thoughts that kind of go through my mind," said David. "Haven’t got a chance to really kind of vet them or, ... even get close to making this sort of decision on that."
"for me, it was great, it was a turning point,” said JCR Magic regular Kevin Bryan.
Bryan has been coming to Julio's store for twenty years. The Vietnam Veteran said performing magic has helps him with his PTSD.
"I got to where I could interact with people by performing. By becoming…” Bryan paused to put on a brown bowler hat before deepening his voice.
“…Professor Baffle," he proclaimed.
For Professor Baffle, the Ramirez's and everyone involved, the future of JCR Magic remains an open question. But Julio is hopeful that the magic won't have to disappear.
"Hopefully I can get a buyer that will continue the magic shop in San Antonio," he said.