2025 Philadelphia Pen Show Recap

(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!.)

The past few weeks have been pretty stressful (family/medical stuff - I’m fine, just a lot going on), so I was looking forward to the first pen show of the year, even more than I usually do. Like past years and other shows, I was working at the Franklin-Christoph table and since I was not in my usual “buy everything in sight” mindset, I didn’t take as many pictures as I would have liked to, but thankfully, I was able to snag some pictures from others.

Welcome to the city of brotherly love, Philadelphia!

But first, Philly cheesesteak from Molly Malloy’s - yes to Cooper Sharp, onions, and bell peppers!

One of the things I like about the Philly show is that it is fairly predictable (in a good way). Same show owners/organizers (Scott Franklin of Franklin-Christoph and Eric Orozco are co-owners of the show), same hotel as the past several years, same chilly mid-January weather. Many of the vendors from past years were here again this year. Like last year, the show was held on the Mezzanine level. It’s a great first pen show because it’s not too large and not too small, but its mix of vintage and modern vendors means there’s something for just about everyone.

Weekend pass holders got a copy of Nibbage which had a map, vendor list, as well as a couple pages for folks to sign. New this year was the show stamp which you can use in your copy of Nibbage (wanna guess who forgot to do that?). If you got 10 signatures, you could also get a show sticker. It was a lot of fun asking folks to sign my copy of Nibbage - reminded me of signing yearbooks! “Have a great summer! TTFN!” 😃

This year’s Nibbage and an awesome stamp!

View from the F-C table in the first ballroom. This was taken early in the day on Friday before it got super crowded.

Looking into the second ballroom on Friday morning. Both ballrooms have a good amount of aisle space to look at the different tables and to move around.

As co-owner of the Philly Pen Show, Franklin-Christoph always makes an ink to kick off the year as well as matching exclusive pens. This year’s color is a brick orange color, like a terracotta or burnt orange. They also released an engraved and painted 03M (M for Modified to not have a clip or finial like the regular 03).

Ink ‘25 and Philly Pen Show Pen (top), along with other engraved and painted 03M pens.

Last year, the F-C table was in the back of the first ballroom. This year, we were in the front of that ballroom, so I enjoyed seeing the people coming and going. The show was pretty well-attended on both Friday and Saturday, with a busier crowd on Saturday, which is pretty common for most shows. Despite the impending snow storm as well as the Philadelphia Eagles game on Sunday, there was a surprising number of people who came to the show on Sunday morning. It definitely tapered pretty quickly after 1pm or so.

Various buildings were lit up in green in preparation for Sunday’s Eagles’ game. Go Birds!

==nib grinders== The first ballroom was where most of the nib workers were. Gena Salorino of Custom Nib Studio at the far end, Matthew Chen for his first Philly show. Not pictured were Josh Lax of JJ Lax Pen Company who I accidentally cropped, Damien Alomar of All in the Nib who was in another aisle, and Kirk Speer of Pen Realm who was in the other ballroom.

Philadelphia’s own Ian Schon of Schon Dsgn along with his crew, Scott and Bea.

It was great to see Cary Yeager and Chris Henline of Truphae at the show!

You can always count on finding the most colorful and fun stationery items from Tom Forsythe of Sugar Turtle Studio.

Bill and Jaclynn of Pilot USA trying to pick a favorite Pilot pen to show off.

Jaclynn and Aiki (right) picking names to find a lucky winner.

The Kenro crew had an impressive display of pens and accessories including…

...this amazing carousel for the Ferris Wheel Press inks! Kenro announced on Friday, January 17th, that they are now the North American distributor for Ferris Wheel Press! How exciting!

Not pictured (because I forgot) were the kind folks from the Philadelphia Calligraphers’ Society that were set up in the hallway and wrote people’s names in calligraphy.

Remember when I said the show was predictable? That doesn’t mean they don’t try to improve the show and make it better. I already mentioned Nibbage (which they created last year), the show stamp (for this year), and a sticker for getting a bunch of signatures. They also had pen show bags for sale (see haul picture) and had a new backdrop for folks to strike a pose with their pen friends!

*I love this photo of me with one of my favorite people, Azizah, in front of this fun, colorful, inky backdrop! *

After years of only knowing each other online on IG and Discord, I FINALLY got to meet the one and only Tom Oddo!

They also added more classes and seminars this year than in the past, which is a great way for folks to learn how to use their pens and things, and take a break from retail therapy. If I wasn’t working at the show, I would have taken Sugar Turtle Studio’s seminars on Creative Journaling, Michael Ward’s Spencerian class (though I’d also LOVE to take a dance lesson from him too - Philly organizers, can we make that happen?), and one of Azizah Asgarali’s classes (too many good ones to pick from). In addition to the paid classes, there were also free events like a newly added pen show tour, Josh Lax’s Vintage Pen Panel, and the Two Ring Circus podcast with Azizah, Eric Orozco, and Drew Brown (if it wasn’t so early on a Sunday, this night owl would’ve been there).

Gotta love the ink slinging that happens in Azizah’s workshops!

Even yours truly taught a handwriting improvement class! (PC: Brad’s view from the back.)

The Bossman practicing his block print - yes, the class is for ANY kind of writing, even print! (PC: Brad)

Proof that they finished the class and no one threw anything at me!

The show was great, but my favorite part of pen shows is hanging out with pen friends afterwards!

So good to spend time with pen friends - many of whom I haven’t seen since the last Philly show! (This is in one of the lobby seating areas.)

Fun times with Drew, Simar, and Eric!

Hydration is extra important on Saturday night (yes, actual water in those water bottles, lol)!

Watching the Sunday night football games with pen friends, Kimberly Henderson (left), Carol, John, and Bryce Gillett of Luxury Brands of America, and Marty Henderson.

As always, I had a great time at this show, and I loved spending time with friends I hadn’t seen in what felt like ages, which my heart and soul desperately needed. The Philly Pen Show is a great way to kick off pen show season and 2025 was no exception.

My Philly haul included a surprise find of the Colorverse Colorvent calendar, Pennonia x Inkdependence Hens & Chicks ink, Franklin-Christoph Pocket 20 (with an EF SIG “flex” nib and ebonite feed that I can’t wait to ink up), Franklin-Christoph Ink ‘25 and an ink sample from Ferris Wheel Press.

Not gonna lie, this might be one of my most treasured pen show items ever. And this might also be my most brilliant idea ever. (Pro tip: I used a Hobonichi with a plastic cover underneath the front layer so it wouldn’t bleed through and so it was easier for people to write on. You’re welcome 🙂)

*The real haul, though, are the memories that are reflected on my pen show bag and in my copy of Nibbage. *

A huge Thank You to the Philly Pen Show crew for a wonderful show! Now that pen show season has officially kicked off, I’m even more excited for the next shows, which will be the upcoming California Pen Show in a few weeks and the Baltimore Pen Show shortly after that. I hope to see you there! Until then, stay warm, stay safe, and stay inky!

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Thank You Philadelphia!

The Philadelphia Pen Show was a great way to kick off the new year. Fun was had, stationery was bought, and yes, it snowed. I’ll be recapping what I was up to beginning tomorrow on Twitch.tv at 10:30 a.m. Eastern, and on The Pen Addict Podcast Wednesday at 10 a.m.. Let’s do this!

What’s in my Stationery Bag?

It’s pen show season early for me this year, so I’m thinking about packing. Not just clothes, but stationery. That’s the most important stuff, right?

Despite over a decade of experience wandering aisles and navigating crowds, I’ve never been fully content with what I’ve carried and how I’ve carried it. The key is to be agile, considerate to your needs, and aware of others. Hitting that Goldilocks spot is a challenge.

I’ll be the first to admit that completely hands and bag free is the best situation. No bag to wrangle, free hands to inspect products, and all else that comes with being unencumbered. That’s not my reality, though, as there is “stuff” I want with me when I might be on the go for a few hours at a time.

Let’s start with the biggest part of my kit: the bag itself. I’ve used them all - backpacks, messenger bags, totes, slings - you name it, I’ve carried it. They all have their pros and cons.

When I first started attending pen shows, I followed the “bigger is better” concept, primarily using a traditional backpack. Backpacks are generally large capacity, and offer hands-free operation - both good choices for shows. But size can be a backpacks downfall, one, for filling too much, and two, for general getting in the way.

The Rickshaw Banzai on top of a 22 liter backpack (left,) and large messenger bag.

Over the years I’ve gradually gone smaller and smaller with what I carry, and have benefitted with each transition. Two years ago, at the Orlando Pen Show, I stumbled upon what has been my show bag for all events since: the Rickshaw Banzai bag.

The last thing I’m usually in the market for at a pen show is another bag, and even seeing this one for sale at the show I was hesitant. But, as with pens I like, I kept coming back to it, and eventually made the purchase.

Why does it work for me? The size. At 8 x 10 x 3.5 inches internal dimension, it reminds me of a classic lunchbox. That boxy shape is a good thing for the type of products I’ll be putting in it, as you will see momentarily. The internal organization is just enough to sort and separate, and the two carry options - handles, or single strap - are befitting a bag of this size. The only downside could be carry style. When slung on the shoulder like a purse it can slide off, so I generally throw it over my head and wear it cross-body like a sling or small messenger bag when I don’t want to worry about it.

L to R: A5 Hobonichi notebook under a small Nock Co. pouch, Bungubox pen roll (empty), Rickshaw Sinclair-R.

Filling this bag is a breeze, and I’ve never overstuffed it to begin the day (don’t ask me about the end of the day!) I’ll carry one Sinclair with my inked pens, have one small empty case ready for something new, an A5 notebook for testing or sharing, and other small ephemera like stickers and washi. Add in my 20 oz. Hydroflask for beverages (coffee or water,) and I’m taken care of for the day, with room to spare.

So much room for activities!

This small setup works particularly well for me since I usually stay at the show hotel for a couple of nights. Any large or heavy purchases can be run back to the room, keeping my bag light and agile. If I was visiting for the day I would consider a bigger backpack, simply for storage reasons.

I’ll carry my bottle in hand when wandering, but it fits easily in the bag - even zipped - when I need a hands-free moment.

The great thing about the Rickshaw Banzai bag is that it is an excellent stationery storage and carry option when at home. It may not fit a laptop, but if you simply want your stationery collected together and portable, this is a great choice.

When full looks the same as empty you have a winner! I toss this in my suitcase (minus the inked pens, which I carry on,) to and from the show.

I’m always looking for carry solutions, especially as it relates to stationery. Small, loose, oddly-shaped, and sometimes heavy items can be difficult to manage. I’m glad to be settled in this area for the time being, and I wonder if you are, as well. Let me know your carry solutions, or carry challenges, and let’s see what other options are out there.

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Enjoy reading The Pen Addict? Then consider becoming a member to receive additional weekly content, giveaways, and discounts in The Pen Addict shop. Plus, you support me and the site directly, for which I am very grateful.

Membership starts at just $5/month, with a discounted annual option available. To find out more about membership click here and join us!