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Brooklyn has a new magic show for those who can find it
By
Hannah Frishberg
Published May 9, 2025
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Courtesy of Greg Dubin
By
Hannah Frishberg
Published May 9, 2025
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A local magician has transformed an empty Carroll Gardens storefront into a speakeasy magic venue.
The intimate performance space is hidden behind Precision Clock & Watch, a fake repair shop at 449 Court St. It’s in the space that was home to P.J Hanley’s for 139 years until it shuttered in 2013.
The lobby is outfitted with various esoteric, old-timey objects including vintage suitcases and a ventriloquist puppet. Pass through red velvet curtains and you’ll find the small main show space. There, magician Greg Dubin has been swallowing needles and performing card tricks since April in a 90-minute show he calls “Magic at the Clock Shop.”
"Magic at the Clock Shop" happens several times a week at 449 Court St.
Courtesy of Greg Dubin
“ I just started to see all of these magic venues opening around the city and I said, 'Why not me? Let's do it. It's my time,” said Dubin, who has lived in Carroll Gardens since 2004 and has been a full-time magician since 2018.
His first show was on April Fool’s Day. The show has since regularly sold out, and what was supposed to be a one-month residency has now been extended at least through the end of May.
Dubin said he was surprised that in Carroll Gardens there was such a strong desire “for things for grownups to do without their kids.” He has advertised the show almost exclusively through a guerilla marketing campaign in which he posts signs around the neighborhood warning people not to give him their watch.
Carroll Gardens resident Kristi Pallante has seen the show three times.
“ It was a great excuse to get all of our friends to come to our neighborhood and hang out with us instead of us going to the suburbs and hanging out with them,” said Pallante, who runs a law firm. “ It was a great, great opportunity for us to show them how cool it is to live in Carroll Gardens.”
Jasper Stoddard, a server who lives in Windsor Terrace, went last week and was charmed by the creative, one-man-show setup.
“I liked the DIY feel, like how he was doing all the tech just on his phone,” said Stoddard. “ Love the entrance of the location. I think it's really good for the show to be situated in that area.”
For Dubin, who has long worked gigs and at other producer’s shows and venues, having his own space is a dream come true.
“ It feels like this is the culmination of my entire life's work as a magician,” he said.
Tickets to Magic At The Clock Shop start at $50.
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Hannah Frishberg
Hannah Frishberg covers New York City arts and culture. Got a tip? Email Hannah at [email protected].
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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