(Sarah Read is an author, editor, yarn artist, and pen/paper/ink addict. You can find more about her at her website and on Twitter. And check out her latest book, Out of Water, now available where books are sold!)
The Andersons are, as usual, moving and shaking, but more literally this time. They've closed their Chicago store and, after nearly a decade in downtown Appleton Wisconsin, moved their main store across a vast mile to a different location. The new shop is bigger, brighter, has spacious and FREE parking--and last weekend, they decided to party about it.
Lisa Anderson welcomes you!
Brian Anderson behind the counter.
Eric Orozco and Cary Yeager.
Linda and Mike Kennedy.
The grand re-opening event took place July 21-23 and it was hopping! It was essentially a mini pen show, with visiting reps from Pilot, ST Dupont, LAMY, Visconti, Kenro, and Mike and Linda of Indy-Pen-Dance there to do repair and nib work. And just like a pen show, there were times when the space was standing room only, and when you'd have to wait a while for your turn to browse a table. People came from all over for the event, and one visitor even drove over four hours to be the first person through the door at 10am on Friday. The Anderson fans turned out and it was a wonderful reunion.
Those who made the trek were treated to some amazing sales and deals, and there were some great treasures to be found (yes, I found some). And every hour there were two giveaways for those visitors who'd put their name in for the drawing. One memorable moment occurred when a husband and wife both won during the same hour. And the giveaways were shockingly good, with items like rare Retro 51s and a Visconti pen worth $1500. There were obviously some ecstatic winners, sadly not yours truly.
But I didn't leave empty handed. That would have been silly. Friday I picked up a pack of the Monster Encounter (unofficial D&D) Field Notes books (for my teen, who will provide feedback for a future review), some Exacompta grid notecards (an essential), and a LAMY leather pen case. No pens? Are you surprised? Don't be, because I went back Saturday, too--for the vibes, the camaraderie, a few more photos, and a LAMY 2000 4-color multipen, and an irresistible Paperblanks notebook I hadn't noticed there before. And another shot at the giveaways, of course (no dice).
The event was just the dose of pen family I needed. I found a few of my old Appleton Pen Club friends (watch for news regarding a rebirth of the club now that there's so much more room for activities), made some new pen friends, and I got to sit back and watch the pen community celebrate a special moment for some special people.
Brian, Lisa, Dave, and Lindsay, along with all the visiting reps, stayed busy all weekend. Between customers, I got to chat with them, and Lisa said that this amazing event is going to become an annual party. Everyone who came wants to come back, and we all hope you'll join us next year. Mark mid-July off your calendars and stay tuned for updates!
Congratulations to Anderson Pens and their hard-working staff. I'll be haunting the new location just like I did the old one. Probably more, because parking!
(PS: That new girl Lindsay deserves a raise.)
(PPS: I was not paid, bribed, or threatened to say that. Although I was under the influence of cookies.)
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