Tricky Business Owner Making Magic For The Masses

East Meadow resident and Tricky Business owner John Reid has been making magic since he was a kid, honing his craft at the local library where he'd secretly read up on the art form amongst books most kids his age were reading.

"I was so shy and afraid people would ask me to see stuff I would take out books about trains and robots and hide the magic books underneath," Reid said.

When Reid was in college he accidentally showed somebody a trick and immediately became known around campus as the "Magic Guy."

"Every day it was 'show us something new, show us a new trick.' It kind of snowballed and someone asked me to do a kids birthday party ... It was word of mouth. That's how I put myself through college," he said.

With help from others in the business, Reid turned this "weekend warrior thing" into a full-time career, performing at after-school programs at local libraries and the like. "When I graduated from college I was making more money than my mother," he said.

Now in his thirties, Reid has certainly made a name for himself. He celebrated Independence Day in Washington this year and has built balloon sculptures for Disney, the White House and Martha Stewart. In August, he'll be making stops in Disney and Las Vegas.

Reid and Todd Neufeld, also well known in the balloon twisting community, have been invited to Washington every Fourth of July for the past five years.

Reid's wild balloon creations have wowed thousands of children and adults alike and many have been on display in local shop windows. Check out a photo gallery of balloon sculptures, dresses and decor Reid and his team have created. The dresses take anywhere from two to five hours to construct.

Though he's on the road 30 to 50 percent of the year, he also manages Tricky Business, a magic shop that sells magic and balloon supplies and offers workshops for balloon twisting, face painting and more.

The store opened nearly three years ago at 2590 Hempstead Turnpike in East Meadow, just blocks from Reid's home. Before settling in his home town, he had shops in Hicksville and E. Northport. The company provides entertainment for all types of events and often hosts magicians from around the world who lecture to up-and-coming locals.

Reid hosts monthly B.Y.O.B. (Bring Your Own Balloons) jams at the shop. The event is free for the beginner to advanced twister as well as residents just curious about the craft. "I can teach you the way I like to learn and the way I like to teach but having nine accomplished twisters at varying levels, inevitably each one teaches the other and we all move up a step. It's fun," he said.

Tricky Business balloon twisters also entertain diners, tableside, at Texas Roadhouse in East Meadow every Monday night; Denny's in Levittown on Tuesdays; and On The Border in Hicksville every Thursday. "We're not there to get a paycheck, we're there to make people happy," he said.

Reid admits his storefront is not a "money-making endeavor." "I'm never going to become rich owning the local magic shop," he said, "but it's sort of my legacy to create other people who will hopefully go on and teach other folks and do incredible things."