Tam Shepherds Trick Shop - Glasgow

gordon

Best shop for me when I was a kid.amazing tricks.
Masks were amazing too.black curtain at back of the shop Roy would appear and pick tricks for you to buy from the glass cases.you,d point to the ones you wanted.
Met him in marks and spencers at the chequeout breahead. I shouted out there's tam shepherd .everyone went wow its the joke shop man from my childhood.
Everyone cheered awwww .brilliant ?.truly missed ?

Gordon Milne

Now I've been visiting this shop for nigh on 35 years, perhaps even longer, and it was always my go to place for costume accessories, pranks and jokes, like fake vomit and the like. There was also the shop at Kelvingrove (many moons ago) and the Barras.
Compared to the other similar shops that opened near this one (all owned by the people who own Osiris trading, Geekaboo, etc - they basically own most of Queen Street now, sadly), I always choose Tam Shepherds, for the authentic, old school feel. Their prices are reasonable, especially compared to the horrendous markups of the similar shops on Queen Street and I'd rather give my business to a bricks and mortar shop.
At one time I would have always given 5 stars to the shop, but in recent years the service has changed; any time I've gone in over the last few years, they're out like a shot from the back of the shop, as if they're suspicious. They don't even give you a chance to browse the shelves. It's very off-putting and deters me from wanting to buy.
In addition to this, they NEVER have what I'm looking for; "Do you have a skull staff?", "No, we don't", "Do you have fingertips/finger extensions?", "No, we forgot to order them in this year, try online", "But I want to give a traditional, old fashioned shop my business instead". Finally, my most recent experience was about 5 seconds the other week; "Do you have any cap gun caps?", "No we are unable to locate any as they don't seem to be making them anymore".
Well, one second on eBay and I found and ordered some. Anywhere I go I tend to visit joke shops, as it's a nostalgia thing for me. When I was in Scarborough last year their joke shop had loads of cap gun caps, so no obvious shortage.

The lesson learned here is just try online, even if you truly despise buying online and depriving an old fashioned, old school shop like this one of the business, it will save causing them hassle and a detour I didn't particularly want to make when I was last in Glasgow, as goodness knows it's like the wild west in the city now - and I'm saying that as a Glaswegian living in South Lanarkshire! It really is with great reluctance too, as I adore the shop and it's old world charm. It was always a bastion of fun and fond memories of youth for me.

As a postscript I would like to state that I do always recommend people interested in magic, jokes/pranks and costumes to check out Tam Shepherds when they are in Glasgow, because it's a shop that is historically important to the city. Despite the sheer urban decay consuming Glasgow, the pervasive drug culture, the utter ruination of the city by the Scottish Government and the sheer lawlessness and ineffective policing (said reluctantly, as the son of of a former police officer of some 30 plus years' service), there are so few original and vintage shops like this one left, that I feel we really need to do everything to preserve it.

Nicola Maxwell

Went for a last minute Halloween costume on Friday.
Went to other costume stores on queen street that seemed to have just opened out of nowhere but I shouldn’t have wasted my time. This place is the best!!
Fab quick service. Asked for kids costume, was given a very handy booklet with all outfit (instead of trailing through the racks in the other shops which was a nightmare with a 3 year old!)
Saw the ghost outfit my wee boy wanted. Was £10 in tam’s and across the street it was £35?!!!!!!!!!!!?
Ended up getting full pirate costume, a sword and bouncy ball for £12?!!!

Don’t even waste your time going elsewhere go straight to tam shepherds!! I only wish I’d went sooner as I remember it from when I was really young. Shops across the road are total rip off Merchants.

TAMS FOREVER

Leonardo

Someone knows if they sale Bicycle playing cards? Update: Good to know! Will pay you a visit tomorrow then.

macscoop1

I am 45 years old and have been visiting this shop since I was a boy. Now I take my own children here. High quality magic tricks and jokes as well as masks and constumes available. But of a tight squeeze if its busy though.

Nick Smith-Patel

Staff who know what they're doing with a friendly and approachable nature! One of, if not THE last great magic shops! If you're a magician, it's a must visit but all are welcomed!

Thomas Quinn

An institution that has been around a long, long time. This is more than just a time warp to a time when there were small independent retailers service who could give a more personal service and cared about what they were selling, if you are looking for any party tricks or the like then this is THE place to go.

Michael Mearns

Famous Glasgow shop for tricks, jokes and costumes. Worth a visit if you're around Queen Street ?