magicinterviews: from an email

6/14/2006

Barry’s Magic Shop Threatened With Eviction by Montgomery County

After 31 years in Business in Wheaton, Maryland.

JUNE 14, 2006: The owners of Barry’s Magic Shop, Mr. Barry Taylor and Ms. Susie Kang, are dismayed to inform our many loyal customers and the general public that our beloved magic business located at 11234 Georgia Avenue in Wheaton, Maryland, is being threatened with eviction by Montgomery County through the Wheaton Redevelopment Program, which on May 31, 2006 forcibly acquired title to the building that we lease through a condemnation action. Tragically, unless we are able to promptly work out suitable alternative arrangements with Montgomery County, the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area may well lose its last remaining magic shop.

Ironically, Barry’s Magic Shop not only serves professional and amateur magicians, as well as young children interested in learning the traditional performing art of magic, from throughout Montgomery County, Maryland, but it actually attracts many hundreds of customers to Wheaton’s declining business district from relatively distant locations such as Fairfax County, Virginia, Washington, D.C., and Annapolis, Maryland, and beyond. Customers who visit us at our Wheaton magic shop often patronize other local businesses in the area, such as delicatessens, coffee shops, and the like. We are puzzled as to how using taxpayer-generated public funds to potentially snuff out our wholesome, family-oriented business constitutes community redevelopment.

Montgomery County plans to demolish the building which we have leased for 31 years so that it can improve the alley sidewalk which connects Georgia Avenue to the parking lot behind our building. It is a shame that the County has not given more serious consideration to creative ways to beautify and improve that sidewalk without demolishing our building and threatening our small business.

While Montgomery County has stated that they wish to cooperate with us to assist us in relocating to another building, and we welcome good faith cooperation, a forced relocation would place an enormous financial strain on our small family-owned and operated business. Furthermore, we are unlikely to quickly find any suitable alternative business site which has the space and commercial access for anywhere near the rent that we have been paying under our lease.

We truly doubt whether Montgomery County fully considered the unique family-oriented nature of our magic shop and its customers, as compared to other alternative sites in the vicinity which might have been used for enhanced pedestrian access in Wheaton. At this point in time, we do not know what the outcome of this terrible conundrum that we are facing will be, and frankly, facing this uncertainty has been very stressful to us at a personal level.

We ask for the prayers and support from our loyal customers and friends in Montgomery County, Maryland, where we have lived and worked for decades. Please promptly send (by email or letter) your respectful expressions of support for Barry’s Magic Shop to the government officials listed below, along with copies to us in order that we may keep track of your efforts. Every letter helps. Your letter may make the difference!

Thank you very much for your many years of support as our customers and friends.

Barry Taylor & Susie Kang, Barry’s Magic Shop, 301-933-0373, magic@erols.com, www.barrysmagicshop.com

Montgomery County Executive
Douglas M. Duncan
Executive Office Building
101 Monroe Street, 2nd Floor
Rockville, MD 20850
(240) 777-2500
TTY (240) 777-2544
Email: douglas.duncan@montgomerycountymd.gov

Joseph R. Davis, Director

Wheaton Redevelopment Program

Montgomery County Maryland

2424 Reedie Drive

Wheaton, MD 20902

(240) 777-8125

Joseph.davis@montgomerycountymd.gov

Tom Perez, Councilmember (District 5, Wheaton)