(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!.)
No joke, I started this article on Wednesday, April 1, when I readied myself to write this recap about the inaugural San Francisco Stationery Fest (SFSF). I think I’ve recovered enough from the show to hopefully write coherent sentences about my very first stationery fest! Yes, that’s right, I’ve never been to a stationery fest before, just to a bunch of pen shows that had stationery vendors, including my home pen show, the San Francisco Pen Show where I’ve bought an embarrassing amount of stuff last year - see last year’s show recap for some haul pictures.
Welcome to the San Francisco Stationery Fest! (I know the picture says “Show” lol.)
Last year, I was planning/hoping to go to at least 3 events, but due to scheduling conflicts with my family as well as foot surgery, I wasn’t able to go to any of them, and I also couldn’t make it to the Chicago Stationery Fest last month, so needless to say, I was chomping at the bit for this one. While I hadn’t attended any sort of dedicated stationery events like this one, I had gone to a “maker” event a couple years ago which had at least a dozen stationery vendors. That, coupled with the increase in stationery vendors at pen shows, but especially at the SF and CA pen shows, gave me an idea of what SFSF might be like.
Oh, and even though this wasn’t a pen show, I was working at the Flax Pen to Paper tables, so as usual, most of my picture taking was done before show hours or during trips to/from the restroom, lol.
Like the San Francisco Pen Show, SFSF kicks off on Thursday with some events/meetups, badge pickups, and even a meet & greet with SFPS and SFSF show mascots Odin & Ace! (Bummed I missed out on seeing Odin & Ace at the meet & greet ☹️)
Both PLOTTER and TRAVELER’S COMPANY USA held events which allowed folks to meet fellow enthusiasts, explore (and buy) some of their respective products, and get their creative juices going.
April Wu waving hello during the PLOTTER Lounge and Creative Experiences event which kicked off on Thursday afternoon.
Look at all the fun stuff PLOTTER shared with folks who were excitedly working on their journals and notebooks!
PLOTTER also held a pop-up shop during their event - in the foreground, folks can assemble a paper pack to use page separators or as decorations.
The room wasn’t too crowded for the PLOTTER event but it ebbed and flowed as some folks came for the shopping, while others stayed for the journaling and meetup.
TRAVELER’S COMPANY USA also hosted a gallery and meetup later on Thursday. I love the creativity from various folks’ TNs! (PC: Jessica)
Another view of the very popular TRAVELER’S COMPANY USA event.
Due to a short notice event at the hotel (unrelated to SFSF) on Thursday evening, vendors weren’t able to set up their tables/booths until Friday morning. This made it a hectic morning for vendors, who were hoping to have everything set up and maybe even do a little pre-show shopping for themselves.
The view from the Flax Pen to Paper booth on Friday morning as everyone was frantically setting up for the 9am weekend pass entry time. This was taken at 7:51am. You can really see the wide aisles.
Jeremy Saumure, Alex Jay (of Imperfect Concepts), yours truly, and Ryan Finnegan of Saiko Stationery.
These gorgeous, hand-cut, hand-grommetted, and hand-painted journals by Imperfect Concepts were teasing me all weekend long because they were at the Flax booth. There was one that caught my eye, but I behaved though!
Shaundra Broughton, Joe Crace aka The Gentleman Stationer, and Lisa Vanness of Vanness 1938 were getting ready for the inaugural SFSF! They had a nice U-shaped nook at the very end of the hallway!
This is the back hallway (aka where the nib grinders were at the SFPS the past couple years). This didn’t get too congested, though there was a line (right) for the LCN Design Studio table around the corner!
It was neat to see some of the non-paper stuff that Midori brought with them including incense, incense holders, and pen rests, along with their notebooks, of course!
I liked the examples of how their notebooks can be used.
It was great to see some familiar pen show faces, in addition to those from Vanness, Gentleman Stationer, and Flax Pen to Paper.
Erick Gama of Amarillo Stationery is all set up and ready to go!
Tori Woods of Stationery Universe and momma Mary were excited to be at SFSF! Not pictured is Francisco Lopez of Hinze Pens who also had some collab pens at the table.
No stranger to SFPS, Rickshaw Bagworks was also a sponsor for SFSF. Chief Smiles Officer, Cheryl (left) and Mark Dwight (not Rick), owner of Rickshaw, along with the Rickshaw crew, are showing off these adorable plus Pixel cases that debuted at the show!
While there were some pen classes & seminars, as well as a few pen vendors in attendance, this was definitely not a pen show - it was a stationery fest after all, so let’s take a look at some of those stationery vendors now!
PSA from ILOOTPAPERIE who reminds us that stationery (the kind you’re going to a fest for) is spelled with an “E”. The way I remember is is stationARY is where you “ARe”, while you buy stationERY from a stationer, or “E for envelope.” 🙂
A rare crowdless photo of the Fog Cats & Yanchako table, which was one of the first tables you encountered. It was practically mobbed all weekend long. (Yes, pose is intentional.)
I don’t have a cat and I found this hysterical and almost bought it.
From Berkeley, Goby Design had a colorful array of leather notebook covers.
Another Bay Area vendor, Sara Burgess of Sara Burgess Studio adapts her hand-cut artwork into these gorgeous note cards.
Dana (left) of Dana Ate Oatmeal with helper Denise. It was so nice to meet Dana in real life because I love her art!
One of the few times I saw Cindy Duong of Sakura Dragon at her tables - it was pretty busy there the whole weekend - but we would keep missing each other every time I walked by!
Megan of k1rmizi is a self-taught artist and illustrator who also teaches perfume workshops when she’s not making stationery products!
I hadn’t seen this journal bag by Menmin Made before!
The Ultimate Journal Bag allows you to flip through different sections and add/remove them as needed! There’s also a spot in the front to show off your pins too.
Stephanie from Vincenza Los Angeles is known for her notebook covers, but I got some patches that I forgot to buy at CAPS.
Definitely couldn’t miss RiN Studio’s big blow up in the corner of the ballroom!
I couldn’t bear to tear off this page from Flax’s Blackwing tester display. People are so artistic and talented!
I love the vibes from the art and cards at the Goyangi table.
It was so nice to meet Michaela of Michaela Made who is based out of the Dallas, TX area. I was trying to convince her to check out the Dallas pen show later this year!
This huge booth by SumLilThings is something one doesn’t typically see at a pen show, where products are displayed high up vertically, but is quite common at stationery events.
One of the funnest things I’ve done at a show was the shaker charm rally organized by Miki of Pineberry Paper. You buy an empty “frame” (she had several, but I picked the SFSF exclusive), and then go around to participating vendors to buy their charm. And if you complete the rally, you get a free sticker sheet with the charm logos! It was a great way to get to know some new-to-me vendors too!
One of the cutest and most memorable souvenirs I have from the SF Stationery Fest!
While it wasn’t a surprise that there were so many California and US-based stationery vendors, SFSF also had a fair share of international vendors, including folks from Japan and Taiwan. I can’t believe I forgot to take pictures at Tokubetsumemori’s table!
I love Taizo Yamamoto’s latest creation, “Color Palettes Town”! They had a cute little train going around these “buildings” of paper, which you can mix and match to create a little “house” with. And of course, I had to get one!
Traveling all the way from Japan, Ahnitol came with their cool crabs, cats, and assorted animal pen and phone rests. My large pink crab speaker is playing music on my desk as I write this!
Inden, a lacquered leather goods company from Japan since 1582, had these stunning wallets, pouches, and accessories made from leather that is lacquered with urushi.
Another vendor from Japan, Daigo brought a wide array of notebooks and accessories.
Sanby, often associated with stamp collabs with eric small things, brought these awesome Godzilla stamps.
I asked him to sign my TN accordion insert which was stamped with one of the Godzilla stamps.
Like the SF Pen Show, there were quite a few events held throughout the weekend, during and after show hours. I already mentioned the ones with PLOTTER and TRC USA, but there were also meetups hosted by Sakura Dragon, Cozy Stationery Friends Club, Bay Area Planners, and Postcrossing. I wasn’t able to get photos of many of them since they were held while I was working at the fest.
Cindy Duong of Sakura Dragon and Mr. Sakura Dragon, aka Colin Tan Wei, were all smiles at their meetup! They told me they were shocked by the huge turnout! (I wasn’t surprised, Cindy makes some awfully cute stuff!)
Pink-shirted folks were on hand to help facilitate the Sakura Dragon meetup, where folks got a chance to mingle with other fans, swap and share from the destash table, stamp to their hearts’ content, and work on their journals. No surprise this was such a popular meetup!
Joe Crace of The Gentleman Stationer and Lisa Vanness of Vanness 1938 recently started the On the Paper Trails podcast, and did a live recording on Friday night. Check it out here!
Joe Crace and Lisa Vanness before the start of the live On the Paper Trail podcast recording. (PC: Yuan)
Even though the after hours scene at the Aloft hotel wasn’t as hoppin’ as it usually is at SFPS, people still seemed to have a blast. Karaoke was a new addition to the scene and there are already plans to keep the tunes going at SFPS later this year! Folks sung their hearts out in the Tactic Room (so we didn’t have to subject others to our melodious voices) and had a blast.
Joe Crace has “got friends in low places” and Lisa Vanness is laughing cuz she’s one of them!
Yours truly is doing karaoke “My Way” with SFSF/SFPS/SF Pen Posse pal Franz Dimson.
Some after hours sticker swapping, journaling, and socializing at the Aloft bar. (PC: Yuan)
Since this was my first stationery fest, and also the inaugural SFSF, I had a few thoughts/suggestions/gripes/etc. about the show:
- Stampers are bit too eager - I’ve seen this on both sides of the table at pen shows and also at SFSF, people taking up a lot of space and time to stamp their journals/sticker paper, while disregarding nearby shoppers who are trying to look at/buy products or ask questions, but they can’t because “stampers” (who often aren’t buying) are in the way. Vendors don’t mind folks using their stamps, that’s why they bring them, but they do mind if you’re getting in the way of other people trying to shop. They also mind when you (or your kids) are pushing too hard on their stamps (I’ve seen people use their entire upper body weight to press down on stamps). Some vendors have started bringing fewer stamps to their tables for these reasons. I would like to suggest that the show have a dedicated stamping room and/or event (during pre-show or after-hours), which would be monitored for proper usage and prevent thefts (so sad that this happens). This would allow folks to stamp to their hearts content, while also ensuring that customers have an easier shopping experience.
- Less crowded than SFPS - I heard that there were as many (and possibly more) attendees than at the SFPS, but it still felt less crowded. Due to the highly curated vendor list, aka a lot fewer vendors than SFPS, the ballroom was more spacious at SFSF compared to the pen show. The aisles were nice and wide, though the space behind the tables seemed a wee bit cramped for vendors. The exception to the wide aisles were the hallways, which had vendors on both sides, making them more of a bottleneck than the ballroom. Fortunately, you could take a shortcut through the ballroom.
This was the line to enter on Saturday just before the 8 am weekend pass opening time. I don’t think it ever went out the door and around the hotel like it did at SFPS last year!
I almost don’t recognize this ballroom with these super wide aisles! This was taken on Sunday afternoon when there were still plenty of people wandering the show floor.
Don’t get me wrong, there were still crowds throughout the weekend but it never felt nearly as claustrophobic as SFPS.
Taken in the ballroom at 10:30 am after the 10 am general admission folks were let in.
Fair amount of people, but also fair amount of room to get around.
The hallways were the most congested areas of the show - for both SFSF and SFPS. I don’t see a way around that unless you get rid of the vendors on one side, and I don’t think that would be great either.
- More locals than SFPS? - While I didn’t ask everyone if they were local, it definitely felt like there were a lot more locals attending SFSF, than folks who traveled. Locals tended not to stay at the hotel, resulting in a more mellow after hours, which is usually a lot more bustling (like at SFPS) than it was at SFSF. Folks definitely stuck around for evening meetups, but were ready to go home. Usually, local folks don’t go for all 3 days of a show vs folks who travel will be there all the days. Which brings me to my next point…
- Too many bags, especially big ones - There were so many bags. Everyone had bags upon bags upon bags. Can’t say I blame them since there was so much shopping to do. But all those bags made for more crowded aisles and shopping experiences. Folks are told never to leave anything in their cars, so people kept their bags with them. And many of them weren’t staying at the hotel, so the bags multiplied and got fuller. This happens a little less at pen shows, where there are more travelers (and therefore, hotel stayers) who can periodically put their purchases in their rooms. I don’t know if stationery folks have been told not to bring their big backpacks/bags to shows because I saw some of the largest bags/packs I’ve ever seen at SFSF. So if you’re just discovering this now, it’s ok - just keep it small, or as flat as you can, and put your bag down on your feet when you’re shopping so your bag isn’t blocking the aisles (you can put your foot through the bag loop if you’re worried about theft). And please don’t put your bags on top of the merchandise (even more important at pen shows where it can cause costly damage).
- Bring more cash - I think the term “cash is king” has never been more true than at SFSF (and probably other stationery shows). Other than some vendors (especially international folks) who preferred credit cards or PayPal, most of the US vendors would rather have cash than pay credit card fees, especially when the average transactions are significantly lower than at pen shows. I ran up so many $3.50 single washi tape transactions with credit cards, that it just blew my mind. Vendors not only have to pay a percentage fee, but also a transaction fee (like 3% + $0.10/transaction). Those fees really eat into sales, which is more noticeable when you’re making low dollar purchases. I heard this from quite a few vendors.
- Get cash ahead of time, and get small bills - Hotel ATMs empty out pretty quickly and don’t always get refilled during the weekend, so you’d have to make a separate trip to a bank or ATM if you need more cash. And if you can, get small bills, especially $1 and $5 to make it easier to give exact change, which makes it faster for everyone.
- Ticket prices felt about right - Ticket prices ranged from $10 cash for Sat or Sun day pass (general admission), to $25 early access Sat or Sun day pass, to $40 Friday general admission, up to $75/$85 for weekend passes which had early access all weekend. Early access pass holders got in 2 hours earlier on Sat/Sun and were able to get in at 9 am on Friday vs 1pm for general admission. As I don’t have any other shows to personally compare them to, it seemed reasonable to me, especially given all the classes and events, as well as the ballrooms, that the organizers have to put on.
- Which day(s) to attend? - I will always say that if you can go for all the days, do so. But I also realize that’s not always feasible, so prioritize what is/isn’t important to you. If there are exclusives that you absolutely have to get, definitely splurge for the weekend pass, which gets you Friday morning access. If you’re not as eager for those exclusives, or you’re just dipping your toes in the stationery world, I would stay away from Saturday as that was the busiest day of the weekend, followed by Sunday, then Friday afternoon (Friday morning felt quieter but you’d have to get a weekend pass to attend). Sunday after 12pm still felt lively but more manageable.
- Pets - One of the things I love about the SFPS and also SFSF is that pets are allowed in the hotel. That said, shows can be very stressful for animals, especially with the crowds. I would suggest that folks bring them in the late afternoon or on Sunday, when shows are typically less crowded, though SFSF was busier on Sunday than it was on Friday - likely due to the significant ticket prices.
Ace, one of the SFSF mascots, was totally listening to his owner, Todd (one of the SFSF owners/organizers), who was telling him not to get on the table, lol.
The OG SF show mascot, Odin, is the bestest boi!!
Obligatory pic of my doggo, Bungee, who came through SFSF on Sunday afternoon (thanks to hubs for bringing her). Here she is squinting away (no idea why she’s squinting but I love this picture from Yuan) - isn’t she cute?!
One of the absolute cutest (and softest) dogs at the show, and was extra cute in a tote bag! So well-behaved too!
How about two dogs in two bags?! These two were so sweet!!
- Lots of Social Media - I primarily pay attention to Instagram, but I saw a lot of posts and stories on both IG and FB about SFSF. I got excited every time I saw a new vendor being added or a new class being offered (even if I couldn’t take them).
- Good info on website
- Informative - There was a lot of information on the website, and it was pretty easy to navigate.
It was easy to find classes/events/etc on the website based on day, instructor, description and/or type.
- FAQ - For once, I actually read the website FAQ and found some good information, including…
- Parking validation - While I’m talking about parking, I wanted to mention that the show negotiated a lower parking rate
- Interactive map was easy to use, even on mobile. They only had 1-2 printed maps at the help desk but printed maps ended up as garbage on the show floor, so they opted not to have them at SFSF. I think some larger printed maps would be helpful though.
You can click on a table, or search by name or keyword (like washi) to find out where a vendor is located. This is a screenshot from my iPhone.
- Parking better than SFPS - I may be completely wrong on this one but I didn’t hear as many complaints about parking. Maybe it’s because a lot of folks were local and could take public transportation, Uber/Lyft, or carpooled, but it didn’t seem as problematic as at SFPS.
- Lots of classes/seminars - Since the show didn’t put vendors in the small side rooms like they did for SFPS, there were a lot more rooms for classes & seminars (classes are paid, seminars were free, but required registration to ensure adequate space). I loved seeing the variety of classes and heard from a lot of attendees that going to classes gave them much needed breaks from all the shopping, while also learning a new skill and meeting new people.
What a fun time at my handwriting improvement class on Friday afternoon! (oof, I need more sleep, lol.)
Since I recently went through some of my stationery stash, I was able to be a little more mindful about what I wanted to get at SFSF. Definitely didn’t go as crazy as I did at SFPS last year, but that doesn’t say much, does it? The haul pic still required an aerial shot of the living room rug, lol.
Clockwise from upper left: stickers/patches/inserts/stamps/washi tape from Kuboandlucy Stationery Co, Stationery Squad storage bags from Sakura Dragon, paper house from Yamamoto Paper, washi tape/clear stamps from Everyday Explorers, sticker sheets/ink from Oblation Papers & Press, stamps/stickers/postcard/canvas bag from Fog Cats & Yanchako, stamps/patch/album/Pixel from Rickshaw Bagworks, postcards/stickers from ilootpaperie, patches from Vincenza Los Angelesa, stickers/tin from Dana Ate Oatmeal, dandelaid paper notebook from Paper Mind, accessories from PLOTTER, stickers/postcards from Shady Pines Paper Co, official SF Stationery Fest stickers and pin, stickers/stamp from Sugar Turtle Studio, card from le petit elephant, passport insert from Thousand Skies, sticker sheets/charm rally frame from Pineberry Paper.
As I always say, the stuff is great, but it’s the friends that make shows great. Whether it’s a pen show or a stationery fest, getting to spend time with friends, old and new, is the best part!
I saw the Pen Addict patch on this fella’s bag before he turned and I saw the Pen Addict hat! First time meeting Pen Addict fan, J Cucchiara, and we had a lovely conversation about the blog and had to snap a selfie to show the boss!
While I regularly see my friend Mary on the PA Slack, as well as the CA and SF pen shows, we rarely get more than a moment to chat. I absolutely enjoyed the more relaxed after hours atmosphere where we were able to talk for more than we have in years.
There’s nothing like good ol’ fashioned hanging out with friends, old and new!
Like most folks, I didn’t know what to expect from SF Stationery Fest, but it felt just right - not too big and not too small. Was it perfect? Probably not, but vendors I spoke with seemed to think it was well-organized and that they had a really good show. After-hours wasn’t nearly as crazy as pen shows, but that’s probably a good thing since I’ve already been to 3 pen shows this year and I still need to catch up on sleep, lol. For an inaugural show, I think the show organizers did a pretty darn good job and it certainly fills the stationery fest void for me. I loved making new friends and enjoying old friendships, just with more stickers and washi tape!
A huge thank you to the organizers for putting on such a great stationery event, and thank you also to the vendors, helpers, attendees, friends, and pups that made SF Stationery Fest such a wonderful time. It’s nice having a few weeks to recover before the Chicago Pen Show, which I am really looking forward to. Until then, stay safe and stay inky!
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