Criss Angel store opens at Circus Circus

By Melissa Arseniuk

Saturday, June 6, 2009 | 9:27 p.m.

While the economy may be going south, the Criss Angel’s magical empire headed north this weekend – north up Las Vegas Boulevard, at least.

The “Mindfreak” magician opened a new “Mindfreak” store at Circus Circus Saturday afternoon.

Angel admitted the commercial success of his brand surprises even him.

“It’s really amazing, especially for the art of magic; this isn’t a brand,” he said. “I’m very blessed.”

The store is a rare departure for Angel, who is rarely seen outside the confines of his home base at the Luxor.

The illusionist lives, works and often plays at the big black pyramid: He lives in one of the resort’s penthouse suites, gives 10 performances of his Cirque du Soleil show, “Believe,” there each week and is regularly spotted sipping rum and Coke in the VIP section at LAX.

While the new store at Circus Circus might raise some eyebrows, the venue is still within the MGM Mirage family.

Still, the store is a strictly Angel-driven initiative: The magician and his company are the ones responsible for the lease, merchandise and staff. Also of note: No Cirque du Soleil or “Believe”-branded merchandise will be available for purchase at the new site.

The store, which is centrally located on the second level of the casino, stocks more than 700 different kinds of Criss Angel and “Mindfreak”-branded merchandise within 1,100 square feet of retail space.

The 41-year-old star was joined this afternoon by casino president and CEO Don Thrasher as he officially unveiled the new venture.

Angel’s mother, Dimitra Sarantakos, and brothers, Costa and J.D. Sarantakos, were also there for the cutting of the silver ribbon and Cristal champagne toast.

So was the young woman with long, curly brown hair who sat next to the matriarch during the May 21 unveiling of Angel’s wax figure at Madame Tussauds – yet Angel remained elusive about the assumed new flame.

The magician has said he was “not going to have any more public relationships,” following his split with forthcoming “Peepshow” star Holly Madison.

A sizable crowd of fans also turned out for today’s in-store appearance, including one particularly loyal admirer who claimed to have arrived at 5 a.m. to secure his spot at the front of the line.

After officially opening the store for business, Angel autographed the wall above the doorway to mark the occasion, then signed autographs as the “Mindfreak” TV cameras rolled.

The magician will go to Big Bear Lake, Calif., Sunday to begin filming for the upcoming season of the show, which airs on A&E.

Angel will return to Las Vegas on Tuesday to continue recording footage for the show’s fifth season while continuing to fulfill responsibilities related to his Cirque show.

“For the next five weeks I will be working, absolutely insane, 18 to 22 hours a day,” he said.

Instead of being overwhelmed, however, Angel says he is up for the challenge.

“I’m rejuvenated, I’m ready,” he said.

As he looks down the barrel at a daunting stretch of work ahead, the magician already has his sights set on July. That’s when he will take a two-week and presumably much-needed vacation to Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.

Before then, however, Angel knows there is a lot of work to be done. And, as always, the illusionist is setting the bar high for himself and promising big things.

“The stuff that I’m working on … will be my best stuff to date,” he said.