Cigam, House of Magic: An "Enchanting" Local Business

There is a magical place tucked away in Bradenton’s Village of the Arts – a place full of wands, trickery and illusions.

No, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry has not relocated to Bradenton. However, may just be the next best thing for those wishing to purchase magical merchandise and learn a few tricks.

Cigam’s owner, John Tietjen, has been practicing and teaching magic for more than fifty years. He has been a member of the International Brotherhood of Magicians (I.B.M.) for 37 years, and has taken his magic act on the road throughout the country. He’s done his share of world traveling too and has found magic in each step of his journey.

“When I was in the service, no matter where I went, I could show people my I.B.M. card and someone would always recognize it. It may be somewhere like Japan where I didn’t speak a word of the language, but there was always someone who would recognize the card and take me to the nearest magic shop.”

Bradenton is the place where Tietjen, a New York native, finally chose to hang his hat – rabbit and all – and call home.

“Magic used to be my entire livelihood,” said Tietjen. “When you’re young, you don’t really mind traveling and living out of a suitcase. After awhile, it becomes old hat, though. You want to settle down eventually.”

Since 1977, Tietjen and his wife, Glenda, have owned and operated , a store that sells instruments and provides music lessons, in the Village of the Arts. It wasn’t until about three years ago that the couple decided to start a magic shop under the same roof.

“We got to talking one night about the idea of incorporating our hobbies into the business. We thought it was a fun idea. The more and more we talked about it, the better it sounded and we finally thought, ‘Why not?’” Tietjen said.

John Tietjen opened Cigam, House of Magic two and a half years ago while his wife incorporated her hobby, cross-stitching, into the business as well. Glenda Tietjen, an avid tea drinker, also became an ambassador to the Republic of Tea so that she could acquire and sell rare premium teas in the store.

Today the Tietjens have three businesses – Music Music, Cigam, and , a supplier of loose leaf tea and cross-stitch artwork – all housed under the same roof. It may seem like an odd combination, but after spending five minutes inside the cozy shop with John and Glenda, it all seems to make sense somehow.

Perhaps that’s part of the magic.

“There are a wonderful variety of people that come into the shop,” said Tietjen. “I have a full spectrum of customers. Magic is not just for children.”

Although many of Cigam’s customers are children, there are several adults who frequent his shop as well. Some are college students who perform magic acts in pubs and nightclubs near their universities to work their way through school. Others are volunteer magicians who work with hospital patients who struggle with hand-eye coordination, using magic tricks as a source of therapy. Some are famous career magicians, and others simply enjoy the hobby.

Although Tietjen’s customers vary significantly in age, he said that magic currently seems to be most popular with the college age demographic, ranging from the late teens to the early 20s. This, he attributes to the Harry Potter phenomenon.

“Right now, magic seems to be especially popular with the age group that ‘grew up’ with Harry Potter,” he explained. 

“That series has had as much effect as the television show, ‘The Magical Land of Allakazam’ had back in the 1960s. When that show came out, magic sales went crazy – the same goes for Harry Potter.”

Tietjen’s wife, Glenda, agreed.

“Harry Potter made magic cool again,” she said. “It’s really as simple as that.”

John Tietjen said that he has customers “from all over” that come to his magic shop in the Village of the Arts because it is currently the only magic shop on the Gulf coast of Florida located south of Tampa.

“There used to be a lot of magic shops, but like so many other small businesses, they went under with the advent of the internet,” he said.

Tietjen believes that people come to his shop because he can provide his customers with something that the internet cannot: Hands-on magic lessons.

“The internet can’t teach,” Tietjen said.”There’s only so much that you can learn from reading. Criss Angel has brought me so much business because people order his magic kit on the internet and when they get it, they don’t know how to use it so they call me. They end up coming in here to take lessons.”

Customers at Cigam, House of Magic, receive a complimentary magic lesson with every purchase, and Tietjen also offers private lessons.

“I remember being a kid and seeing guys do tricks in magic shops, and I’d say ‘Wow! Can I do that?’ They’d always say, ‘Sure, just read the instructions.’ I know that’s not always the case, though,” Tietjen said. “There are things that you just can’t get out of simply reading an instruction manual. As for me, there’s nothing that I love more than actually talking to people about magic and teaching them how to do it.”

Sometimes it’s just fun to get caught up in the magic.