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It was when his hometown Carlisle Wildcats were in Des Moines for a state tournament that Christopher Wysong, owner and operator of Illusion Solution, became interested in magic. He was just 9 years old when he and his parents were entertained by a magician at Spaghetti Works, and ever since then, he has been fascinated by the “hows” of magic.

Celebrating the grand opening of his magic store with an informal ribbon cutting May 31, Wysong has found a way to turn his favorite hobby into a business by opening Des Moines’ only magic shop.

“We don’t have (a magic store) here, so I might as well be that guy,” he said. “And since I’m not a magician, I’m the guy behind the scenes. I’ll help those who want to be (magicians) or whatever I can do.”

Working full time in the U.S. Army Reserves as an ordnance officer, Wysong goes straight to Illusion Solution after his day job and spends a couple of hours working at his new store, playing with the magic tricks he sells and working on his Web site.

Although Wysong has merchandise that would be useful for professional magicians, he said that “those guys already have what they have; they know what they’re doing with it.” Therefore, Illusion Solution is targeted more toward kids who are interested in magic or for “people who are like me and just think it’s cool,” he said.

Most of the fun for Wysong comes from teaching his customers the “how” of tricks.

“You’re purchasing the ‘how’ not the ‘what,’ and once you have that secret, I can’t get it back out of you,” Wysong said. This helps explain Wysong’s “no return” policy.

Wysong explained that he sells more than just magic merchandise to his customers; he also works with them until they understand the trick and can do it on their own. He said that customers can open the trick in the store and work through the steps until they figure it out, and he’s there to help.

“(Customers) should expect to walk in and have some fun,” Wysong said. “Look at some tricks, and if they like it and want to figure it out, or if they just want to see it again up close and personal, then I hope they buy it.”

Given that Wysong works for the Reserves during the day and is the only employee at Illusion Solution, the store hours fluctuate according to his availability. As of now, the store hours are Monday through Friday, 4:30 to 6:30 p.m., and Saturday from 10:30 a.m. to 7 p.m.