Twin Cities Magic & Costume - a mainstay in downtown St. Paul for more than 25 years - is bringing its special brand of fun to West St. Paul.

The costume and magic shop is opening a new store at 2044 S. Robert St., just north of Mendota Road. As of late August, plans called for the store to be open in early September, according to Jim Berg, the shop's owner.

The store has operated in St. Paul's Lowertown neighborhood for the last five years, but will close that location at the end of November. It had two previous locations in downtown St. Paul, on West Seventh Street near the Xcel Center and next to the old Orpheum Theater.

"It's gotten rather expensive to be in downtown St. Paul," Berg said, and parking also has been a problem. The West St. Paul store is a freestanding building, but it has access to parking at a neighboring strip shopping center whose tenants include Petco, Red Wing Shoes and Old Country Buffet. A Cub supermarket is across the street.

"We've always been kind of island in our other locations," Berg said. "Robert Street is a shopping destination, so instead of being a destination by ourselves, we'll be a destination along with everybody else."

The new store will have about 6,000 square feet of shopping space, compared with 4,500 square feet in St. Paul. The new store previously housed a Mattress Giant, and Berg said the last few months have been spent fixing up the building for the shop's inventory - more than 4,500 costumes to rent, thousands more to buy, 15,000 wigs, plus make-up, accessories and magic merchandise.

"There isn't anything in our store that people need, but everybody needs us at some point in time," Berg said.

Although the store is busiest during the Halloween season, Berg said it also markets costumes and accessories for school and church plays, community theater productions and corporate meetings and special events. He said other customers are "people who just want to have fun" at bridal showers, birthday and retirement parties.

Eagan office building changes hands

A private investment entity recently bought Eagandale Point, a 24,000-square-foot office building at 1400 Corporate Center Curve in Eagan. Dakota County property records report that the sale price was $1.2 million for the property, which was most recently valued at about $1.8 million.

The seller was Aviva Real Estate Investors LLC of Des Moines, Iowa. The broker who represented the buyer said his client did not wish to be identified.

The building was constructed in 1997 and lost its anchor tenant three years ago. It now is partially vacant.

SUSAN FEYDER

Please send your Dakota County business news to susan.feyder@ startibune.com.