San Francisco Pen Show - Aug 25-27

[terim]

I haven't seen too many posts here about the San Francisco pen show which starts tomorrow.

 

https://www.sfpenshow.com/

 

There's a new venue, but the show is still being run by the great local team that has delivered the show so successfully in the past.

 

We will be there with our usual acre of pens. We have 3 tables, so you can see and sample a wide variety of vintage and modern pens. Many Ranga models, and some exciting new products from Lotus as well, including a limited production piston filler made with my alumilite pen blanks. I've also made quite a few pens -- fat ones for Bock 8 nibs, button fillers for vintage nibs, and some made from Conway Stewart materials. We have some of Nivardo's nib grinds (cursive italic and architect) ready to install in JoWo #6 pens.

 

Hope that you will be able to attend, and will stop by and say hello!

 

TERI

 

[Paul-in-SF]

I've got a couple of those big pens you made for Bock #8 nibs, and I really like them. I'll be by tomorrow to see what else you've brought. 

[dms525]

Hey, Teri! I'll be there this afternoon. I'll stop to say "Hi" and chat, at least. 

 

David

 

[kernando]

Could anybody talk a civilian into making an It’s It run a few blocks drive away? They aren’t open weekends, meaning this is the only day, and they close at 4, much earlier than we give up on pens. I would pay for any one thing that isn’t covered in nuts.

 

For our SoCal and out of state friends, that’s oatmeal cookie ice cream sandwich in chocolate coating, in various flavors. Plus now they make other things.

 

And does anybody know whether someone allergic to fish can trust the ramen machine? Pick off the fish cake? Or or order pho?

[piblondin]

What a miserable experience the show was this morning. Hopefully, others go when it’s less crowded, easy to walk around, and not a 30-minute hunt to find a parking spot. 

[piblondin]

On 8/25/2023 at 10:53 AM, kernando said:

Could anybody talk a civilian into making an It’s It run a few blocks drive away? They aren’t open weekends, meaning this is the only day, and they close at 4, much earlier than we give up on pens. I would pay for any one thing that isn’t covered in nuts.

 

For our SoCal and out of state friends, that’s oatmeal cookie ice cream sandwich in chocolate coating, in various flavors. Plus now they make other things.

 

And does anybody know whether someone allergic to fish can trust the ramen machine? Pick off the fish cake? Or or order pho?

Hope you were able to secure some ice cream sandwiches!! A local tradition. 

[JonSzanto]

The show was remarkable this year. Were there any downsides at all? Yes, but only in the manner of being almost too successful, as in the number of people who attended. This was the first year in a new, larger venue, and it still maxed out. If the showrunners stay here (and I believe they will), they will address some of those issues (I've already heard alternate planning for parking,). At the end of the day, there are some things you can't predict, and if one of them is having a very large turnout for the show, things could be worse.

 

I was there from Thurs night through Sunday mid-day, and had a great time. At certain junctures it was a little more crowded than I'd like, but I took my time. Friday morning was quite manageable, and Sunday slowed significantly... though many items were gone. The show now very closely rivals DC in sheer size, and surpasses that show in the number and spectrum of Japanese and Asian pen vendors. The flavor of the show is also very favorable to the new pen world and changes in the audience we are seeing, including the high degree of interest in inks, papers, and other ephemera. Factor in all the seminars, events, and helpful staff,  and I think it is certainly one of the global shows not to miss. 

[whichwatch]

I am really sorry I missed seeing you at the show, Jon.  But with the crush of people, perhaps that shouldn't be surprising.

 

I was there Friday and Saturday and agree with much of what you said, but saw some things differently.

 

Friday morning when the show was limited to all-access pass holders and before the show opened to the general public was quite enjoyable.  But Friday afternoon and most of Saturday, when the show was opened to the public and day attendees, was so crowded I didn't find it much fun at all.  Standing three and four or more deep at tables and getting bumped around in all aisles just isn't a whole lot of fun.  I felt really sorry for the people I saw trying to maneuver with service dogs or who had mobility limitations.  At least people were polite and apologized after the inevitable and unavoidable bumping, but it sure cut down on what could have been more enjoyable.

 

I think DC had a far greater number of tables, but as you said SF did offer far more Asian dealers (as opposed to the greater presence of European dealers at DC).  The attendance at San Francisco was huge and I'll bet it probably did have as many attendees as DC and very well may have exceeded DC in that regard.

 

I'm a lover of Japanese pens and certainly found SF a show worth attending since I did see dealers and pens I couldn't see anywhere else.  But the show was a victim of its own success and the great job the promoters did in publicizing the show, and attendance far exceeded any reasonable level of capacity.  The show could have used twice the space for the same number of tables and still seemed crowded.  I most certainly hope this can be addressed in the future as I'd like to attend again, but no way would I do so if I felt the experience would be the same as it was this year.

[JonSzanto]

Fair points, Rick. I know it was awfully packed at times, and I chose to take breaks for a while. I'm really sorry I didn't just text you to see if you were there! 

 

With all the care and energy they put into the show, the show leads will figure out how to handle the popularity aspect and number of attendees. It seems to the the reverse of the St. Louis show, which had a lot of vendors and too small an audience. SF had growing pains this year, I suppose.

[dms525]

I was at the show Friday afternoon only. I did not enjoy how crowded it was, although this was a sign of 1) the growing participation in the hobby and 2) the good work of the show organizers. I concur that a larger space with tables more spread out might be one solution. I had the impression that the aisles between tables were wider in the Redwood City venue.

 

I was able to at least say "Hello" to the several pen makers I have patronized. And I had a couple nibs custom ground and a couple more sent home with Michael Masuyama for grinding. I only bought one pen and a Toyooka Craft pen stand. I saw one Eboya pen I had planned to buy, but the price quoted was way higher than I remembered. I think this was an error in Yen to Dollar conversion on the vendor's part. When I got home, I found the same pen on their web site for much less and have ordered it.

 

I was only able to connect with one of my FPN friends, and that had been pre-arranged. I clearly need to do this more at future shows. The chances of chance encounters in such a mob scene are ... chancy ... at best.

 

Anyway, here's some eye candy - my two modest show acquisitions:

 

 

David

[whichwatch]

There is a lot of talent in the SF show leads/management group and I'm sure they'll be working on a plan to deal with what was experienced this year.  While I suspect the show was a great financial success, I'm sure that a show billed as "The Fun Show" wanted to provide a more enjoyable experience to attendees and hopefully next year will see success in both objectives.

[terim]

Friday and Saturday mornings were really jam packed! I was glad to be out of the crush and in the booth. It was hard to keep up with questions and nib installations due to our missing team member Nivardo (out due to Covid, but the good news is he was able to return to work today).  We had some awesome volunteers who helped me immensely!  Thanks to everyone who stopped by, sorry if I couldn't spend as much time chatting as I would have liked.

[Paul-in-SF]

@terim, you were great, and I really love the pen I bought from you (the one with the yellow cap on a yellow-veined ebonite barrel). It was also nice to stop by again Sunday and have a minute to chat. 

[Sinistral1]

@dms525 That is one gorgeous pen you got at the SF pen show!  Do you know who the maker is and whether they sell online?

[dms525]

10 hours ago, Sinistral1 said:

@dms525 That is one gorgeous pen you got at the SF pen show!  Do you know who the maker is and whether they sell online?

 

This pen was made by Jonathon Brooks, and I bought it from him directly. I think it's his "Charleston" model. He does sell some pens on his web site. carolinapencompany.com He does custom orders.  

 

Happy writing!

 

David

[terim]

On 8/31/2023 at 8:55 PM, Paul-in-SF said:

@terim, you were great, and I really love the pen I bought from you (the one with the yellow cap on a yellow-veined ebonite barrel). It was also nice to stop by again Sunday and have a minute to chat. 

Thanks, Paul!

[Sinistral1]

On 9/2/2023 at 10:43 AM, dms525 said:

 

This pen was made by Jonathon Brooks, and I bought it from him directly. I think it's his "Charleston" model. He does sell some pens on his web site. carolinapencompany.com He does custom orders.  

 

Happy writing!

 

David

It just so happens that I got an email from Akkerman pens in the Hague with an offer for a special, limited edition Brooks Leonardo Momentum Zero Grande that called my name.  Thanks for helping me part with a few hundred euros for a stunning pen!!

[dms525]

23 hours ago, Sinistral1 said:

It just so happens that I got an email from Akkerman pens in the Hague with an offer for a special, limited edition Brooks Leonardo Momentum Zero Grande that called my name.  Thanks for helping me part with a few hundred euros for a stunning pen!!

 

Always happy to enable! 

 

I'm not on Akkerman's customer list, although I use their inks. Now, I need to check their site.

 

David