Al Cohen

Al Cohen
Cover of Genii (2002)
Born	Alfred Lee Cohen January 11, 1926 Wilmington. Delaware

Al Cohen (b.1926) was owner and demonstrator of Al's Magic Shop (now closed) in Washington D.C.

Biography

Al began working as a young man at his father's gift shop, "The Oriental Bazaar", in Washington D.C. which sold gifts and novelties, in 1936. He continued to work in the shop while attending college (first to get a degree in Entomology and then accounting), when they added some magic tricks from S.S. Adams Company. This led to magic talking hold of Al and the store which would eventually evolve into Al's Magic Shop.

As a performer, Al has played the White House, early Washington TV, birthday parties, and Blue-Gold banquets.

Al became a very successful demonstrator for his store and become a favorite at conventions where he would often appear in the guise of Pernell Zorch.

He created many effects of his own to sell including:

• A Professor's Nightmare handling with Ed Mishell called "Rope-A-Rama."
• The Mark manufactured by Sterling Magic.

After the shop closed in 2004, Al started a periodic column, "Memoirs", in Genii.

Outside of magic, Al's interests include photography and travel.

References

• The Linking Ring, Vol. 65, No. 2, February 1985, OUR COVER, AL COHEN, page 57
• M-U-M, Vol. 84, No. 1, June 1994, THE AL COHEN ISSUE, Al's Magic Shop by Larry White, page 14
• The Linking Ring, Vol. 82, No. 2, February 2002, Al and Alice Cohen to Close Al's Magic by Larry Lipman, page 41
• Genii, Vol. 65, No. 3, March 2002, The End of an Era ... Al’s Magic Shop by Jamy Ian Swiss, page 24

This biographical material is about a living person.
Such material requires a high degree of sensitivity,
and must adhere strictly to all applicable laws in the United States.
See MagicPedia:Biographies_of_living_persons for more information.