(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 wasn’t able to attend the DC Pen Show or Stationery Fest, so I asked Brendan Schmidt, VP of Atlas Stationers, if there was still room for me to teach a class at their Sidewalk Sale and he said yes, so I was off to Chicago!!
The Atlas Stationers’ Sidewalk Sale is a two day event (that’s been going on for 37 years!) that brings in their major distributors/suppliers, like their own mini-pen show! They had in-store and online sales too.
It was rainy on Thursday, the first day of the Sidewalk Sale, but the team was prepared for it with all the tents. About half of the vendors were outside, while the others were inside the store.
My view from the Luxury Brands of America tables while Bryce Gillett was teaching a Fountain Pens 101 class.
Check out the new Back to the Land Esterbrook Esties in Incredible Rock, Funky Lake, and Quirky Leaf.
It’s not downtown Chicago and it’s not a Sidewalk Sale if you don’t hear The L overhead!
The lovely ladies from Ferris Wheel Press (left) and Robert Oster! I didn’t catch the name of the lady from FWP but on the right is Claudia Astorquiza … yes, as in Robert Oster Astorquiza Rot and Astorquiza Olive!
Look at all these fun swatches (and open bottles, eek!) of Robert Oster ink!
I was super happy to see my friends from Galen Leather! I was excited to show my B6 and A5 journals to Zeynep, Meltem, and Yunus!
Jim Hinze of Hinze Pens brought lots of colorful pens with him!
I enjoyed watching the embossing process on Leuchtturm notebooks!
I couldn’t resist buying another Leuchtturm so I could watch it get embossed!
Kirk Speer of Pen Realm and Matthew Chen of Matt’s Nib Works were pretty swamped on Thursday and had a little break time on Friday.
A much nicer (and muggier) Friday allowed more vendors to be set up outside.
I love the variety of products that Galen Leather brought with them, but one table is not enough!
More room under the tents for Galen Leather.
Meltem (Yunus’ fiancée and Galen Leather’s nib grinder) was so happy to hear that I loved the cursive italic grind that she did for my pen. Here she is with my pen and one of the pages from my notebook!
Alex from Atlas (left) says that he loves seeing all of David Oscarson’s gorgeous pens - who wouldn’t love to stare at these beauties!
They also hosted several gatherings at the back of the store where people could swap ink, talk about their journals or just get to know each other. They even made space for seminars and classes!
The ink swap meetup was a great way for people to share, trade or give away inks.
Ryan Sirignano from Kenro Industries gives a talk about the different materials used in the making of fountain pens.
A selfie with the folks who took my handwriting improvement class! It was such a great experience and I had a lot of fun, even though I was super nervous.
Post-dinner hang out with Yunus, Meltem, Zeynep, Nina and Matthew Chen, and we had a lovely time relaxing, talking and laughing until way past our bedtimes. What a great way to end the night!
There was a lot to see and lots to buy but I exercised a lot of self-control with the SF Show happening the following week (or now, if you’re reading this right away).
Atlas Stationers shirt, Parker Jotter - Rome Special Edition, Sheaffer 100 Coffee Edition, Retro 51 x Atlas - Chicago Theatre, Wearingeul The Sign of Four, and Robert Oster x Atlas Sidewalk Gum. (Not pictured here is the previously mentioned, personalized Leuchtturm notebook.)
If you missed the Sidewalk Sale, don’t fret because they will be having their annual Holiday Expos event in a few months on December 6-7 and also 13-14! I highly recommend making the trip for these special events - definitely worth it!
(Disclaimer: All products were purchased by me with the Sidewalk Sale discount.)
