These are strange days. Inflation is rising, gas costs a fortune, and the lingering pandemic continues to make travel a pain, yet pen shows live on! Each show I’ve attended since D.C. back in August of 2021 has felt more “normal,” and in terms of the number of vendors attending and the total number of out-of-town attendees. While I technically had a table, and handed out stickers for part of the time, I spent most of my weekend roaming the show and trying to get a feel for what attendees were looking at, how vendors were doing, and what seemed to be interesting to people. For more photos, be sure to check out my post from Saturday!
Custom Pens Are the Main Focus. Pen shows used to be nearly all about vintage, and while that started to change years ago as modern vendors began attending, vintage remained a core presence. This past weekend I was struck by the sheer number of not only modern vendors but custom pen makers. Shawn Newton, Ryan Krusac, Hardy Penwrights, Hinze Pens, Kanilea Pen Company, and many more were in attendance, and all seemed to do well. I even witnessed one enthusiast literally purchasing a fistful of ten pens from Shawn! While there’s still typically a length waiting list if you want a truly custom pen made to your specifications, visiting a pen show is an easy way to see custom and handmade pens in person to determine whether the size, color, etc. works for you before you spend the money. Plus you can browse available stock without waiting years.
It’s Easier Than Ever to Get Nib Work Done. While Chicago didn’t have as many nib workers present as the Baltimore or Atlanta shows, Gena Salorino (Custom Nib Studio), Kirk Speer (Pen Realm), and J.C. Amend (The Nib Tailor) were all grinding nibs and stayed busy. In the past, people have expressed concerns about having too many nib grinders at one show, but I’ve not seen anyone with a lot of down time. This is a wonderful development, especially at larger shows with lots of demand where there was usually a rush on Friday and Saturday mornings to sign up, and if you were even a little bit late you couldn’t find anyone with capacity.
There Is So. Much. Ink. If you’re an ink enthusiast, we are truly living in a blessed time, but I’m beginning to wonder whether we’ve hit “peak ink.” Personally, I’m starting to feel tapped-out, and I know I don’t buy nearly as much as many people. It’s also entirely possible that I’m not speaking for the majority here, since in the throes of my recent home remodel, I’m questioning my life choices as I struggle to figure out exactly where to store all those bottles. That said, I heard reports from at couple different vendors that they weren’t selling as much ink as they used to. I did pick up a bottle of the Anderillium show ink, which was a gorgeous teal based off the color of oxidized copper/bronze.
Pricing on Certain Vintage and “Hyped” Pens Are Unsustainable. This topic probably merits further development in a stand-alone post, but I was absolutely stunned at how much money several vendors were asking for certain models of vintage and limited edition pens, particularly Pelikans and Montblanc. Yes, they’ve always been relatively expensive but the asking prices for many models have now settled well over $1000, and I even saw Sheaffer PFMs and other vintage models pushing the $600 mark. Look, if the dealers can get that for their pens, good for them, but I personally didn’t see a lot of brisk business being done in vintage as opposed to custom and modern. The market will bear what the market will bear, so this is a trend I’m interested in following to see if prices come back down. I’d be looking to dabble in vintage once again, but given this current pricing trend custom still interests me more.
The “Buy It All Now” Trend Is Fading A Bit. I alluded to it above in my point about “peak ink,” and there were definitely exceptions, but people seemed to be making more focused, considered purchases rather than indulging the gotta-catch-em-all mentality. Of course, this translates into fewer sales for vendors at shows, but at the end of the day, perhaps it’s better for all involved if we move into a more sustainable relationship with out stuff. I’ve always been a proponent of buying what you will use, and it’s encouraging to me to see less hoarding and impulse buying, a trend that will only continue given the current economic trends.
Just one of many tabletops from after-hours at the pen show bar on Saturday night!
The Anderillium Inks table. I have three different inks from them, and I really enjoy their grey and sepia. Stay tuned for a review of the Chicago Show Ink, which I’ll likely crack open this weekend.
What’s Coming at T.G.S. (and a Shameless Plug for Patreon)
I have a lot of stuff in the works, and I’m REALLY LOOKING FORWARD to getting my new workspace finished so I can start doing full reviews again. (Not to overdo the all-caps, BUT THE UNIVERSE NEEDS TO ALIGN AND THIS CONSTRUCTION PROJECT NEEDS TO END.)
In all seriousness, I should be back in full swing by the weekend, with a review of the new Sanzen Tomoe River Paper, samples of which I obtained in Chicago. How did I decide on this particular review? I polled my Patreon supporters and asked them which of my various Chicago acquisitions they’d like me to write up first, and the Sanzen paper (unsurprisingly) won. Later today, I plan to poll the higher-tier supporters, who will have the opportunity to select a pen purchased specifically for review from the Patreon proceeds - sort of a choose-you-own-stationery-adventure. To read more about T.G.S. Patreon and the benefits offered, please check out the Patreon page. Membership starts at just $3, and all backers receive a handwritten note from me - again, once I have a place to actually write them - as well as access to monthly Zoom meetups, shop discounts on T.G.S. exclusives, and early access to limited release products. Patreon is purely a bonus for those who would like to further support the site - all content here at T.G.S. will remain free and nothing will go behind a paywall, but it’s Patreon and purchases from the T.G.S. Curated Shop that make it possible. Thank you for your readership and support!