Reading native, Wayne Shifflett grew up in East Reading, attended St. Mary’s Catholic School and Central Catholic High School, graduating in 1969. He attended The Industrial Management Institute at RACC for architectural drafting while working at Pantry Pride grocery store. Following graduation, he waited five years before obtaining a job in his field with Gilbert Associates on Lancaster Avenue across from his future magic shop. Gilberts eventually moved their offices to the Green Hills area, and Wayne worked as a designer for the company for twenty-two years.
Growing up, Wayne had an interest in becoming an entertainer; he reflects on that thought, “Well, I always wanted to try to entertain. I thought to myself, I can’t sing, I can’t dance, and I can’t play an instrument. At 16, my aunt Annamae worked at the Berkshire Knitting Mills, and would ride the bus home from work. On her way home she saw a magic shop at 546 Penn Avenue. On January 8, 1968 she took me to the shop, and I met LeRoy Mingus for the very first time. He showed me a trick called “Cups and Balls”, tracing back to ancient Egyptian times. I was totally amazed by it! It cost me one dollar to learn the trick. I thought I got ripped off thinking that anyone could figure it out, but they didn’t. My parents and grandparents did not know how it was done. Then it hit me that I knew something other people didn’t know, that’s the way it works!”
From that day, Wayne was inspired to become a magician. “I began going to the magic shop and mastered one trick, and then another. LeRoy would introduce me to a trick and make sure I could do it before I went on to the next one. There was a club where they would help with concepts and principles of magic. I enjoyed hanging around the shop and listening to the radio; it was interesting to be in that environment. After a while, LeRoy began putting me to work. He created feather flowers for magic tricks and sold them all over the world. He had me curling the flowers, steaming the feathers, cutting, and doing certain processes to create a magic trick. As he was teaching me, I was learning the art. It did not dawn on me that I was actually an apprentice, and he was my mentor teaching me to create things that were being shipped all over the world.”
Once Wayne graduated from high school and during college, he had learned enough to begin entertaining audiences on his own. “I stayed local; it was always a hobby for me. I started doing shows, birthday parties, family gatherings. I had my cousin Chris as my assistant and advertised in the Reading Eagle. I went by the name Waydini, doing magic shows in my late teens into my early twenties. It was Waydini and Chris for three or four years and then I went solo. In 1975, getting ready for the bicentennial, I created a show, ‘Waydini and the Stars’, a red, white, and blue, spectacular marking the celebration of 1776. By 1977 I was doing shows all over the place, including three appearances on Al Albert’s Showcase in Philadelphia.”
In December 1975, LeRoy Mingus had a heart bypass and entered a local rehab center where he refused therapy, and later ended up in Berks Heim after losing his leg. “When LeRoy went to Berks Heim, I realized that he was not going to be back at the shop, so I asked him if he wanted to sell the shop. He gave me the keys and told me to make him an offer. I made him the offer, and it was no hassle. He grew the business for 38 years with a name and reputation. On May 20, 1976, I went to Berks Heim with the paperwork. He said, ‘I will sign under one condition; when I get out I will come and work for you’. With that he signed the papers. I never thought he would recover from the state that he was in at Berks Heim, but he walked out of Berks Heim with a new prosthetic leg and came back to work, thanking me for bringing the magic back to him. He and a delivery person, Charlie, worked the shop’s normal hours until LeRoy died on May 31, 1979. We moved from Penn Avenue to a shop in the very busy business district on North 9th Street in Reading, until 1988, when I bought 528 Lancaster Avenue, where we are presently located.”
Wayne continued to work at Gilberts until 1995, when they had a huge lay-off. “I went to work for Valquip in Malvern, which was an hour drive, to and from work. Once Charlie was no longer able to manage the shop on his own I gradually reduced the hours to evenings and Saturdays, and eventually by appointment only. It proves to be the best for this type of business.” Wayne retired from Valquip in 2016 after 22 years with the company. “I’m not retired from magic; there is still inventory to keep up, cleaning up, orders to fill, scheduling appointments, and everything involved with running a business.”
In recent years, Wayne has experienced some of the most exciting times in his life as a magician. The creative and theatrical world of magic has grown on a grand scale around the world, as millions flock to witness the spectacles of magic and illusion. Internationally renowned mentalist and illusionist, and one of the top ten mind readers in the country or possibly the world, Wayne Hoffman, started coming to the Mingus Magic Shop some 33 years ago.
“We would host 24-hour magic marathons every year and donate the proceeds to Alex’s Lemonade Stand. I met Wayne at one of these events. He would ride his bike to the shop, and I taught him to do a linking ring trick. He volunteered to do kids’ birthday parties and we became friends. Then his career took off.”
The excitement begins on the world stage for mentalist and illusionist, Wayne Hoffman. “Let me tell you, things started taking off for him and it was exciting to be part of it at times! We were going to take a trip to Disney World, and he called and said, ‘I’m going to be on the Ellen Show, can you come out to LA first?’ He was living it up; limos, films, the Ellen Show!
Eleven years ago, I get a call from Wayne. He was going to be NYC for three days doing America’s Got Talent, and needed assistants on the show. We were all nervous, but everything went smoothly, and it aired on TV, and nobody realized who got Wayne started on his career.” The adventures continue. “A year later he is living in Florida, and we go to do Penn and Teller, flying to Las Vegas, where the audience tries to fool Penn and Teller. If you fool them, you get a trophy and recognized for fooling the famous illusionists. Wayne fooled them so he received the trophy and was invited back as the opening act for one of their shows. Wayne has taken me on a lot of trips.”
Three years ago, while working in the shop, Wayne received a phone call. “Is this Wayne? This is David Copperfield.” Wayne believed it was a prank, but continued to listen. “I didn’t recognize the voice. The caller said ‘I had a trick back in 1968, when I was 12 years old, a blooming flower. It was from Mingus Magic Shop.’ I then realized that it was really him. We are texting and calling regarding the trick, and it kept changing. It became twice the size of the original and it took 2 ½ years to create. I sent the bouquet in a basket. David calls and says, ‘I’m having an issue with the basket moving, if you want to come out this week we can look at it.’ I texted Wayne Hoffman and asked if he wanted to go with me. It was 12 noon that we talked and by midnight we were on a plane.”
Wayne gets emotional describing waiting to meet David Copperfield back stage, a pinnacle moment in his life as a magician. “When we got back stage, there it was, the basket I created for David Copperfield, one of world’s greatest magicians. David said, ‘This is a masterpiece, I don’t want to touch this,’ because it was much too complex in its make-up and design. He then proceeded to order two more. He also said, ‘By the way, you are coming to the Museum.’ David Copperfield has a private museum which houses the world’s largest collection of magic memorabilia. He gave us a tour at midnight. I had a book with me entitled 50 years of Magic History by David Copperfield. Wayne Hoffman took David aside to sign the book while we were at the museum.”
On Sunday, May 31, 2026, Wayne Shifflett’s good friend, Wayne Hoffman surprised him with an event to celebrate his life; something he had been planning for five months. The event was a private, invitation only event, held at the Goggleworks, which included a 35-minute documentary of Wayne Shifflett’s life in the theatre, an opportunity to ride in a Delorian around the parking lot, refreshments, memorabilia on display, and a gathering of friends and family from throughout his life.
The event was highlighted by messages and videos from some of the world’s top magicians. The documentary was followed by a 7-minute video on the big screen, LIVE from Las Vegas with David Copperfield congratulating him on celebrating 50 years as the owner of Mingus Magic Shop, and telling the story about the blooming basket of flowers!
Visit Mingus Magic Shop at mingusmagic.com
