They say better late than never, right?
The 2015 Atlanta Pen Show was a full week ago at this point, and I feel like I am still coming down from the high. It was such an amazing experience that it has taken me this long to get the words out, much less get back on a normal schedule.
There are so many things to discuss about show weekend. Much of it we have covered on the podcast and there have been several wonderful recaps, but I wanted add a bit to the conversation, especially around the several hats I wore for three awesome days in April.
The Host
If there was one thing I was excited about above all else it was meeting people that I had only met online before. Myke Hurley and I were thrilled that our Kickstarter backers made this happen for us. After three years of recording it was about time we met! And that included having Ana Reinert fly in for the show as well, and the huge contingent of friends and readers who made the trip into town. This crowd sure knows how to travel!
The people were the highlight of the weekend for me. Talking, sharing, drinking, eating, and just being around a group as great as this provided me memories for a lifetime. Words fail to capture how truly great this experience was.
The Retailer
The pen show marked another first of course - the first ever Nock Co. table! It was thrilling, but not nerve racking. Ok, setting up Friday morning was nerve racking, but I am so confident in Jeff and the entire Nock team I knew we had plenty goods to sell through the entire three days of the show.
And sell we did. Being our first adventure I had no idea what to expect and therefore had no expectations on how it would go, much less how much we would sell. As it turns out, we sold a ton of goods and only ran out of one or two small items. That is a huge win all the way around.
Manning the show table wasn't the only Nock Co. activity scheduled for the weekend. We had a party to throw too! We wanted to make sure everyone who was in town for the show got a glimpse of where the magic happens, and despite the constant rain it was big fun. The Nock shop was packed, beer and pizza were consumed at a high rate, pen testing was going on, Field Notes were traded, raffle prizes were awarded, cases were sewn, and I even gave an impromptu little speech. It was nuts in all the right ways.
The Attendee
Finally, something I have done before! This was my third time attending the Atlanta Pen Show to shop, although I spent less time doing that this year than in years past. I think it is pretty obvious why at this point, and I wouldn't have it any other way.
My shopping was broken down into two parts: specific items I came for and general browsing. Friday was the day to handle the first part, and I am glad I did. I had my eyes on two new Franklin-Christoph pens they launched recently - the Model 66 Pocket and the Model 20 Marietta - and luckily they still had both available Friday afternoon. Yes, the show was that busy that F-C was getting low on stock Friday! I went with the Ice 66 or course, with a Mike Masuyama needlepoint nib. My 20 was all black, clipless, and sports a Masuyama fine cursive italic. Actually, the nib had to be sent to me post show, as they only had a few available since it is a new grind for them.
