One of the longest lasting shops trading in the city centre, Tam Shepherd's is a well known, well respected name in these parts. It's a traditional joke/magic/dress up store, so expect to see anything on display, from kid's tricks to massive, elaborate looking wigs and masks. It is a treasure trove packed with a vast array of weird, wacky and wonderful props. The staff are very experienced and are really helpful. It's a small shop where most items are behind the counter which I always thinks looks very Victorian. Or like something out of Harry Potter! It is quite magical (boom boom tsssh!) so that figures. It was queued out the door for Halloween, but on normal business days it usually does steady business. Perfect for performers, magicians and people who just love dressing up in their everyday life. A must if you're doing a Glasgow heritage shopping trail! read more

Tam Shephard's Trick Shop is a family-run business for over 100 years. This is quite famous in Glasgow for its Hallowe'en costumes, magic tricks and practical jokes. For me, it is famous as the shop that is fairly empty for 11 months a year, then has a queue snaking violently down the road in the weeks approaching Hallowe'en. The window display showcases a range of masks and wigs, creepily lifelike. Inside, the space is small, and crammed to the rafters with goodies. If you want to see something out of the display case, or try a hat on, the staff are only too happy to accommodate you. In the past I have bought: a pirate hat, a "lit" cigarette, a multi-pack of fake moustaches and a big bling medallion thing. It sells full costumes, wigs and full-head masks too. Everything is priced appropriately, and all of the little things I have bought have been cheap. If you're planning to shop here, I would advise going before October begins, to avoid the mad rush. read more

Tam Shepherd's Trick Shop - From website - Hobby Shops Near Me - Glasgow, GLG

Come Halloween, this tiny little shop is always queued right up the street, as one of the best places in Glasgow for costumes, tricks and treats. A good old Glasgow institution, Tam Shepherd's has been here for as long as I can remember, selling everything you could want for dressing up and novelty items to spend your pocket money on. I often wonder how this place manages to stay in business all year round when it isn't dressing up season, however as the original and best of these shops in town which must inspire loyalty among locals. read more

Tam Shepherd's Trick Shop - taken by Adele - Hobby Shops Near Me - Glasgow, GLG

I'm biased. You should know this before I begin. I have no vested financial interest in the store you understand, but I am a professional magician, and as such this place has saved my life on more than one occasion. Forgetting that for a moment, just take a second to look at the photographs. How can you not love this place? Every space in the tiny little shop is covered in a vast array of amazing, brilliant, useless, ridiculous things. It is a genuine cave of mystery, and there are real treasures here. This is a place steeped in the history of mystery and it's just a pleasure to be in. The biggest draw though is the congenial current owner of the store, Roy Walton. There are lots of places in Glasgow where you can get excellent service and Roy's family, who work at the store most of the week, are all knowledgeable, thoughtful and thorough. In Roy Walton however, you get a genuine living legend. One of the finest close up magicians in the world, Roy's tomes on card magic are cherished books by magicians the world over. His effect Card Warp, is one of the finest magic tricks of the 20th century. As such, magicians from all over the world make the pilgrimage to Tam Shepherd's just to have a chat with Roy, to get a little advice on this one move they've been trying to nail for years, and they always leave with an abundance of excellent new material, both in print, and from the brief time they spend with Roy. As a magician myself I have bumped into many established practitioners in the store, Jerry Sadowitz, Derren Brown, Paul Wilson (and on one extremely bizarre visit David Gest, whom I chatted with about the merits of two different brands of exploding cigarettes.) All of whom had come to share a moment with Roy. The stock is excellent too, as well as an exhaustive selection of practical jokes, costumes and fake moustaches, they have an extensive library of magic books and props for magicians of every calibre. A genuine Glasgow treasure. read more

If you stuck for buying an adolescent a gift. This place could save your life. Even the hardest 8 year-old can be won over by a bit of magic, as long as you sell it right. It also means you don't have to venture into a 40quid package store such as GamePlayStoreStation. These guys will sell you a trick and even make sure you can do it before you leave. Pretty good service. read more

As an exceptionally grumpy human being with little time for festivities, Tam Sheperd's isn't really my first stop on a day's shopping. That said, it's somewhat of an institution and so it's nice to see that it's still so well loved and busy after so many years. My friend Gon once queued for about 2 hours on Halloween morning just to buy a false mustache. When he's bringing in the punters at that rate, I doubt old Tam is struggling to pay his mortgage. read more

Leaving the concept aside for a moment, I love Tam Sheperds for the shop interior alone! It looks, smells and feels like you've taken a step back in time. The shop is brimful of and the service counter will no doubt be embosed in little children's memories as they peer over at its wonder. I have to admit I am one of the many that has ever only been in here on the morning of All Hallow's Eve (or at least the closest weekend night to this) and qued like every other for one specific item that I could probably have ordered on ebay weeks ago. But no! My fake mustache and eye brows to compliment my flatmates Mario Kart joint theme were all the more better by getting them from this little treasure. Service was efficient and quick - as I suppose they had to be - and on pulling out the last of the fake eyebrows from the box and finding only on pair he wandered in the back and came out with another proclaiming "Luigi's eyebrows are brown anyway." And brown they were. Cracking little shop and long may it raine supreme for years to come! read more

A shop for the japester in us all, this humble little business is probably the safest in Glasgow, making more money in one halloween than most in a year. Indeed the truly ridiculous queues which lead from here in October would have you believe people were actually waiting to see Barack Obama in person rather than simply buying a mask of his face. While it's not really my bag, there's no denying this place is a Glasgow institution and the sort of business which adds a bit of colour to the city's otherwise fairly generic centre. read more

A loveable place that reminds me of a Glasgow version of the creepy toy store in Pee Wees Big Adventure. Been going here just about every Halloween for years, with alot of great costumes and wigs including ones to hire as well as crazy toys and nonsense. I once bought a fake custard cream from here that I duly put on the top of an actual packet of Custard Creams which I offered to a pretty barmaid at Strathclyde Union. The results was even better than expected when she took a proper BITE out of it and went nuts at me. Totally worth it. A cracking shop that is only hindered by being super cramped at Halloween with last-minuters filling up every inch of room. How they survive all year round I don't know, but I'm glad that they do. read more

Whether you fancy dressing up like Elvis, learning a few tricks, or buying a wig, just for the hell of it, this place has it all! From the window display (currently it has a summer/hawaiian/beach feel to it, but it will shortly be changing to gory halloween costumes... scary bananas!), you can tell they take a lot of pride and effort in their little shop. Everything is of a high quality, and the prices are extremely reasonable (my last purchase was a fake tiara, for a mere 99p). The staff will do anything to help, and can order items in, but they can take a while, especially around christmas/halloween etc. As advised above, if you need anything fancy dress or jokey, this is the place for it, but note that around the bigger costume holidays the shop is packed, and you may have to wait in the snake-like queue for a while. Don't be put off though - the queue is there for a reason! read more

Och this is just the best wee shop ever. It's a stalwart of Glasgow city centre, and lang may its lum reek. It sells tricks, jokes and fancy dress, and has a traditional shop set up in that there is a big glass counter running the length of the shop, and glass wall cabinets. So you have a look for what you want and are then served by the tremendously personable staff. The staff are brilliant - you'd think they'd get a bit scunnered with people endlessly asking for probably the same thing on Halloween, when they're queued out the door for the whole day, but they always seem a bit amused by what you're asking for, as if they are imaging the fun you're going to have with your chosen item. I've never encountered a grumpy or off-form employee here, they're always awesome. And they are so much cheaper than ANYWHERE else! This Halloween there were lots of Halloween pop-up shops, with totally rip off prices. £7 for a tube of white face paint! £15 for a toy gun! Eh whit - I do NOT think so! We braved the queue (which went down very quickly), and left happy with our skeleton gloves and James Bond style gun, each for less than 3 quid. Well done Tam Shepherd, you are a small but truly mighty Glasgow establishment. read more

Tam Shepherd's is a Glasgow legend: as other reviewers have said, it gets busier as the nights get darker, and there are, eventually, long queues into the street. During the rest of the year, it does a trade in pocket-money priced tricks. During my years as a teacher, Tam provided most of the whoopee cushions, fake turds and flies that would inevitably find their way into the drawer marked "confiscated". Whether or not the shop will retain its status as the kids get more into technology than fart gags remains to be seen, but part of the legend is based on the age and continuity of the shop. The staff are actually very useful when you want a particular prank, and the packed stock room is the result of years of dedication. Of course, it is a one stop shop for the amateur magician, and a great place for stocking fillers or idiosyncratic gifts- but not for the first date... read more

We were in town and I thought about Halloween ( I know it's like 6 months away), but I'm strange like that. I thought I'd pop in, too see if they had some face paint. Tam Shepherd's is a tiny shop that holds a lot of surprises as you look round the place you see everything from masks, practical jokes to magic tricks and theatrical items. It's the sort of place you can imagine being part of a Glasgow version of Diagon Alley in the Harry Potter books, a simple shop front that looks like it's been there for centuries (because it has), dark and brooding from the outside that you could walk past and not realise it's there, but it has a sense of warmth and hidden knowledge once you step inside. We were served straight away and they had exactly what I was looking for and we were out the door in a fraction of time it would take to find the same or similar items elsewhere (I know because I tried in one of our local fancy dress shops). I've always liked Tam Shepherd's because, despite being old and small, you know you can get what you want or they will be happy to make suggestions / give advice when needed. One of the reasons that it's lasted so long in Glasgow. read more

Hello, this shop is great for the last minute costume ideas for that party the shop is always busy great for people that want a bit of magic at the party or the perfect party wig would recomend it to anyone who is looking to brighten up there day THE STAFF ARE GREAT read more

If you're looking for an odd prop for a fancy dress party or just something to play a silly prank on your friends, this is the place to look. It's not the biggest shop in Glasgow, but the selection of stock is great and you're bound to find something to suit. This is the original and best 'Trick Shop' in Glasgow! read more

This is a great wee shop and a true Glasgow gem. My mum used to go here for her Halloween costumes and now I go too! It has a great sense of fun about it and the staff really make it. I asked about the dried scorpion and the woman demonstrated it for me! It's the personal touch and sense of fun and trickery which had made this shop last as long as it has. It is very small and basically everything is behind one big counter, so at Halloween one has to queue to enter it but it really is worth it! The staff are always happy to help and it is small and intimate enough that you begin to recognise the staff if you go in enough which is always good! read more

without doubt the best shop in glasgow it (and Tam himself) has been here forever. i shopped here with my dad and as a teenager with pals and now visit on visits to glasgow to get pressies for my daughter. i wish thye had an online shop. last time i visited i asked about it but i think they are happy as they are this is a really helpful little shop - bang in the middle of glasgow and its like walking into a piece of history (ina a good way) Tam is really helpful and demonstrates and suggest tricks that are of use. there are some very expensive items as well as loads of pocket money toys - a top top shop read more

what a cool place to be! could spend alot of time and money in this host of magic! made to feel welcome and have a laugh! if you feel down and want to unlock the magic visit tam hes the man to make you smile read more

This shop has been around for ever! it sells everything u would ever need to be the best pranker in school. good selection of practical joke stuff and wigs. read more