No Joke: Shopkeeper Must Pack Up His Bag of Tricks - New York Times

No Joke: Shopkeeper Must Pack Up His Bag of Tricks - New York Times: "Mr. Martin is the owner of the Funny Store, a small Times Square shop that merges Harry Houdini’s basement with Rip Taylor’s garage. The place is filled with props, gag gifts, magic tricks and games.

The business, now at 44th Street and Eighth Avenue, has been part of the Times Square scene since 1957, changing owners and locations several times but always sticking to the same few blocks and staying ahead of rising rents, new zoning laws and new construction.

Now, it will have to move again. Mr. Martin’s landlord is selling the building, at 693 Eighth Avenue, to a developer, and he has to vacate the store by the end of the month to make way for condominiums. And retail rents in Times Square are now so high that he cannot afford to stay."