Being invited into the back room was said by some to be a rite of passage in the world of magic. Martinka's "Back Room" contained magical treasures dating back to the 1800s along with other secret items that were reserved for a select few. and a curious teenager from Queens might rub elbows, ideas, and magic wands. It was a fraternity house where a visiting European magician. The New York Times once described the shop while owned by the Flossos as "a messy Aladdin's cave of magical marvels from trick cards and ropes to a live lion that one owner, the magician Carter the Great, kept in the back room. And in more recent times, Woody Allen, Penn & Teller, David Copperfield, David Blaine and celebrity magician John Stessel among others, have visited the shop. Customers of the past included Alexander Herrmann, Harry Kellar, Howard Thurston, Joseph Dunninger, and Harry Houdini.
Over the decades of its circa 150-year-old existence, generations of magic enthusiasts have congregated there.
And, early on the Martinka magic shop became a hang-out and gathering spot where both famous and unknown, professional and amateur magicians alike could socialize, swap stories and share insights. In 1902, the Society of American Magicians was founded in Martinka's backroom. The back of their New York City store housed a workshop where the company was soon building magic illusions and props for virtually all the famous magicians of the day. It is claimed to be the oldest continuously operating magic shop in the United States. The business was founded as Martinka & Company in 1877, by two brothers: Francis (1842–1924) and Antonio (1833-1915) Martinka. The business was for a period owned by Houdini and throughout the years the company has acquired and combined with over 30 other magic firms including Flosso-Hornmann, and Milton Chase. Martinka & Company is America's longest running magic company.
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