Editing The Pen Addict 618/transcript (section)

== Ink House ==


'''Brad Dowdy:''' But they've also done more with these. Ink House, specifically. Ink House has made a box for these, which I don't want to oversell because, like, I'm not anti-packaging, but, like, what am I going to. This box is gorgeous. What am I going to do with it once I ink up the pen? Well, you know what I'm going to do with it, Myke? I mean, it's a. Yeah. That's a keepsake box. It's a keepsake box. I'm going to put it in the killer sleeve that it comes with. Now, that is dope. Yes. Like, these sleeves. Like, this. Y'all need to go look at both of these images in the juxtaposition of the Pina Colada Cherry Blossom set versus this Ink House set. I am just blown away with this Ink House set. But, again, we now have 10 Lamy Safari pens I've just talked about in the last five minutes, 10 minutes. Like, in the span of five days, and this is the stuff that, like, starts to put me on edge. I'm like, I get the store specials. That's, like, you almost can't control, like, the release dates on those. That's just, those things happen when they happen. But then, like, the Pina Colada is like, this would have been great for next year's special edition. The 2025 release, I would be through the roof, right? If that was this, that was 2025's release. And now I'm like, oh, no. What's going to happen in September? What's going to happen for December?

'''Brad Dowdy:''' You know, it's cool. I like it. Like, I mean, like I said, if I was in those walls, I'd be jamming these colors and send them out the door. But we are, Lamy is, it's a situation I am monitoring now. Let's put it that way. We are monitoring the Safari situation.

'''Myke Hurley:''' We come at this from such different perspectives. Like, I look at this and it's nothing, to me, it's nothing but good news. It is. More product means, like, better health for the brand.

'''Myke Hurley:''' Allegedly. I mean, you can get to a point with that, right? Of course, right? But my assumption is these people are smart enough that they are producing as many as they think they can sell. And if they don't sell, then they'll change course. You know what I mean? Like, I'm just going to take it as these are intelligent people that understand how to run a business. I'm just going to take that as a beginning point. And then just assume that this is an example of that, where even though you're now unhappy about it, this is literally the thing that you've been asking them to do. I'm not unhappy about it. You're nervous, let's say, about it. It makes me ask. Yeah.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' Yeah. Now I'm asking a different question. I'm like, what are we about to witness? Yeah. Right. It's the same. Because I've seen this before.

'''Myke Hurley:''' You know what this means, right? Like, you know, you wanted them to do this. You wanted them to produce more designs, more product, more interesting stuff. They're doing that. So if we assume that they're coming at it the right way, the way that you would hope they would have in doing it, then this is golden. And I think that they're more likely to... I don't think it's a very complex thing that they're doing here. You know what I mean? Like, you're producing more and you're selling more would be the assumption. If that's not what's happening, then they need to address that. But...

'''Brad Dowdy:''' Yeah. Like, you've talked me down a little bit. You know, just trying... All right. Chill out, Brad. It's okay. Let me ask you a question. Can you name the current base stock inventory of the Lamy Safari? What colors they offer? Like, if you went into the Lamy, one of the flagship stores.

'''Myke Hurley:''' Absolutely not. No.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' Yeah. Neither can I. So...

'''Myke Hurley:''' I mean, I can take some guesses. You know what I mean? They probably have a blue one and a red one. They probably have a clear one and a black one. Yeah.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' I think they probably have a white one. Maybe have a white one. But this is the same thing, like, when we talk about Sailor. It's like, what base Pro Gear is there, right? Every once, every couple of years, they'll, like, re-up. They'll, like, redo the black and gold trim one. Like, it's like, okay. Well, maybe this is just what they are now. Like, and that's cool.

'''Myke Hurley:''' Yeah. I mean, because I can see the scenario where it's like, they have those products, right? They have the, oh, here's the stuff that goes on shelves that me and you and people listening to this show are maybe not that fussed about. And then for people that enjoy the brand or, like, finer things, they create these special editions. Yeah. Which can also sell to people going to a pen website or whatever and taking a look and being like, oh, there's a blue one, like, with yellow clip on it. But also, it can fit with us. Like, I think that this, for a brand like Lamy with a product as iconic as the Safari, I would wager the most iconic modern fountain pen design. This is maybe a conversation for another time, but I'm just going to put that out there. That's something to think about, sure. Yeah. This is the thing that, as I say, I'm not sure about it, but I could also, I think I could argue it if I had to. That they are now using that iconic design to produce more product. And I just think this is exactly what I would do. It's exactly, obviously, what you would do if put in that position. But the concern is you've got to bring it home because if you don't, then that's bad. You should have stayed as you were.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' Yeah. So good timing on these colors, late spring, getting into summer. Like, this is what people want to see if they're just browsing. Like, if they're going to buy their first Safari, boy, these are going to really pop off the shelves, right?

'''Myke Hurley:''' Oh, yeah, definitely. Yeah. If they even make it to the shelves.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' Yeah. I know they might make it to some pen shows here coming up, you know, maybe even this month. What do you think?

'''Myke Hurley:''' Well, let me tell you about one. It's the St. Louis Pen Show. And listeners of this show, you understand and feel the love of writing with a great pen, with a fountain pen. Whether it's documenting your thoughts and ideas, maybe you're journaling or just doodling. If that's you, the 2024 St. Louis Pen Show is the place for you. It is happening from Thursday, June 20th through Sunday, June 23rd in the suburbs of St. Louis at the Sheraton Westport Lakeside Chalet on beautiful Westport Plaza. And there's plenty of free parking. And it's only 10 minutes away from which airport, Brad?

'''Brad Dowdy:''' Crevcourt.

'''Myke Hurley:''' Crevcourt Airport. That's how you say it. And there's so much to look forward to at the St. Louis Pen Show. You've got Trader Day on Thursday, which includes a party on the plaza with a live band. Friday has an event called Vintage Pen Panel and a pen tasting followed by a free dessert party. You're probably not having the pens for dessert. On Saturday, you can enjoy an evening pen show after dark in the hotel bar. And on Sunday, uninterrupted browsing time for over 85 vendors from 42 states of the U.S. and Canada with a great mix of products. There will be new modern vendors like Tachia. Is it Tachia? T-A-C-C-I-A? I say Tasha. Tasha. Tasha. Sailor. Pens Empire. You'll see artisan pens and pencils from brands like Hardy, Right Turns, and Country Made. Not to mention ink journals, paper stationery, clothing pen storage, and vintage pen dealers featuring show circuit favorites. Plus, there is a free ink testing, a silent auction, and so much more. The St. Louis Pen Show is a 501c3 organization with a mission statement to teach adults and children how to read and write in cursive. It's entirely run by volunteers. There are no paychecks taken. They just do this for the love of the game. Get all the details right now at stlpenshow.com. You can buy tickets. It's $5 for day admission, $30 for a trader pass for all show access, or $10 for a weekend pass. You can discover and sign up for classes, see a complete list of vendors, get information on Westport Plaza and things to do in St. Louis. Plus, check out the link on the website to book hotel rooms at a special rate of $141. But that is while they lost. These blocks fill out quickly. So to get yourself a fun-filled, exciting, and educational weekend, get your tickets to the 2024 St. Louis Pen Show at stlpenshow.com. Thank you so much to the exposition, the Stilo St. Louis, for their support of this show and all of RelayFM. Man, I want to go to this pen show so bad. It sounds like it's such a good time.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' I literally have the FOMO, was what I was going to say. Before you even said that, I've only been to one show this year, driven to Atlanta. I'm getting the serious FOMO for St. Louis. One of the things I did yesterday, which has given me the FOMO, is I built my ink sample. So you mentioned there's going to be an ink testing station there. So I'm going to have a row of samples there. Myke from Ink Dependence, Anna from Well Appointed Desk. We're all sending samples to the show. So you're going to be able to test out some stuff. I'm sure there's a bunch more people that I just heard Myke mention in this yesterday. So I built 10 orange ink. So I was allocated 10 inks to use and I did 10 orange ink. So there's some fun stuff, some cool stuff. So it's going to be very cool. So yeah, y'all go check out the St. Louis pen show if you're available that week. It sounds like it's going to be a blast.

'''Myke Hurley:''' You're saying you haven't been to a pen show this year. It's nearly been five years since the St. Louis pen show.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' Yeah, yeah, yeah. That's crazy. Five years, man. That doesn't sound right when you say it that way. It's like, no. But now if I think about it at all, it's like, oh yeah, that's exactly right. So maybe we can fix that next year.

'''Myke Hurley:''' I think it's been as long now since my last pen show, since when we started the show to my first one, I think. No. Interesting. There's some weird stat in there, right? Yeah, yeah, yeah. We've been doing the show for like 10 years and I haven't been to a show for five years.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' Yeah, yeah. So we'll have to fix that. Maybe next year is the year we fix that. So we'll figure it out. Busy year this year. That's for sure.

'''Myke Hurley:''' Yep.