Easley’s Fun Shop has served the Phoenix area for 72 years, but the business will close its doors for the last time at the end of this year.
Easley’s has been the go-to shop for magic tricks, gag gifts and costumes for decades. It was started as a magic shop by Bert Easley, a vaudeville magician, in 1947 and expanded its inventory about 30 years ago. The business is now run by Bert’s great granddaughter, Samantha Herrera. She said Easley’s has become a family tradition for some people.
"We’ve had people that have been coming here for 60-70 years and their grandparents and their parents brought them here,” Herrera said. “And now they’re grandparents and they bring their grandchildren here.”
Herrera said she and other family members thought it would be best to close while they were on top. She added that it’s hard for local shops like theirs to compete with online marketplaces like Amazon.