A NEW magic shop has opened in Poole’s town centre for those who are part of the entertainment industry.

Fun Fancy Dress, which already has a base on Blandford Road, and a shop in Parkstone, has launched its latest shop, which is specifically dedicated to magic tricks.

Run by Peter Hart, it aims to be a haven for illusionists and performers from across Dorset, to be able to find all of the tricks they have watched on TV.

Peter says that for him, this is a childhood dream being realised.

He said: “I’ve always been interested in magic, and after I recently got chatting to Paul Daniels on Twitter, it sparked my idea to open a shop full of magic tricks.

“I just thought, ‘Why not?’ ”

Peter and his wife, Michelle, started Fun Fancy Dress back in 2007 and later, in 2011, took it on to Dragons’ Den, for which Duncan Bannatyne, gave them his backing.

More recently, their business also made the shortlist of the Daily Echo-backed, Local Business Accelerators, meaning the company has gone from strength to strength.

Peter said: “It is a big scene for magic in the Poole and Bournemouth area but you only know about it if you are in the sector. I think magicians like Dynamo have pushed it to the forefront and made it trendy again.

“In our new shop, we do all the magic tricks, from the big professional illusions, down to the practical jokes.

“I also want to create a community of magicians in Poole, so we will be meeting up in the shop every Thursday evening.

“It would be nice for people to be able to come along and learn a new magic trick each week, and speak to others in the industry.”

For more information on the social evening at Fun Fancy Dress, call Peter on 01202 660087 or visit the website ukmagictricks.com