LAS VEGAS , Nevada ( CNN ) -- Now you see it , now you do n't . David and Janelle Shimshi 's lack of income has left them struggling to pay for daughter Shalom 's preschool . Las Vegas magician David Shimshi used to work as house magician at the famous Mirage hotel and performed with the World 's Greatest Magicians show at the Greek Isles Casino . Now Shimshi , as he 's known to everyone , including his wife Janelle , has seen his gigs disappear , a victim of the struggling economy . `` We 're in a challenging time right now , '' says Terry Jicinsky , senior vice president of the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority . Shimshi 's job these days is Mr . Mom , taking care of his 3-year-old daughter Shalom , while his wife Janelle works for a local caterer . Janelle Shimshi has her own loss to deal with . Her life-long dream of owning a small business went bust . The Shimshis took their life savings and invested in a Smoothie King franchise . `` It looked so promising and it just grew every month , '' says Janelle Shimshi . But nine months after they opened , the customers stopped coming in . `` You think about it ... Do I want to spend $ 4.50 on a smoothie or do I want to go put gas in my car ? '' she says . The Shimshis are n't the only ones to lose . They once pulled in more than $ 10,000 each month , much of which they put right back into the Las Vegas economy . They cancelled their home phone service , pool service , and a monthly pest control service that kept a scorpion problem in check . Restaurants are out along with the tanning spa for Janelle . When their large-screen TV died recently , there was no money to replace it , said the Shimshis . Watch the magician 's struggle » . The couple 's daughter Shalom attended a preschool five days a week . With neither parent working , they could n't afford the $ 875 monthly tuition . But the school stepped in to help . Ner Tamid preschool director Lonnie Kritzler says she has been hearing from a family each week that a job is lost and tuition will be hard to make . `` The Rabbi is helping out , '' says Kritzler . The school is providing `` scholarship money to help in that situation . There 's no way we could close the doors to any of the children or their parents . '' Shimshi is no vanishing act . He 's working on a business plan to perform at trade-show display booths for major companies . He 's willing to work just to prove he can bring in the crowds . He even says he 's willing to take his pay later , when the company 's business improves . CNN 's Dan Simon and Paul Vercammen contributed to this report .
Work dried up for Las Vegas magician Janelle Shimshi because of the economy . The family investment in a `` The Rabbi is helping out grew and then flopped with economy . They once pulled in 4.50 each month and spent throughout Las Vegas . `` We 're in a challenging time right now , '' Vegas visitors senior vice president says .