2023 Chicago Pen Show - Recap

(Kimberly (she/her) took the express train down the fountain pen/stationery rabbit hole and doesn't want to be rescued. She can be found on Instagram @allthehobbies because there really are many, many hobbies!.)

I am back home from the 2023 Chicago Pen Show and I am about as wiped as I have been in a long time (is anyone surprised?)!! As I mentioned in my recap from last year, the Chicago show starts out in a bright, airy atrium before leading you into the ballroom, where you would find yours truly behind the row of tables for Luxury Brands of America. Even though I was working this time (last year I went as an attendee), I still had ample opportunity to check out the rest of the show and do some damage to the wallet as well.

Welcome to the Chicago Pen Show!

The atrium is such a welcoming way to start a pen show! Well-ventilated, bright, fairly roomy, close to the restaurant, coffee and bar (in no particular order, lol), the atrium has a good variety of vendors to catch your eye on the way in AND out of the ballroom!

The atrium as viewed from the ballroom. In the background (aka the view from the lobby) there is a fountain as well as lots of tables and seating.

Always good to see Doug, Marie, and John Phelan of Lemur Ink again!

Even with the rabbit ears photobomb, Angela He of InkyConverters is still adorable! - and look at all the cute things at the table too!

One of the places I broke my ink buying ban this weekend - I couldn’t resist getting a bottle of Papier Plume’s show ink, Lake Michigan Sunrise!

Compared to other shows, including last year’s Chicago show, Friday felt a little quieter but it picked up on Saturday. Sunday continues to be a much slower day at this show - maybe due to the nice weather and a Cubbies day game?

View from two sides of the ballroom on Saturday.

Linda and Mike Kennedy working on nibs and repairs.

Shu-jen Lin and Sue Beck at the Taccia table where they showcase their stunning urushi, maki-e and raden pens.

Erick Gama of Amarillo Stationery has lovely products from Latin America.

I was eyeing this Writers Briefcase big time!

The official show ink this year is made by Anderillium Inks. Named “Chicago 1871”, it commemorates the great fire of 1871 - the cause of which, according to popular lore, was set by Mrs. O'Leary's cow, who allegedly knocked over a lantern (thanks for the info, Wikipedia!)

Look at all these colorful beauties from Schon DSGN!

I had such a great time working with Jesi and Bryce this past weekend. Thank you so much, Luxury Brands of America, for the opportunity to help out!

One of the busiest tables at the show would have to be for local favorites, Atlas Stationers. Working at the Luxury Brands tables which were directly across from theirs. I got a great view of their bank of tables and witnessed the seemingly endless stream of customers. I got my daily allotment of steps by bringing customers and products to their table all weekend.

Brian, Alex, Jennifer, Momma T and Brendan of Atlas Stationers - what a blast it was working across from them all weekend! Also, it was dangerous for the wallet too!

One of the other busy areas would have to be at the PLOTTER tables. Having seen the crowds at past SF and DC shows, it was no surprise that they would draw a lot of traffic at this show. They had special edition leathers and products just for this show, and had appointment slots where customers could pick the leather and hardware for their custom binder as well as decorations.

The friendly and helpful PLOTTER crew from L to R: Youhei Yamaguchi, Yuri Aida, April Wu, Takayuki Saito, Ethan Hogbin, Christina Del Rosario and Tomomi Morita (Thank you to April for sending this photo.)

Watching Youhei Yamaguchi-san hand embellish a PLOTTER is such a treat.

I was so excited when Tomomi Morita-san handed me my new custom A5 PLOTTER in burgundy Horween leather!

As usual, I flew in on the Wednesday night redeye so my Thursday was a bit of a blur. I did enjoy the pizza party, but my delirious self forgot to take pictures, oops. Friday and Saturday though, I definitely made sure to take a few picts! This is my 5th Chicago show and it continues to be one of my favorites for after-hours socializing.

Look at this table of pen peeps having fun! And this wasn’t the only table where folks were congregated! (PC:Pretty sure Julian from Schon DSGN took this picture with April’s phone.)

The Bossman is giving me his best Blue Steel while playing with some of Alan Shutko’s batons, I mean, large pens!

My little pen up vs one of the biggies - just an example of the ridonkulous things you can see during after hours!

I’m not sure the last time I saw the Bossman awake after midnight (it was nearly 1 a.m.)

Achievement unlocked! I popped Drew Brown's cherry – his washi tape cherry, that is! Did you know this is his FIRST EVER washi tape?!?!?

I spy with my little (medium and big) eyes, little bebe PLOTTERS!!!

You never know what you’ll see at Pen Shows After Dark. In this case, friend Simar is sharpening a knife, you know, no big deal.

Saturday night’s whisk(e)y tasting event was hosted by Mario Campa of Toys from the Attic. Here he is pouring into the glass of Atlas’ Brendan Schmidt, with his dad, Don, patiently waiting his turn.

Les Sheely of Stylosuite and Gena Salorino of Custom Nib Studio were trying each other’s grinds and commenting how much they loved them! Of course, I had to try them too!

One of the highlights of this show was the opportunity not only to spend time with fellow TPA writer Sarah Read and B-rad “the Bossman” Dowdy, but also to record a special episode of Friend of the Show (Wished you were here, Jeff!). We had a fun time brainstorming during dinner but ultimately neither Sarah nor I would know what Brad would end up asking us, so that was a little unnerving! And another shout out to Sarah who just finished her grad school work just hours before driving to the show!

Trouble x 3 - Sarah Read, the Bossman and yours truly.

How does it compare to last year’s show?

• Weekend pass prices went up - This year’s ticket price did not include a second spouse/friend ticket - last year it was $60 for two people, this year it is $60 per person (kids are free). That is a pretty sizable price difference if you were coming with someone. I think it’s still a good value even if you came alone since it also included access to the Thursday night pizza party.
• Paid whisk(e)y tasting - In prior years, the Scotch and Bourbon tasting event was free. This year, Mario Campa decided to have tasting glasses made and charge a nominal $10 fee to cover the tasting and glass. This seemed like it worked out well and people still had a good time.
• Lower attendance? - Last year I went to the show as an attendee and this year I was working at the LBA table, so it’s difficult to compare my two experiences. It felt like overall, there were slightly fewer attendees than before (though I have no ticket data to prove this). I had more time than I expected on Friday to walk around the ballroom and atrium, and there was ample space at the tables to browse and talk with vendors. And as par for the course, I had even more time on Sunday. In fact, it was so slow that many vendors started packing up at 2pm (instead of the 4pm closing time). I spoke with a variety of vendors, both in the ballroom and in the atrium and results were mixed. Some told me they had a strong Friday but weaker Saturday than last year, while others told me the reverse. As far as I could tell, everyone still had fun at this show and plan to return next year.
• More people staying? - Even though I just said it felt like the attendance might have been slightly lower (and it’s possible it wasn’t), it seemed like I knew more people who were traveling to the show and staying at the hotel. In past years, many of the locals would only come for the day and not stay overnight, but more people I talked to were at the show for longer hours (if they didn’t stay), or were staying at least one night (if not more). Again, this isn’t based on empirical data, so maybe more people I knew were going to the show this year vs past years.
• More nib workers - There were only 3 nib workers at the show last year (Gena Salorino, JC Ament, Kirk Speer), and this year they returned along with Matthew Chen and the Kennedys. Seemed like they were all fairly busy most of the weekend (except Sunday afternoon).
• More classes/seminars - I had to re-read last year’s recap to see if they had many seminars and they had a decent amount before but this year it seemed like they stepped it up. While there were some $70-100 classes, many of them were $0 - $10. They had a limit of 13 people per class, making it a nice intimate setting to learn about topics like Flourishing with Fountain Pens with Michael Sull, Conid Pens by Allan Shinogle, Tangles & Doodles with Hong Nguyen, and even a seminar on how to use the PLOTTER system! I continue to think this is a great way for people to continue learning about pens/inks/stationery and while giving themselves a break from the show floor.

Last year, my worry was that diminishing number of attendees would spell trouble for this show. While I’m still not sure if there were fewer people this year or not, at least vendors seemed mostly pleased with how they did, even if some ended up making less than last year. I hope that “local folks” (within a 4-hour driving radius) continue to support this show and bring their friends to experience the fun of a pen show.

Heading into the show, I knew I wanted to get the latest Platinum Preppy WA Series 3, the TWSBI Mini AL Grape and the show inks. I don’t think anyone is surprised that I bought more than that, but the additional inks weren’t impulse buys, but ones that I had been looking for and were sold out.

Haul part 1, Clockwise from top left: Pennonia Azur Frida and Rosas Mexicanas from Amarillo Stationery, Laban Aphrodite Pink from Atlas Stationers, Platinum Preppies, TWSBI and Iroshizuku Sui-gyoku from Lemur Ink, Pelikan 4001 Pink from Chartpak, Anderillium Chicago 1871 from Anderillium Inks, Lake Michigan Sunrise from Papier Plume, Colorverse Coffee Date from Darailz Pens.

If that’s all I got, I would’ve been super proud of myself but I did pick up some fun non-pen/ink things too!

Toyo tool box and denim Delphonics pouch from Atlas Stationers, washi tape from Amarillo Stationery, stickers and vial holders from Keith McCleary of RandomThinks, and a roll of Pen Friends PET tape from InkyConverters.

And if I stopped there, I’d still be pretty happy since I had sold several pens prior to and at the show, but we all know I didn’t stop there. I knew PLOTTER was going to be at the show but I wouldn’t let myself fall into the trap of FOMO like I did last year, so I said I would only get it if they had an A5 in a really nice leather. Which they did. Dang it, April and Saito-san!!

My PLOTTER haul, including an A5 in Burgundy Horween leather, Chicago notebooks, some A5 refills and a pouch. All of which resulted in the bebe orange PLOTTER - no regrets!

Chicago continues to be one of my favorite shows due not only to its variety of vendors and proximity to food, but especially because of its after-hours scene. I am happy to not get enough sleep if it means that I have a great time hanging out with people after-hours. My wallet is a little (ok, a lot) lighter, I’m still sleep-deprived, but my heart sure is full. Thanks for a fun time, Chicago! Until next time (which is still TBD at the moment, but definitely DC for sure), stay safe and stay inky!

Sarah's Chicago Pen Show Wrap-up

(Sarah Read is an author, editor, yarn artist, and pen/paper/ink addict. You can find more about her at her website and on Twitter. And check out her latest book, Out of Water, now available where books are sold!)

I wish I could go to all the pen shows, but one advantage of only going to one a year is that it's always a standout highlight of the year. And this year? The best ever. This year was the first where the event felt back to what it was before all the shutdowns. There were still people I missed (Ana! I miss you!) but I got to meet so many folks who I've only ever known online before.

The highlight, by far, was getting to hang out with Kimberly and Brad. I got to spend some time with Kimberly last year, but it's been six years since I last got to see Brad. WAY overdue. We made up for lost time with a fun dinner at Buffalo Wild Wings, a few rounds of beers, a very silly podcast recording (where I received a scathing employee performance review--I will be taking this to HR), and the traditional evening bar hangout.

I tried something else new this year, too. I left my phone put away the entire time. Readers, I have almost no pictures. You see, I knew Kimberly was going to give you all an extensive, detailed, thorough recap. I love reading her pen show reviews, and I can't wait to relive this one through her post.

I did take two photos. One, a bigfoot sighting at a construction site as we drove into the hotel complex. Two, a pic of my, Kimberly's, and Brad's wee baby plotters with googly eyes, which I carry with me everywhere (it's a librarian thing).

And of course I took the obligatory photos of my haul on a hotel bedspread backdrop, as one does.

The haul is what you're really here for, right? I've got you. And I'll review most of these over the next few months, but here's the overview.

The first thing I did upon arrival was make a beeline for the Plotter table. I knew, thanks to ToastyTreats' Twitch stream, that they were running low of the itty bitty wee baby Plotters that they were giving away with a pen show purchase, and I HAD to have one. I didn't know, going in, that you had to spend a certain amount to get it, though, so I ended up with quite a kit. I got a Mini in the blue leather with a full set of accessories, and it's quite fabulous. I also grabbed one of their new leather pen rolls that I'm very excited to try. And, of course, I got the itty bitty wee tiny Plotter, which already lives in my pocket at all times, filled with wee bits of scrap paper that I use to write call numbers on at work. It's perfect and I love it.

My next purchase, which was actually a gift from Brad, was a gorgeous pen from Hardy Penwrights. It's my first pen from this talented maker, and it immediately captivated me. The material has swirls of pastel and jewel-toned sparkles interspersed with black, so that it looks like melting stained-glass graffiti. The silver clip has chevron cutouts, and it has a fantastic medium nib. This pen is totally urban fae, and I can't stop staring at it.

Top to bottom: Sailor 4 a.m., Hardy Penwrights, Carolina Pen Co.

The next splurge was planned, a pen from Jonathon Brooks of Carolina Pen Company. It's a matte pastel version of his Primary Manipulation material. It called to me from his pile of chaotically splayed pens, and I had him put a stub nib in it.

Then I needed to stop by the InkyConverters table, because I needed a sticker (and pin and lanyard) restock. Angela and I commiserated over our library school adventures, always doing finals at the Chicago show, and we squeaked over her adorable wares, which kept piling up in my hands.

I thought I was done, then. I'd certainly hit my budget, between Brooks and Plotter. I'd already left the show for a bit, to grab lunch and chill. But then Brad texted me, "You were looking for a Sailor 4am, right?" Sigh. Yeah, I WAS, but... Well, I came back to the showroom just to check, you know? And sure enough, a used 4am with a custom ground John Mottishaw M/F italic nib at Brandon's, aka Rocky Top Pen Co. table. For a very fair price. I did what any reasonable Pen Addict would do.

I really wanted to try that nib, after I bought it. Which means? Yep, I needed some ink. So off to Papier Plume, where I exerted superb self-control by only buying three bottles. I got the gorgeous show ink, Lake Michigan Sunrise, which is stunning. And I grabbed Iron Lace and Garden District Azalea to ink up my new purchases.

Then I ran away out of self-preservation, and took the hotel bedspread photos you see here. After that, the agenda was all socializing and we had the awesome evening I described above. I was asleep before 1:30am, which was later than planned, but not my worst Pen Show bedtime.

The next morning I went to the Good Made Better table, where Dan Keller and I (and his kids) had the most wonderful conversation about books and reading and writing and libraries, and before you know it, I realized I'd been there over an hour. I had lots of questions about his products as well, and how he uses them, and all the different ways they can be customized. I covet one of the new storage Writewells. It will be at the top of my purchase list next year, if they're still available. To hold me over, I got one of the leather-bound portable book weights. And then I hurriedly said my goodbyes to all the friends I could find and made my exit before my budget hemorrhaged even more.

All told, I was there for less than 30 hours, but I have no doubt it will be among the best 30 hours of 2023. Thank you to all my awesome pen friends who came and said hi, or hung out at the bar, or chatted in the lobby, or let me block half their table for an hour talking about Charles Dickens' funny character names. You're all treasures, and I'll think of you every time I use the treasures I brought home from the show.

And a special extra big hug for Brad--thanks, Best Boss!

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2023 Atlanta Pen Show Recap

(Kimberly (she/her) took the express train down the fountain pen/stationery rabbit hole and doesn't want to be rescued. She can be found on Instagram @allthehobbies because there really are many, many hobbies!.)

After a whirlwind pen show weekend at the Baltimore Pen Show a few weeks ago, I was ready for a slightly calmer experience. I don’t know if it’s the southern hospitality, the early night hours at the bar or the size of the show and crowd, but the Atlanta Pen Show feels less frantic than others, which is a good thing.

As I mentioned in my recap from last year, the Atlanta show is spread out amongst three ballrooms: small, medium, and large. I spent a good portion of my weekend in the medium ballroom behind the Franklin-Christoph table.

View of the small ballroom where several pen makers were located including Jonathon Brooks, Ironfeather Creative and Hinze Pens.

Mark Bacas was busy all weekend working on nibs - so glad I made it on the list!

Shea Brooks (that’s Mrs. Carolina Pen Co to you, lol) and cutie patootie Lupin, who is one of the bestest behaved doggos ever.

View of the medium ballroom from behind the Franklin-Christoph table. Dromgoole’s Federalist Frank, Jimmy Dolive and others were in this room.

Speaking of Jimmy Dolive (the show organizer) and his daughter Suzanne always have some tempting products at their table!

Jimmy’s niece had these killer disco mushrooms which were a huge hit! They sold out pretty quickly!

Franklin-Christoph made an exclusive Model 02 and pen show ink that was only available from Jimmy Dolive!

Scott B Jones draws something with his fountain pens every day and has published several volumes of his work.

Always a pleasure seeing Michael & Olivia Dromgoole, but it was lil Miss Laurel that stole my heart with her darling smile! She definitely helps sell pens! (Posted with permission fromthe Dromgoole's)

Got a couple of sweet nib grinds from Mike Masuyama (left) and Matthew Chen (right).

The large ballroom housed the remaining vendors, both large and small. This room had the widest aisles and made browsing the tables very comfortable.

Looking left as you entered the large ballroom.

Straight ahead at Joe Cortner, organizer of the Orlando Pen Show.

And to the right, including Pendemonium and Pilot USA.

Frank and Sam Fiorella of Pendemonium with some cool (and affordable) vintage finds at their table!

Ryan Krusac always has sweet looking pens - there was an L15 that caught my eye made from some kind of burlwood from Arizona.

Look at all these colorful pens from Karas Kustoms.

Jimmy plans some fun events for the Atlanta show including the cookout on Friday night for vendors and weekend pass holders and a Saturday pizza night. Unfortunately, there was a scheduling/communication breakdown for the pizza night so folks who planned to have pizza for dinner were left scrambling for alternate dinner plans, oops. The intent was to have the pizza event flowing right into the Pen Shows After Dark event but the kitchen didn’t get that memo and served up pizza early, which, in turn, got gobbled up early. That’s ok, try again next year, Jimmy!

Great weather for the Friday night cookout where folks got a chance to mix and mingle while enjoying their dinner.

The pen fun continues after dinner (this is adjacent to the bar area opposite the restaurant). Even the Bossman was spotted enjoying a beverage (or two)!

Cary Yeager of Kenro Industries and Fountain Pen Day, explains the history of FPD as well as Pen Shows After Dark before raffling off prizes.

The crowd (including me) is hoping to get their raffle tickets picked.

There were lots of Rickshaw Bagworks fans at the show - this is only what 8 of us had with us!

As you may recall from my recap, as well as Brad’s past comments on the blog and podcast, Atlanta is notorious for a “not late” after-hours scene, with the hotel staff kicking folks out of the bar and adjacent areas. They literally turned off ALL the lights on us last year and we had to use phone flashlights so we could pack up. This year, they were actually very respectful, gave us a heads up and then gently told us again when it was time to go. No yelling, no lights getting turned off. In fact, on Friday night, one of the staff gave us a 5 minute heads up and Marty Henderson said “Can you make it 7 minutes so it’s an even 11:30?” and the guy said yes! So thank goodness they got the memo that they didn’t need to yell and be mean. And I’ll be honest, getting “gently kicked out” of the bar area at an earlier hour actually made it easier to not stay up insanely late like I usually do, lol.

Things weren’t all fun and games at the show though. Unfortunately, several vendors were hit by theft this weekend. Vendors may not all love each other, but they will watch each other’s back when it comes to theft. There was word that an attendee that has previously had “sticky fingers” was at the show so vendors spread the word to keep an eye out and some even followed them around to make sure nothing was taken. It is sad that theft is a part of this hobby but also heartwarming that people are watching out for each other and making sure no one gets hit. As one person said, “we don’t have to like everyone, but none of us deserve to get stolen from.” People volunteered to watch each other’s table when they needed to use the restroom or take a break. This is what the community is about. If you see either of these items posted for sale, please let the respective vendors know. And if you know of other thefts, please spread the word.

• Stolen Visconti Corsani Octagonal Green from Kirk Speer of Pen Realm
• Stolen collaboration Hinze Pen from Federalist Pens table - Contact either Jim Hinze or Federalist Frank

Things were much quieter on Sunday and many vendors began packing up around 3pm (instead of 5pm when the show ended) since there were so few attendees. After helping the F-C crew pack up, I was able to spend some time chatting with Stacy Robinson of Penz by Design. What a gem of a gentleman with a beautiful philosophy on pens being more than just pens, but something that makes you feel a connection. He also has a wonderful laugh (I may have made him cry when I was trying to get a Wifi signal and said “Wifi God, can you hear me?”). I was also able to commiserate with Akhila Sheth of Smruti Pens about Instagram’s ever-changing algorithms.

At most of the other shows, I often am bouncing around from table to table with just a few seconds here and there to take photos or ask questions. And during after hours, it’s like there are so many people and pens and things that it’s hard to spend a lot of time with everyone. Atlanta is a little different because it is a smaller (but not small) show, so I was able to spend quality time with more people. Sunday evening was chill and relaxed as we got to hear “pen origin stories” from folks like Matthew Chen, Ana Reinert, and others. Being able to have this time with friends, old and new, was really good for the soul.

”There is something seriously wrong with you.” said Stacy Robinson as he flipped through my scribble and doodle notebook. Truer words have never been spoken. 😃

Had the pleasure of meeting Akhila Sheth who is the driving force behind Smruti Pens with her “assistant” (and husband) Nirmal and their two kids. She’s one heck of an awesome momma too!

Last but not least, the haul. As usual, I don’t include stuff that I get from Brad for future reviews (I can’t WAIT to review them!). As you can see, it was a fairly modest haul.

Left to right: Signed post card by Scott B. Jones (including the coordinates and temperature of the show), Franklin-Christoph 14k gold BB SIG, Retro 51 Sprinkle Ops and Montblanc Golden Yellow Ink from Dromgoole’s, Sheaffer Skripsert pens from Judd’s Pens and Pipes and Wearingeul Swatch Book and Dr Jekyll/Mr. Hyde notebook from Vanness Pens. Not pictured are the pens that I got ground by Mark Bacas, Mike Masuyama and Matthew Chen.

Thank you to kind friends who dropped off goodies so I wouldn’t be hungry! That bag on the right was stuffed when I got it; it definitely came in handy!

Then I ended up watching Jimmy’s table Sunday afternoon when he left his table unattended on Sunday, and saw this beauty…

Darn it, I got Jimmy’d after all! Montblanc 146 Glacier. Time to sell some pens!

Thank you, Jimmy Dolive, for a great show. Thank you again to Franklin-Christoph for allowing me to represent you at this show. Thank you to all the pen friends, old and new, that I was lucky enough to spend some time with. Boy is my wallet ever empty, but my heart is so full. Until next time (Chicago in 4 weeks!), stay safe and stay inky!