Editing The Pen Addict 722/transcript (section)

== Pen Shows ==


'''Brad Dowdy:''' Yeah. Yeah. So you've been there a bunch. So I'm going to get advice from a pro and y'all are going to get to ride along with me as I ask Ana some questions. But you've been, speaking of pro, you've been on the pro tour so far, the pro pen show tour in 2026 so far. I just did the count. So once St. Louis happens, that'll be five shows in six months. And that's honestly, as someone who's done that, that is a lot, right? It's less than say like a retailer who does this full time for a living and hits all the shows, right? They've probably done, they'll probably do eight in this span or maybe something like that. But that's a lot. So how are you doing so far?

'''Ana Reinhart:''' Well, okay. Fingers crossed. I have not gotten the crud at any of the shows. I have managed to avoid that. So like fingers crossed St. Louis is not a crud capital.

'''Ana Reinhart:''' Everybody wash your hands. Use hand sanitizer, please. Because in two weeks after that, I go to Portland. Oh, okay. Yeah. But yeah, it's a lot. The next couple of months for me is going to be worse because we're getting into DC, San Francisco, Dallas. Like these are shows that kind of, they roll one right after the other and there's only two or three weeks. I've had about a month or so, a little bit more than a month in between the last show that I attended and this one, which really helped because there was a stretch there where it was like every three or four weeks. And just getting back into the swing of things at home after doing a show because we get there a day before, working a show, you get there a day before and then you do all the setup and then you're there on the show floor from the minute the show opens to the minute the show closes. And then have to do the tear down and then drive back. And I know a lot of people travel and they drive, but they have the luxury of like middle of the afternoon going and taking a nap or sitting down and having some coffee or sitting in a class and not having to teach it. So yeah, it can be really, and I'm an introvert and I work from home by myself all day long. So I like, it's the extremes. I go from absolute solitude to like all the people. And then it takes me a little while of like, I'd like a sensory deprivation tank, please.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' For sure. We just, we need one installed at the, at the hotel and during the show you can, you can go jump in there for like an hour.

'''Ana Reinhart:''' Absolutely. But yeah, it's been interesting to go to all these different shows because each of them does have a different personality and a different experience. Some of the shows are newer than others. Like I did the Chicago stationary fest this year and then turned around and like three weeks later did the Chicago pen show, which was held at a new to me venue. Although they had been in that same space now for two years. Um, and so it was interesting to see the difference because the stationary fest was held, um, more in the Chicago city proper where the Chicago pen show was held out in the suburbs. But, um, it was just surprising. Both of those shows has, have changed in the years that I have attended them. This was only in the second year for Chicago stationary fest. Um, but I had visited the Chicago pen show for many years and it was interesting to see how much it has changed since it's relocated. I think the new location was really good for them. Um, and they're moving to a different hotel, but in the same area for next year because they really outgrew the space already. Already. Wow. Already. Yeah. Um, the nice thing about where the show was held this year was that it was very close to like a big shopping center mall area with a lot of restaurants and places people could shop if they wanted to like get off the show floor and go do something else. Um, but, uh, I laugh because it's the mall I went to in my childhood. So it's, it was the, the location of the Chicago pen show was, uh, literally, uh, five minutes from where I grew up, um, out in the suburbs of Chicago. So, uh, that was very peculiar. Um, my dad had just recently relocated like further out into the X burbs. Um, otherwise I probably would have just stayed at my dad's house for the weekend. Um, but, uh, yeah, so I did actually get to visit with my dad while I was there, which was nice. Um, but yeah, so it's been interesting to, to go to these shows. Some of them, I go as a vendor for myself and some of them, I help other people. Mostly this year I've been working with the drum goals. Um, and so it's.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' Is that what you did at Chicago or did you do? Chicago? I was solo.

'''Ana Reinhart:''' 100% solo. I went all by myself. Um, I didn't have anybody watching my table while I taught classes. So I had to put a cover over and bail out. I mean. Oh, I have a question about that later. Yeah, for sure. Um, my friend Jacqueline who, uh, does Kaleido Craft, um, was nearby. So she could kind of tell people like, oh, she'll be back. She's just teaching a class. She didn't just like bail out or anything.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' Yeah. So, but you brought up two good shows that I want to talk about. And a couple of weeks ago on this show, I had, uh, Tony Palumbo from Feed Your Creativity. And we're talking about the differences in say like the stationary fest type of events. Like she had been to Little Craft Fest and then the Florida stationary, uh, fest. And then like the regular traditional pin shows, you know, like your Chicago's and LA's and things like that. Between like the Chicago stationary fest and Chicago pin show, I was just curious your thoughts. I'm not going to ask you to compare and contrast them. They're like, they're very different events, but like, what did you get from like the vibe of each? Because they both looked while we're all in the same space, we'd all fit somewhere in this Venn diagram together. I think like stationary fest look like big and fun and awesome and a certain type of crowd and a certain type of vendor. And then the Chicago pin show also looked big and fun and awesome with a completely different style of vendor. But we are able to get to see this kind of overlap. I don't know what, what are your, just kind of your general thoughts on like those two types of events, especially only three weeks apart.

'''Ana Reinhart:''' Yeah.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' Like in, in Chicago, but I mean, I know they can handle that.

'''Ana Reinhart:''' Yeah. Um, what I find interesting is that you're right. There is a sort of Venn diagram between stationary, stationary people with air quotes, pen people with air quotes, and then like journaling people with air quotes, you know, like, or planner people. Like, cause there's planner events too, which are also very. And you like, they're unusual for people who attend pen shows because they tend to be more activity based. Um, the stationary fest this year, they did go to just a strictly marketplace environment as opposed to the previous year where they tried to add in classes and meetups and things like that. And they kind of tried to pull it back a little bit because of the, some of the feedback that they got. And, but the crowd is different. One of the things I think is a big, the big thing that I noticed is because a lot of stationary events focus a lot on the smaller priced items, the lower priced items, stickers, washi tape, um, kind of tchotchkes kind of thing. I do think that, um, like the, like the, like you got to move a lot of product if you're, if that's what you're selling as opposed to pen shows where you're talking about items that can be, you know, two zeros, three zeros, four zero prices, um, where a lot of the vendors can come sell two or three pens and clear their costs for the trip. Uh, you got to sell a lot of rolls, uh, you got to sell a lot of rolls, washi tape, you know, and a lot. Uh, so it was interesting to see like sort of how vendors reacted because I, I've been seeing a lot of the same vendors at different stationary events. So we've all kind of become friends. Uh, so we do sort of talk shop in the background about like, how did we do, are you selling well? Are you not selling well? Um, a lot of the people that I saw at Chicago stationary fest in 2025, I also saw at little craft fest. And then again, at Chicago stationary fest or some of them I saw in, in San Francisco and, and other venues like pen related venues, but it is interesting. I think just, you know, people who come to pen shows are like, wow, there's no paper here. Um, people who go to stationary events are like, Hey, there's no pens here. So there is a need, I think to find a middle ground where there's a, an assortment of pens, ink, paper, stationary stickers, washi tape, you know, fun toy kind of thing like our play toys. Um, but I do think that it helps to create like a really well-rounded event when you have a little bit of all of that. And I think that that was what Chicago pen show did. And we joked because a lot of the sticker washi type of stuff all went to the basement. We were all downstairs. We were in the dungeon and people came down and they were like, this is what I've been looking for. You know, so it's like, it was the kind of thing where it was like the big show floor was all the pen vendors and the nib grinders and some of the retailers who are like pen shops that brought the pens and the ink and the paper. Um, but they were like, you know, people wanted to have, you know, buy a few rolls of washi tape, buy some sticker sheets, that kind of thing to add into sort of their purchases for the weekend. Um, and so I thought it was interesting. We, we did end up getting, because we're more, a lot of us are newer vendors. Compared with like people who've been doing the pen show in Chicago for years as, you know, uh, vintage pen dealers, that kind of thing. So we all got like the last room available.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' Yeah. Uh, not next year. You'll be, you'll be thrown into the big room. Everyone's in one big room next year. Yeah. Yeah. So that'll be interesting. Yeah. So I think the shows that are doing it the best, well, I should say the shows that I'm enjoying the most as someone who goes to mostly pen shows are the ones who are starting to see more of an integration into just having the traditional weight would call stationary vendors, like your, your stickers, washi stamps, all that kind of stuff. And it's pretty clear. There's a market for that. Um, from what I see and you know, the bigger shows, your San Fran's DC Chicago's are able to handle kind of this, you know, having these extra, maybe more vendor tables that they've had in the past. Um, and having to fit some of these things in. But I think it's just such a better offering and such a more unique experience for an attendee, even if you're not interested in that stuff. Like it's interesting to see the creativity, at least like, I guess I am speaking for myself here because I'm just very interested in what people do and what people make. But like, I'm interested in the creativity, even if maybe I'm not shopping for a pen, I want to see what the makers are doing. And are they doing anything interesting with shapes or materials or metal work? You know, I want to see, you know, a sticker maker, how they're handled. They're handling their sticker sheets versus their individual stickers. And I don't know, as someone who's in this business, it's always interesting to me just to have that wide variety of options, as opposed to going from pen table to pen table to pen table. Like I'm good with like one pass around, like the pens, just because I've been doing it a while. Like I know what I want or what I need. And it's like, okay, well, give me something else. And I'm super happy to kind of see all of this, um, bit of diversity in, in types of vintage. Vendors at the more traditional pen shows. And I only think it's going to continue as you kind of alluded to. You're kind of this conduit a little bit between two worlds. Like you'll see people at, um, you know, like a little craft fest or something that I've never been a vendor that it's never been to a pen show, but they would fit right in. Right. They just don't have that familiarity or, you know, that knowledge. Knowledge. And then like someone like you can say, Oh yeah, like the show might be good for someone who sells the things you do. And I love seeing that.

'''Ana Reinhart:''' And I'm seeing more and more of the crossover, like the vendor that was next to me in, uh, Chicago stationary fest, um, was somebody who did stickers and washi tape and things like that, but was getting into fountain pens and was able to work an arrangement with Esther Brooke to eventually come out with her own exclusive pen. I'm not naming names cause I don't want to get anybody in trouble, but, um, you know, so it's that thing where it's like where I'm seeing the crossover between the markets where people who were just sort of, uh, you know, pen, you know, like a gel pen station, like where we started. Let's be honest, Brad, we all started there, you know, where we had just had gel pens. We had, you know, stuff we found at the office supply store, but we, we wanted our notebooks to look pretty. We wanted to have nice stuff in them. And so it's, that's happening now. I think in the, what's kind of quote unquote, the stationary community, they're discovering things like, uh, travelers notebooks, which have lovely paper. And all of a sudden they're like, Oh, a fountain pen would be nice. You know? So it's like, we're starting to like blend all of that. And I think that it's time to stop having the division between like stationary people and pen people. And there are, you know, I mean, there are things, different things that they're interested in and how they're looking at these events. But I think that there's room at most of these events for everyone.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' Totally. Totally. That's like my favorite thing right now going to, to pen shows is seeing like so many new, new faces and new products. And, uh, yeah, I just love that, that, that whole crossover. It's really just, you know, one big space we're all playing in, you know, we're just all doing our different things, but bringing them together is great.

'''Ana Reinhart:''' Going back like about 10 years when you and I first started going to pen shows, like, did you think that we would ever be at this point where you're like, I'm so excited to see all these new people. Like when we went, we were the youngest people there. Yeah. And there was not real warmth initially to us coming into this community that had been built. And now to see this whole array of new interest and people taking it in different directions and exploring. I, I, I'm delighted with it. I think it's great.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' Yeah. Yeah. I'll never forget. Like we have so many stories we could tell, but just a real, a real short one that, you know, being pulled aside more than like a decade ago and being asked like, what is going on here with like the, the crowd that people, we would bring to these shows and people not understanding that. And now like seeing it now, it's like, it's not really a, what is going on here moment, but it's, it's a great moment to where we're just, just have all this availability to us and just the creativity. I don't know. I'm just a huge, huge fan of what I see at a lot of these shows now. So I'm also a huge fan on, of what I see over at Enigma stationery, who is the perfect sponsor for this conversation that we're just having, because they have everything. They have all your stationery. They have a lot of pens. So this week's pen addict podcast is brought to you by our friends over at Enigma stationery. They offer unique items made from in-house designs, along with top brands and hard to find imports. So I always look through their, through their site before our ad read, they kind of give us free run on, Hey, y'all talk about whatever y'all want to talk about, whatever catches your eye. And the last time, just a couple of weeks ago, I was mentioning, and this might be something that you're familiar with. So I was mentioning these, uh, Sukoneko Memento Dew Drop dye ink pads. So there's these ink pads and I was mentioning them to Tony who was on the, uh, on the show. She goes, Oh, those are my favorite. Those are the best ink pads. And I've been getting into stamps a little bit, but I don't have like a go-to, uh, stamp pad. And she's like, Oh, these are my favorite. And now I go over to Enigma site and I see, okay, all of them are on low stock now. So they must be pretty good. They must be pretty good. Uh, so I, I love seeing that. And then they also have, you know, a bunch of pens, um, all types of pens you can get. And I, I just have to give them a shout out. This is a, not a difficult, not an easy product to recommend because of the price point, but the Lamy M17 Jetstream ballpoint refill makes a difference. It's an expensive refill and I love it. It's one of my favorite refills. It's $15 just for the refill. I'll be straight up because you can't really get it in the States. Right. And you know, but by the time you import it and get it in and a retailer has to sell it, that's pretty much what I've paid for mine whenever I've gotten them, but they are so good and they have them in stock at Enigma. And honestly, if you have a Lamy ballpoint pen that has the M16 refill, you will change everything about that pen by putting in the M17 with the Jetstream ink. So that's one of those great things that, um, the acquisition of Mitsubishi has done. Um, they also have a bunch of field notes. They have a bunch of wax seals and stamps. They have a bunch of business frog. You know, I'm not going to get through an episode without mentioning my friend business frog. Um, I'm looking at these stamps now that the individual stamps, like the coffee cup stamps. And, um, you know, like I said, I'm getting into this, this kind of thing, pencil stamps. So I've ordered a few of those and I'll probably be ordering more. So if you want $10 off on your orders of $50 or more, go over to enigmastationary.com slash pen addict and use TPA26 at checkout. Now that's enigmastationary.com slash pen addict to get $10 off on orders of $50 or more with code TPA26. Our thanks to enigmastationary for their support of this show and all of relay. All right. Speaking of stuff, it's time to talk stuff. Okay. Um, I have some questions you you've been doing. I mean, you've always done a great job on the blog, but you're kind of crushing it right now. You and Laura and whoever else you got writing to writing for you these days. I'm loving everything. Um, you're putting out. I was like, Oh yes, I want to read about this. And Oh yes, I've been meaning to read, learn about this. And Oh yes. So over and over and over again. So recently you did a post, uh, that said called my top five stationary favorites for 2026 so far. And I was wondering if we could just touch on that for a second. Sure. Sure. So there's a couple of products I wanted to call out and we'll save the one. I want to talk about the

'''Ana Reinhart:''' longest for last. Okay. But let's start with the Sola pouch. Okay. The Sula and Sula. Yeah. I was, I was literally going to ask you, did I pronounce it correctly? Um, why are these so popular? They're everywhere. They are everywhere. They are super, super duper handy. They are beautifully crafted. And the husband and wife team that, um, run this company are the nicest people I have ever met. So there's a lot of reasons to support Sula. Um, they use YKK zippers. Um, everything is really beautifully manufactured, great quality. Um, there's a bazillion pockets. I mean, like you can't go wrong with a bazillion pockets. Um, somebody I saw compared them with the, there's another case that's similar in that A5 size that comes from Japan. And I cannot think of the name right now. I mean, there's a list, but you know what I'm talking about. It's very, the hit lab. Yeah. Maybe it's the lead time or something like that. Um, but I saw somebody compare and cause they had one of those and then they got a Sula and they're like, oh my gosh, I like the Sula so much better because it's sturdier. So once it's filled, it will actually stand up on its little tiny end. Yeah. On your desk where the other ones flop over and kind of, you have to use them laying down. And I was like, well, there is a, I mean like right there. So you can kind of use it as like a portable office. Um, and I always think of like the Sula pouch as being like a bag in a bag. Like I, because all the pockets are on the outside, it's the kind of thing where you fill it with everything that you're going to be using while you're traveling or at the office or at the coffee shop. And then you drop that into your tote bag or your, your backpack or whatever. And then when you get there, you just pull that out and you have everything accessible. Your pens are on the outside. You've got your pockets filled with other things. And then the internal compartment is large enough to hold an A5. So you can actually just stick your notebook in there. But if you fill your Sula as full as I fill mine, there's no room and you have to put your notebook somewhere else.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' Yeah. I am known for having design opinions, but I think if you're making like a pouch style in the stationary realm, starting with, hey, let me make a silhouette where the A5 can go in the middle and then build around that, you end up with kind of a perfect size bag. Bag because then you can segment it properly to hold smaller things. But while you're fitting like your biggest stuff, whether you ever use an A5 or not, it's the right size for the stuff. Yeah. And it's doesn't get too big, but it gets like very like conveniently full. Like it just fits the right amount of stuff.

'''Ana Reinhart:''' It does. And it does force you because it's pretty slender. It does force you to sort of limit yourself because you cannot put everything in it.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' Yeah. Which is why I like their pouch as opposed like they have the bigger totes and then like you're just asking me for me to put like a 20 pound weight in there.

'''Ana Reinhart:''' Absolutely. And also it goes back to like the bag is great if you're basically just going back and forth in your vehicle to coffee shop or a meetup or something. But if you are in any other situation, the idea of having like pens on the outside of your bag, even if they're just gel pens and highlighters and that those types of pens, the idea that they're on the outside, like they're going to catch on things. Like that's not, it doesn't, it's not compatible with my lifestyle.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' Sure.

'''Ana Reinhart:''' So the pouch works better because I can put it inside of particular, like the big joke is that if you have a Trader Joe's near you and you get one of those mini totes, the Sula pouch fits perfectly in a mini tote. Just saying, $3 solution to a $50 problem.