Pen Show Report: Friday at the San Francisco Pen Show!

Because there are so many special vendors traveling in from around the world to attend the San Francisco International Pen Show - mainly vendors from Japan - Friday morning features the classic rush of early attendees lined up outside the show before the doors open to weekend pass holders at 8 a.m. Big draws at this year’s show include Urushi Studio Bokumondoh, Bungubox, Cute Things from Japan, Toyooka Craft, Stylo-Art, Eboya, and more! Long lines lasted through the morning, though things calmed down a bit mid-afternoon.

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The only shot I managed to get down the Foyer hallway outside the main ballroom!

Given that I’m holding down a table solo this weekend, I didn’t have much of a chance to scope out what other people were selling. (Hopefully there will be some stuff left on Sunday afternoon, but after D.C., my wallet won’t complain if that doesn’t pan out.) Please come by the table today! I’m located between Enigma Stationery (Source of the Cinnamon Roll plushy procured for daughter) and Vanness Pens! We have plenty of stuff still available, given that I brought two massive suitcases full of stuff after I ran out in D.C., though we are out of or running low on certain colors of Lochby cases and Anterique pens. Be sure to hit us up early if there’s something specific that you have your heart set on!

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My sole purchase yesterday. :)

Pen Show Prep: 5 Things Not to Miss at the Upcoming San Francisco Pen Show

August is a huge month for pen shows, featuring two of the largest shows in the world spaced just over two weeks apart. The D.C. Pen Show was held over the first weekend of August, and the upcoming San Francisco Pen Show will take place this coming weekend, from Friday August 25 through Sunday August 27. For me, San Francisco is a can’t-miss pen show, and if I were forced to choose between attending San Francisco and attending D.C., it would be an easy decision. If you’re primarily interested in modern pens, and especially if you enjoy imported Japanese stationery, you should consider visiting this show if at all feasible! Today’s post talks about five things to do at the San Francisco Pen Show sure to make it a successful trip.

Need a break from the chaos of the pen show floor? Take a class like this one from last year, where we made our own shimmer inks!

1. Take a Class. In last year’s recap, I remarked on how I love the San Francisco Pen Show because it’s more “enthusiast-focused” than other pen shows out there. Rather than just shopping, the show offers an extensive array of classes with a focus on calligraphy, sketchnoting, urban sketching, journaling, painting, ink washes, and more. In order for pen shows to keep growing, I personally believe they need to keep moving in this direction, as opposed to solely expanding by bringing in more retailers. At some point, people become saturated with new “stuff”, with many wanting to explore new ways to use their pens, inks, and paper. (Some classes are tuition-based because they include supplies. A number of free seminars are also available.)

2. Meet Japanese Makers in Person. Given it’s convenient proximity to San Francisco’s International Airport, the San Francisco Pen Show tends to attract a larger number of international vendors - particularly those based in Japan - than other events. This year, vendors include Styloart Karuizawa, Nagasawa Stationery, Toyooka Craft, Bungubox (who typically bring everyone’s favorite special editions!), Yamamoto Paper and more. If you live in the area, this is an excellent opportunity to purchase things such as pen chests and trays from Toyooka Craft, as well as more expensive special edition pens and inks without having to worry about shipping and customs. Nagasawa in particular brings most, if not all, of their extensive selection of special edition Sailor Inks, as well as their store exclusive pens.

3. Rickshaw Bagworks. Perhaps the most visible San Francisco-based vendor is Rickshaw Bagworks, which not only sponsors the show but brings bins of fun tote bags, pen cases, sleeves, rolls, and more. I did about half of last year’s holiday shopping at the Rickshaw table, and everything I brought home was a huge hit come December!

4. Peyton Street Pens. I love Peyton Street Pens because their shop contains everything from vintage to modern to custom pens made using vintage components. Personally, I’m looking forward to perusing their newly arrived selection of Ariel Kulloch Fantasy Parker 51 pens, and I will most likely take something back with me.

5. Visit Us in Person! My personal shopping will be somewhat curtailed at this show, since we have a table! The Gentleman Stationer is a vendor this year, and will be bringing a selection of goods that includes Lochby, iLootPaperie Washi Tapes, and various covers and cases from Midori. Subject to my suitcase weight limits (ALWAYS AN ISSUE!!!), I would like to carry as many A5-sized slim softcover refills as I can to give people the opportunity to build out their notebook cover of choice. I’ll also have a sample at the table of a new line that I’m going to be launching after San Francisco, to give people the opportunity to see it in person.

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Toyooka Craft pen trays that I picked up at the 2023 D.C. Pen Show! I might add a couple more in San Francisco. You need displays and all….

We’re looking forward to seeing everyone in person and visiting during the show and at the after-hours event. (I’ll try to remember to put a TGS sticker on my name tag to be more visible.) In the meantime, if there is anything you would like me to bring to the show, either for a shop purchase or simply to see in person, feel free to message me with any requests. Online orders will ship until Wednesday, and given that the show occurs over the weekend, most orders placed will still ship within our general 2-3 business day time frame.

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I really hope that our table is this bare on the last day of the SF Pen Show!

Further Reading

I previously visited the San Francisco Pen Show in 2021 and 2022, both of which were great trips. While this year’s show is at a new location, these recaps should still give you a good indication of what you can expect!

The Gentleman Stationer is supported entirely by purchases from the T.G.S. Curated Shop and pledges via the T.G.S. Patreon Program.

No More Grail Pens: Hunting Fun Nibs at the 2023 D.C. Pen Show

Though not as much anymore, the concept of a “grail pen” was something you once heard discussed a lot in the pen community, particularly at shows. “Grail pen” generally refers to one of two things: (1) the specific pen you are currently looking to add to your collection - i.e., the current subject of “the hunt”; or (2) the pen that you believe will complete your collection - i.e., the prize that you spend most of your time online and at shows searching for. Personally, I don’t really subscribe to the idea that “grail pens” in this second sense exist (because most people’s preferences are always changing), and I don’t really even hunt specific pens at shows anymore. These days, I mostly enjoy allowing pens to “find me”, and my show purchases involve special collaborations and exclusives designed by friends, oddball products and materials, and more adventurous nibs than I’ve tried in the past.

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This year I’ve been picking up flex pens left and right, using them mainly for journaling and playing around with inks. Some inks just look exceptionally good in a softer nib, like the new Iroshizuku Sui-Gyoku, a vibrant teal.

Early on in my pen “collecting,” show-attending career, I would visit shows looking to try and acquire specific pens I had never used before: the Montblanc 146, the Pilot Vanishing Point, the Pilot Custom 74, the Sailor Pro Gear, the Pilot 823, etc. Personally, I think this is a critical process for most people who want to get really into pens and develop a deep knowledge of the hobby, because it lets you understand the differences between major brands, models, and styles. But eventually you’ve tried more or less every standard pen out there, and you move on to explore new things like limited and special edition finishes. My next step was the Montblanc 146 Ultra Black, one of the Leonardo Momento Zero “Maestro” sets, and more.

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In lieu of adding yet more pens, I’ve worked to upgrade my pen displays and accessories, with items like these trays from Japanese woodworkers Toyooka Craft.

This stage of the hobby can be quite fun, and I still make these kinds of purchases regularly if there’s a finish or material I find compelling. But what draws me in these days is creativity and makers who think outside the box. There are so many new independent makers and smaller brands experimenting with different designs and nib grinds that I’ve largely lost interest in what some of the bigger companies are doing. (I can’t tell you the last time I purchased anything from Montblanc, and my 149 is currently “in the shop” getting the Studio Bokumondoh Urushi treatment, so it won’t be a “standard” pen for much longer.)

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It doesn’t get much more vintage looking than red ripple ebonite!

This year’s D.C. Pen Show Haul was no exception. I talked about what I brought home in my main show recap posted earlier this week, but I wanted to add a bit more context to some of these purchases. My first show acquisition was a Daedalus 3.2 from Pierre Miller’s Desiderata Pens, which is a new riff on one of Pierre’s early designs. This pen is a piston-filler that takes either standard JoWo No. 6 nibs or the Zebra G flex nib fitted to a red ebonite feed that allows you to do truly vintage-style flexible writing. I’ve enjoyed Pierre’s work for years, and this special red ripple ebonite version was a must-have.

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The second acquisition, which I teased on social media, is the second collaboration between Vanness Pens and The Good Blue Co. in a black Cerakote finish with “Vanness Green” splatter. Only 30 of these pens were made, and since I purchased the last Vanness x Good Blue pen with their titanium flex nib, this time I opted for their new “Zoom” nib, which is a somewhat oddball hybrid between Sailor’s version of a “Zoom” nib and a Naginata/Kodachi style nib. Both allow you to change the line width by modifying your writing angle - I would say the Zoom has more extreme variation between angles and isn’t as “smooth” in the transitions as a Kodachi. It’s a cool nib and I can see myself using it often for daily writing.

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I made sure to get one of the pens with lots of green splatter, as I mentioned.

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I mean, can you resist that nib? Mine came exceptionally well-tuned.

Finally, I snagged one of Evan at Penquisition’s “Touchstone” collaborations with Ben Walsh of Gravitas. Evan set out to make a pocketable pen that was full-sized when posted. Not only does the Touchstone fit that bill, but the color combinations are excellent. I went with the blue and red version (blue pen, red grip), and the blue is more vibrant in person - almost a cerulean/turquoise - than it appears in photos.

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It’s been a long time coming, but I finally bought a stacked nib. There will be more.

Circling back to how I began this post - I’ve found that once I let go of the idea of searching for a specific pen or hitting the show with a list, I started opening myself up to trying pens and nibs that I never would have thought I’d liked. I’ll close with my last pen/nib purchase of the show: a double-stacked crosspoint-style nib by Jim Crawford (Pensloth on IG and most other socials). I’ve not had this much fun with a nib in quite some time! What can I say, I thought my Tucker pen in Damascus/Purple from Jason Neil Penworks needed a fun nib to match.

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My two oddball nibs from the DC Pen Show: the Pensloth stacked nib and the Good Blue Zoom nib.

Even though my bank account is in pain right now, I can’t wait to see what I’ll find in San Francisco! (Assuming I sell some pens between now and then.)

The Gentleman Stationer is supported entirely by purchases from the T.G.S. Curated Shop and pledges via the T.G.S. Patreon Program. Also, once pen show season starts, I periodically thin out shop samples and underused items from my personal collection in our “Gently Used” page, which is offered to Patreon Patrons first and then to the general readership. You can check it out here.

Still Got It: The Big Show is Back! The 2023 D.C. Pen Show Recap

Can a pen show ever be too big? For the first time in many years, the D.C. Pen Show pushed the limits of what a truly international pen show can be, and I loved every minute of it. While I’ll talk a bit more below about whether this kind of expansion is necessarily a good or bad thing, on a deeper level, it was comforting to see the attendance trends from recent years reverse and to feel the kind of energy I remember from 2016 or 2017, when big pen shows were still new and exciting for many people.

Thursday - Friday: Busier than I’ve Ever Seen the Non-Weekend Days

I could tell “something was up” the minute I hit the hotel lobby at 10pm Wednesday night and the bar was packed, with people in town and ready to go first thing Thursday morning. Of course, I had to work for most of Thursday (darned day job), but I did get a chance to skip down to the show and check out the crowd in the main ballroom on what is usually a purely vintage trading day. While there were still mostly vintage traders set up, there was a line of people forming in the lobby waiting to register for admission on Thursday, something I have never seen before at any pen show. Thursday night, the bar was packed, and I began to get the feeling that we were in for a weekend!

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I jumped up on a chair to get this picture of the hallway outside the Vanness Pens table as Pilot was raffling off a pen on Friday afternoon. Believe it or not, this wasn’t nearly as crowded as it got on Saturday.

Friday morning was fairly typical. This year’s D.C. Pen Show was spread across three hotel ballrooms: the main ballroom with the interior tables and surrounding hallways; what’s become known as the “Maker’s Room” at the front of the hotel as you enter; and the “Alexandria Room” down the hall (which used to be the breakfast area before the hotel remodel). Most shows reserve Friday morning admissions for the “Weekend Pass” holders, who take the opportunity to scour the small-maker tables for unusual, rare, or limited pens and materials that they wanted to see in person before purchasing. The main ballroom stays relatively quiet until around lunchtime, when everyone has made their way through the initial ballrooms and the show opens to the public. By mid-afternoon, foot traffic was what you would expect from a “typical” D.C. Show on a Friday, but at moments you could get a sense of what was to come on Saturday.

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The things you see at the bar on Friday night at the D.C. Pen Show give new meaning to the term “everyday carry”.

Saturday: Absolute Insanity Erupts

From around 10:00am Saturday morning, when the show opened to the public, until shortly after “close” at 5:00pm, we didn’t get much of a break. Waves of attendees came through, and at times customers were 2-3 layers deep in front of our tables. As I mentioned above, I’ve not seen the D.C. Pen Show this busy in years. To demonstrate how wild it was - I had matched my sales total from Friday by 11am on Saturday morning!

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A GIANT Vanishing Point at the Pilot table!

The show was crowded for good reason! In addition to dozens of small and independent makers - I won’t even try to name all of them here - you had international draws such as Leonardo Officina Italiana, Santini Pens, Toyooka Craft, Nagasawa, Galen Leather, and newcomers NFP Design. American retailers like Vanness Pens (where I was helping) and Dromgooles brought tons of pens, inks, and paper, and Pilot USA even brought a handwriting analysis machine from Japan where you could sign up for a session and learn about your writing pressure, etc. in addition to receiving a recommendation as to what Pilot nib would work best for you. I unfortunately didn’t get a chance to sit down with an analyst, but I did read several of the reports and frankly found them fascinating.

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Vanness sold a bunch of their latest collaboration with The Good Blue Co, featuring a black Cerakote finish with green splatter.

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Look, I was good, right? I sat next to this tray of SCRIBO fountain pens all weekend, watching them, and almost came home with one but maintained my discipline… For the most part.

As to my own “table nook” at the end of the Vanness Pens setup, I brought what I had worried was too much Lochby and some of the remaining Hinze Collaboration Pens and Penwells. I shouldn’t have been concerned, given that I sold out of nearly everything I had by late afternoon on Saturday! As is the usual case at a pen show, the Lochby Venture Pouch was the top seller, and interestingly, people also showed a strong interest in the Lochby Tool Roll. (I think it probably says something about how many pens people were buying - they came to the show and left needing help taking everything home!) Unfortunately I’ve had a few reports of people looking for me on Saturday and being unable to find me due to the crowds. If I missed you, I will likely be more visible next year as I plan to have a full table setup. Everything that I brought with me to the D.C. Show is also re-listed in the shop as of this morning, so if I was out of stock on a Lochby color or you couldn’t find the Hinze Pens, they will be available for purchase until San Francisco at the end of the month.

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The table setup at the Gentleman Stationer!

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All that was left after the table was ransacked by Saturday afternoon. ;)

Sunday: Unless They Had to Catch a Flight, Nobody Was Packing Up Early

Typically, Sunday mornings at pen shows are sleepy. People were out late “celebrating” Saturday night, and many (myself included) simply ran out of most merchandise late on Saturday afternoon. I used the opportunity to explore the rest of the show and to pick up a few things!

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Sunday is much easier to navigate. This picture was taken right after opening on Sunday morning, around 10am when some vendors had not even set up yet.

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My two purchases from the Toyooka Craft table: an 11-pen tray in Hinoki Blue lacquer, and a black tray in alder (with red lining!).

OVerall thoughts and Takeaways, and Why You Should Attend the Upcoming San Francisco Pen Show!

After a discouraging 2022, the Fairview Park Marriott rebounded with a beautiful new lobby/restaurant/bar renovation. While a bit loud, there was plenty of space for those who wanted to socialize, and thankfully the old bar space was left intact with tables set up so that those who wanted to take their pens/paper/drinks to a quieter area could do so. The room remodel isn’t quite complete - my room was the same as it’s been for the past five years, though some reported receiving very nice, modern accommodations.

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Second from left: I brought home one of the Vanness x Good Blue exclusives (with lots of green splatter!)

Were there any negatives from this year’s D.C. Pen Show? Not really! Some might say that the show was too large, with too many vendors for the available space, and that’s certainly something to consider. There’s a balance between the number of vendors and number of attendees that makes for a good pen show: if it’s off, you either have unhappy vendors without the crowd to support them, or a crowded venue that’s difficult to navigate with unhappy customers being unable to move through the throngs and reach the table. I don’t think D.C. did a bad job at all this year - and certainly nobody expected this sort of turnout - but if the show continues to stay this size (or even grow), the organizers will need to pay close attention to managing the quality of the experience.

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A major discovery of mine was NFP Design, a company from Istanbul that makes pen boxes and cases in various designs, ranging from inlaid wooden boxes like the one shown here to lacquered boxes in a range of colors.

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The other trend that bears watching is the ongoing corporatization/monetization of the pen show experience. This is more behind-the-scenes stuff, but I’ve been somewhat concerned at the degree to which certain larger retailers and manufacturers are trying to dominate larger shows by buying up tables and/or strong-arming smaller makers and retailers out of prime table space by pressuring organizers to “reassign” tables that the smaller exhibitor has held for years. I’ve heard rumors that it’s part of a larger trend to “squeeze out” the smaller retailers and consolidate the manufacturing-distribution-retail chain under one umbrella to capture profit by selling directly. To me, this would destroy the purpose of shows and what gives them the community feel.

I’ve always believed that stationery is the epitome of a “rising tides lifts all boats” industry - what’s good for one is good for everyone - and heavy handed attempts at monopolization, or turning shows into a bland corporate marketing event, is at the end of the day counterproductive because the diversity of products and curated shops is what draws people to the shows and ultimately drives the industry. The modern pen consumer (and especially the younger modern pen consumer) wants to browse an eclectic selection of goods and see stuff that they can’t order online. Tellingly, company tables are often among the LEAST crowded at shows, and show organizers should carefully consider the attendee constituency when making their decisions on things like floor layout and table caps.

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From left: Vanness x Good Blue exclusive in black/green Cerakote; TWSBI Diamond 580 Sunset Yellow from my own shop, the new Desiderata Daedalus in Red Ripple ebonite, and the Penquisition x Gravitas “Touchstone” in blue and red.

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My first stacked nib! A double-stack by Pensloth!

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This one is ground in a crosspoint-style (a big architect).

Later this month I’m off to San Francisco for the 2023 San Francisco Pen Show! I plan to bring a full table worth of goods, but will also run it back with all the Lochby cases plus whatever Hinze Pens and Penwells remain. If you’d like me to bring something to San Francisco for in-person delivery, either place an order and select “local pickup” or send me a message with your request so I can make plans to pack or ship it. It’s great to be back at shows!

The Gentleman Stationer is supported entirely by purchases from the T.G.S. Curated Shop and pledges via the T.G.S. Patreon Program. This post does not contain paid affiliate links or third-party advertising.

D.C. Pen Show Friday Brief Recap and Some Details on Where to Find Me!

It’s safe to say that Friday at the 2023 D.C. Pen Show was the busiest I’ve seen it since pre-Pandemic (and we may be talking about some of the epic shows from 2017 and 2018). While things started out somewhat quiet early on, by lunch the main ballroom started to fill up, as weekend passholders made their morning purchases and the doors opened to the public at 12:00pm. The real rush came to our tables at around 2:00pm, as our table neighbors Pilot started giving their handwriting analysis seminar and raffling off pens (crowd above).

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I brought the remainder of the T.G.S. x Hinze Pen Collaboration fountain pens with me, with both red and black nibs AND the ink and Penwells!

The DC Pen Show is always a smaller show for TGS, as we try to bring a selection of stuff to the show while also leaving enough free time to circulate and take pictures to share with the readership. This year we have Lochby cases for sale, and as per usual the in-person winner on Friday was the Lochby Venture Pouch, the reversible stationery pouch that has two separate compartments that includes a slotted pen case. The Lochby Tool Roll and Field Journal also sold briskly. If you come looking for The Gentleman Stationer, I’m at the end of the Vanness Pens setup to the right in the hallway outside the main ballroom!

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Vanness has released a second exclusive collaboration with The Good Blue, in case you’re looking for a pen to tuck into your new Lochby case! This is “Vanness Green” splattered over black Cerakote! You can read my review of their first collaboration here.

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The renovated show hotel has a MUCH better setup this year for after-hours socializing, and each year the “Pen Show Carry” bags you see keep getting bigger, and bigger, and bigger….

I Almost Forgot Our Annual DC Pen Show Promotion! Use “PENSHOW10” at Checkout for 10% Off Most Orders!

Some exclusions will apply (like TWSBI), but most items are eligible for our annual DC Pen Show Sale that will run through Sunday at 11:59pm CT. Use the PENSHOW10 checkout code to claim a discount for those unable to attend the show in person, or for those who came to see something in person but found that I was unable to bring it with me!

Most of my show photos will be posted in my larger show recap next week, and I’ll have lots to talk about, both in terms of reactions to the show itself and a few things I’ll have picked up! Meanwhile, it’s time to go set up the table!

The Gentleman Stationer is supported entirely by purchases through the T.G.S. Curated Shop and pledges via the T.G.S. Patreon Program.