(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!.)
I can’t believe it’s 2024 already and the first pen show of the year is in the books! Once again I was working at the Franklin-Christoph table (a very dangerous table, I might add) and that, coupled with my limited mobility due to a walking boot (possible stress fracture from running but I won’t know til I see a specialist next week), I didn’t get nearly as many pictures as I usually do, so maybe that means this will be a shorter article too? (Yeah, right.)
Last year due to chess tournaments and soccer coaches conventions, the show was in the Ballroom level. This year it was back on the Mezzanine level.
I was very confused where “ME” was until I saw this sign telling me that it was the Mezzanine.
The happy faces of Dan, Michael, Eric Orozco (co-show owner & organizer) and Cindy at the registration desk. (Eleanor was at the front desk a lot too, though MIA from this picture, lol.)
Weekend pass holders got a copy of Nibbage which had a map, vendor list, as well as a couple pages for folks to sign! That was so much fun!
Nibbage on January 13th for National Rubber Ducky Day!
This Toyo Steel x Esterbrook steel box was my first pen show purchase that happened the night before the show even opened, lol.
Always a pleasure to be working with Dustin, Scott and Audrey of Franklin-Christoph.
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 and accessories. This year’s color is Indigo and is a lovely blue-black with a hint of grey. (Pens top to bottom: 45 XL (extra long), 02, 40, and the recently released 03M Fiori di Christoph sterling silver overlay pen)
You know I’m a sucker for matchy match so I had to snap a picture of this perfect pen-to-outfit match! This customer didn’t even realize how perfect a match it was to her vest! And yes, she did buy the pen ;-)
View from the F-C table in the first ballroom. This was taken towards the end of the day on Saturday when we finally got some breathing room.
Looking into the second ballroom on Sunday morning. I like that both ballrooms had nice, wide aisles - plenty of room for browsing and maneuvering.
The show felt well-attended, though Friday seemed a little lighter than usual, possibly due to an Amtrak problem on the NYC to Philly tracks which delayed trains for several hours. Saturday was busy and Sunday, while not as busy as Saturday, felt busier than most Sundays. In fact, we were steadily busy until about an hour before close.
Side note: While not mandated, there was more masking at this show than I had seen in most of the shows in 2023. Covid is peaking again so it was a bit of a relief to see more and not less masking. Do what you need to do to be safe and continue to be respectful of others’ choices. Ok, enough of that. Back to pens and things.
Joe Crace (left) of The Gentleman Stationer hanging out out at the Hinze Pens tables with Francisco Lopez.
Greg Hardy of Hardy Penwrights was plumb tuckered out at the end of a busy Saturday and had no tucks left to give ;-) but he always has a smile!
Fountain Pen Hospital was doing a big vintage sale, including pens from the late Gary Lehrer’s collection.
Crystal and Kirk Speer of Pen Realm were our table neighbors and their tables were hoppin’ all weekend!
On the other side of us was nib worker row - Gena Salorino of Custom Nib Studio, Damien Alomar of All in the Nib (welcome back after the new baby!) and Josh Lax of JJ Lax Pen Company.
Daisy and Neil from Yoseka Stationery came to the show on Sunday! It was so nice to finally meet Neil!
Daisy was trying out all the different nibs at the F-C nib testing station.
New textured and anodized “unnamed” pens from Philadelphia’s own Schon Dsgn.
I didn’t know Schon Dsgn started making pens with matching ombré grip sections!
Jeremy Saumure and Jaime Perez from Flax Pen to Paper made the trek from Los Angeles to attend their first Philly Pen Show!
Of all the pens I saw, these super cute Pilot Kakunos were the ones I couldn’t get because they aren’t yet released in the US, but they will be really soon! Each of the nibs has a different smiley face!
Helen (right) from Helen’s Creations NJ makes kimono-style pen sleeves and wraps from Japanese fabrics. Also pictured are her son, Dom, and friend, Tiffany - both of whom are serious penablers, don’t ask me how I know!
Lest you think that pen shows only have pens, Bill Rhoda from Philly Typewriter was there with vintage typewriters too! It was fun to hear the clickety clack of the keys from across the aisle.
Pleasant Valley Textiles from Conshohocken, PA returned to the Philly Pen Show with their wool and other fabric creations!
Rare moment when Bert Oser (left) of Bertram’s Inkwell and helper pal weren’t busy talking with customers.
Folks from the Philadelphia Calligraphers’ Society wrote people’s names in various styles of calligraphy.
You never know what is going to happen at the bar during Pen Shows After Dark. In this case, there was balloon animal making (that is a bear, and yes, I made that, unless you think it’s ugly in which case I didn’t make that). And only one of those pens is mine.
Yeah, the picture is a little fuzzy to protect the not-really-innocent, but there were pens, friends, balloon animals, and beverages - can’t ask for a better way to spend an evening!
Always a good time when I get to hang out with pen friends old and new - Rick (whose last name I forgot), with first time Philly vendor, Chris Henline from Truphae, along with the Luxury Brands of America crew.
Despite the bum foot, I had a great time at this show. It is always wonderful to kick off pen show season at Philly and 2024 was no exception. It has a good combination of vintage and modern vendors without being too large or too small. I was bummed that I missed out on the panel about vintage pens that Josh Lax moderated (it was on Friday night and I thought it was on Saturday) and would love to see more panels like this. I would also love to see a meetup where folks can try each other’s pens in a more “organized” fashion - this applies to shows besides this one - because it can be difficult and overwhelming for folks to approach and make new pen friends.
My Philly haul included a cute stationery cat pin and washi and stickers from Sugar Turtle Studio, F-C Ink ‘24, Schon Dsgn faceted Pocket 6 (nibless), F-C 45XL in Indigo Blue, the latest set of pen cleaning tools from Schon Dsgn (for Platinum, Lamy and Bock nibs), just a few sticker sheets from Flax Pen to Paper, as well as the aforementioned Toyo Steel box from Esterbrook and Raven blotter paper.
The real haul, though, are the memories that are represented in my copy of Nibbage.
I’m 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!
