A magician in a bookshop is causing a stir online again, this time via a post on Threads. Let's figure out who he is, whether he's getting views intentionally, and why many believe his tricks are real magic.
For nearly fifteen years, a man named Arnold Drake World has sat almost every day at the cafe in Powell's Books, Portland. He's there to handcraft beautiful flowers out of napkins to give to those around him. And, to everyone's surprise, he also makes the napkins float.
You've likely seen his work on social media: videos of him levitating napkins have gone viral online, and recently, he started recording and sharing these videos himself under the name @portlandflowerguy. His story caught our attention, and we think there are valuable lessons for all magicians in what he does.
In his unique way, World has become a genuine attraction at Powell's Books. He uses magic to grab people's attention and then sells his napkin flowers for small donations. In a video interview with Oregon Public Broadcasting, he recalled how it all began:
"I was working at a car lot, and a lady came in looking for a car, and she gave me a gift, a paper flower. And at that point, I was intrigued, because I've never seen anything like that before."
Inspired, he began making flowers and quickly honed his skills. Before long, he realized he could make a living from this craft.
