Editing The Pen Addict 352/transcript (section)

== Atlanta Pen Show ==


'''Myke Hurley:''' So, we are ready for the Atlanta Pen Show. At least I'm ready. I don't know if you're ready. Sure. Myke or Ana. But we have, between Ana and myself, we've already been to, what, three PEN shows this year. Ana, you went to LA and Little Rock, right?

'''Anna Reynet:''' Mm-hmm.

'''Myke Hurley:''' And then I've been to Baltimore. And I wanted to talk about and continue to talk about PEN show etiquette and what people can expect at different PEN shows based on our experiences. Now, we've covered this topic a lot of times before. But the reason I'm bringing it up again is because it continually comes up and it continually changes. And there's always new people coming into this. And then, you know, Ana and myself and Myke might have new thoughts on the types of things to expect. Like this question and the answers to it never get old and they never get stale because things are always changing. If you went to a PEN show, you know, five or ten years ago, it's very different. At least some PEN shows. Some PEN shows not as different. But in general, you know, these things are changing and there's always new people in it. And we want to allow everyone to have the best time possible at a show. So, as much information you can have about going into a show, I think it's a worthwhile topic for us to discuss. Especially with all three of us about to head to Atlanta and a bunch of people coming to Atlanta, including some new people and some experienced people.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' And this is information that is usable for any PEN show that you might go to, not just Atlanta, but also in general, I think any type of convention, you can apply a lot of this knowledge or this experience to that as well.

'''Myke Hurley:''' Yep. So, I know, Ana, the experience between LA and Little Rock is very different. And I don't know that we need to... Yeah, I don't know that we need to, like, review, like, the actual shows itself, you know, and why one was different than the other or better or worse or any of that stuff. But did you pick up on anything between the two shows that you would just want to, like, reiterate to our listeners or to someone who's considering, you know, going to their first PEN show or someone who's been to, you know, a dozen PEN shows? Like, have you picked up anything this year that you just want to, like, reinforce or something new?

'''Anna Reynet:''' Well, I mean, Little Rock and LA are literally the antithesis of each other. Because the LA show is a large show and the Little Rock, the Arkansas show is a very small show. So, I mean, in the way that, like, the Long Island show is not a huge show either. And then San Francisco is a really big show. So, I mean, you could use those as comparisons as well if you wanted. You know, and their venues are very different as well. So, if you were going to your very first show and were trying to pick a show to attend and say you lived in, I don't know, Oklahoma City, I would definitely say maybe go to Arkansas as your first show and not the LA show. Or go to Dallas, which is a two-day show rather than San Francisco for your very first show. Because it would be less travel distance. I mean, Dallas is still a big show, but the hotel is a lot less expensive. You know, that gives you more money to spend in the market, you know, shopping with the vendors and that kind of thing. So, it's just thinking those types of things through. And the smaller show gives you an opportunity to sort of circle the same vendors a couple times rather than a really big show where you might not even get to see all of the vendors in two days.

'''Myke Hurley:''' Yeah, I think that's important. Like, an important difference between a small show and a big show. And I don't know that the attendees of LA would have guessed this beforehand if they weren't involved in the behind the scenes and knowing what the changes were. That when they walked into that door, number one, it might be a few hours before they got in the door. And number two, they probably got one crack at passing a table just because of the crowds and the inefficiencies of the ballroom floor. So, like, that's kind of, like, you can't account for that ahead of time. But I would hate for that to be someone's very first pen show experience. They would probably never want to go again. And then, like you said, Little Rock's the antithesis of that. And Baltimore's probably somewhere in between, right? It's big and busy, except the difference is you could get around. You know, it wasn't overly big. But it had, you know, any vendor you wanted to see there, any product you wanted to see there. And you could see it multiple times. You could go look at something and then go ask your friend a question. Or, you know, shop, you know, different vintage pens from different dealers and see who's got the best quality products or best deals. So, like, it's always good to take your time anytime you go to one of these events. And we've said that from day one. And, like, you have to, like, be careful about freaking out like Myke did the first time he came to the Atlanta pen show. It was like, I needed one of those, like, little baby leashes for Myke that year. Because he just, like, ran off and he, like, come back with, like, handfuls of stuff.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' It's like, settle down, Myke. I still stand by my original fault on that, which I actually think is still a fine thing to do. You can go wild as long as you don't go over your budget. And I didn't go over my budget. I still had a budget and the budget was set. And I went crazy, but I kept within the budget. And I think budget is the more important part of that kind of equation.

'''Myke Hurley:''' I think a budget is more important than a list, than a shopping list. Right. So, like, I've gotten out of the shopping list, but that's just because of a different, I'm in a different place now with, you know, my pen show, you know, wants and needs.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' Yeah, that's in the same way that, like, I don't really set budgets anymore because I am less inclined to buy everything.

'''Myke Hurley:''' Yeah. So, I don't have a fixed budget, but I know, like, what that number is. Like, I know what that limit is. It's like, okay, that's enough. You know, you have to be able to, you want to be able to figure out what your budget is so you know when to stop. Because you get that FOMO of not being at the pen show. Well, I'm not going to be here tomorrow, so I need to get this today. Well, and the reality is, well, maybe you could get it six months from now if you're still interested. If you're not, like, 100% committed right now, it's okay to say no, and it's okay to wait. Like, that's one of the topics that I put down. Like, it's okay to say no, and it's okay to pass on the thing. Like, take it slow. Pace yourself. And if you have any questions at all, it's okay to say no. Like, there's going to be other opportunities. There's going to be other pens and inks in the future. It's okay.

'''Anna Reynet:''' Most of the vendors, if there is something that you're interested in but not sure about, ask for their email address. Ask for their phone number. Ask to take a picture of it, and you can get back to them. Because especially with a vintage vendor, in a lot of cases, no one else is necessarily going to buy that particular pen. So you have that opportunity to sleep on it, think about it, contact them, you know, the following week, and say, you know what, I really am interested in that pen. And, you know, you email them later, you know, contact them, and have that, you know, you can continue to have that, you know, relationship with somebody. But, you know, get their business card, get their contact information.

'''Myke Hurley:''' Yeah, that's one of the things I wanted to point out that you wrote in the notes. One of your tips was visit a vendor you made a purchase from last year, and, you know, maybe mention, hey, I bought a pen from you last year. I bet you they'll remember. And even if they don't, they'll lie. And then they'll remember you this time. But that relationship ends up being priceless. If this is a thing that you actually get into over the years, you start to have these evolving relationships. And you know that, hey, I can go to Jane, and she has X. And it was really good last time. And she knows what I like now. And now we have this relationship. So, you know, I thought that was a really good, a really good point.

'''Anna Reynet:''' So, if you buy anything from somebody, see if they can give you a business card when you make your purchase or write down there contact info. So, even if you never have to contact them, you do remember who you purchased it from so that you can go back to their table the following year. Because sometimes you won't remember. Guys, it's wishing best.

'''Myke Hurley:''' Yeah. The other thing you asked, which is something I just started doing. And I'm not big in the vintage pen market, but I do like to have a few here and there. Especially, like, if something really catches my eye. And you put down, if you buy a vintage pen, ask the vendor how they acquired it. And if there's anything special about it or how they got into collecting that type of product. And if there's anything you'll realize, it's that probably, I'm going to put it at 90% of the vendors would love to regale you with tales about how they found their fountain pens or how they got into certain things. Now, there's going to be some that don't. And you'll know pretty quick. And then the lucky thing is there's someone next to them that will, you know, give you the time of day. And they just, they want to tell you about these things. So they're usually more than happy and glad to share information, especially, like, very beginner information. Which I've definitely seen a change over the past several years to the openness of some of the more traditional and vintage vendors who, you know, weren't really used to this younger newbie crowd that had started to come and populate these pen shows. Well, guess what? That crowd hasn't changed. And, in fact, it's probably gotten younger and maybe newbie-er. So they're learning to, hey, we should probably work on these things. And I think we're starting to see a change. Would you agree with that, Ana?

'''Anna Reynet:''' Absolutely. I feel like, you know, people like you and I worked pretty hard to start breaking down their defenses, you know. And so now they're starting to warm to new, younger collectors. So we did the hard work. So it'll be the next group.

'''Myke Hurley:''' And we keep doing it. Like, I will continue to, like, I will continue to, like, chip away at, like, the ice frozen exteriors. Just because I'm kind of obsessive that way. It's like, if you're not going to give me the time of day, I'm going to keep asking you what time it is until you do kind of thing. So I'm not in a pesty manner, but just in a, hey, we're all in this together. And it would be cool, like, if you were part of this, too. So, you know, that's something I work on.

'''Anna Reynet:''' Well, the fact that we're all at a pen show means we already have a shared interest. Yeah. And so we have something we can talk about.

'''Myke Hurley:''' Yeah. And we see these people a lot. Like, it's not, they, they, I'm pretty sure they recognize the pink hair girl from show to show. Right?

'''Anna Reynet:''' Except for the organizer at DC. That's true. Who still cannot pick me out of a crowd.

'''Myke Hurley:''' That's true. That's true. So we'll figure it out. One of the things along the vintage line of questioning that I always ask is, is this pen restored? And did you restore it? Like, those are two kind of separate questions. So I will tend, I'm not in a place where I'm comfortable, like, restoring pens. If I'm buying a vintage pen, I want it to work perfectly. So I'll want to know, you know, if they have restored it. And then that way I know they can tell me more about it than, you know, just any generic. And a lot of people selling like vintage pens, they will absolutely not restore the pens. They have, they have bought or found these pens at estate sales and will sell them as is. You'll get them cheaper that way, but there's more than likely going to be some problems you're going to need to work on. So I always ask, is this pen restored and did you restore it? So I think that's good. A good way to, to go about that. Anna did this. You did a really good job with the show notes. Yeah. That's why, that's why it's worthwhile talking about these things over and over and over again, even if people think they've heard it. I've never written down this, even though I practice it. Buy something for a friend or a loved one. I think that's great. Like, that's something I do. Like, I buy things for other people all the time, but I've never thought to actually put that down as a pointer. So what, what made you put that down there?

'''Anna Reynet:''' Well, Bob and I were talking about it and it's like, if you're at the show for the full weekend and you're doing your, you know, third lap, and it's like this time walk around thinking about what can I take home? What can I take to a friend? What can I take to a loved one? Um, and look with different eyes at the table, at the tables, you know, do the next round looking for things for somebody else. Heck, you could even be looking for a friend who is at the show with you or somebody who couldn't make it to the show. You know, what would they be looking for?

'''Myke Hurley:''' And that completely changes the perspective when you're staring at a table, right? Like if I'm looking around at, I don't know, whatever I'm looking for, you know, perk of vacuumatics. Well, I kind of fixate on that, but if I'm not looking for that and I'm looking for something I wouldn't consider, consider buying, I might see completely different things that I never would have noticed on the table the first time, you know, then it could be anything. And I don't know, I just thought that was a really interesting topic. Yeah. Yeah. I like that a lot. To think about.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' Especially if you're going to spend so much money on yourself, you know, maybe a little gift for someone that you care about is also just a nice thing to do.

'''Myke Hurley:''' Yep. Yep. Absolutely. One thing we can all agree on, and actually I want to give a listener, Todd, a shout out for sending me like a super long email about, you know, his tips and tricks for going to pin shows and we're going to kind of, we'll be in and out and a lot of, a lot of things we'll, we'll touch on. But like one of the things that we can universally agree on, and I still see, you know, newbies being nervous about this is asked to touch the pin. It doesn't matter what it is. Obviously if it's really expensive, you don't just want to like pick it up, but even like small, you know, or least less, lesser expensive pins. Sometimes I am just in the habit, even if I know, have known someone for years and years and I eat dinner with them and I share a drink with them at the bar, if I'm at their table, I'll say, can I pick this up? Because I, number one, I want them to know that this pin is in my hand at their table, even though they know me, like I don't have to do that, but it's just the respect. It's like a mutual respect from both sides of the table to ask that question.

'''Myke Hurley:''' You know, I'll always ask, you know, may I pick this up? And I'll even ask, you know, how do I unscrew it? Or how does it, how does it cap? Or sometimes they'll just give you that information, you know, where there's a screw cap or a pull cap. You don't want to shoot ink across the table. Like, you know, we've all done, you know, Myke's told his story. We've all done that before, you know, just picking up a pin and pulling a lever or something like that and shooting ink. It never hurts to just ask. Then you can kind of start that conversation too. It's like, you know, maybe that's the jumping off point to learn something more about the pin. But like, no matter how, like, how well you think you know somebody, you know, it never hurts to say, hey, can I pick this up and take a closer look?

'''Brad Dowdy:''' Here's a general rule for you. Consent is important.

'''Myke Hurley:''' Consent is important. There's just a general rule for everything in life. Yep. That's a good way to put it.

'''Anna Reynet:''' So for me, sometimes it's just catching their eye if they're talking to someone else and just touching it and say, may I? And they'll just nod. And, you know, the best rule of thumb is twist first. The worst of these is you'll end up with the back end of the pen in your hand.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' Lightly. Lightly twist first. Nib up.

'''Myke Hurley:''' Nib up. Nib up.

'''Anna Reynet:''' Nib up.

'''Myke Hurley:''' We've all, we speak that one from experience. Yeah, absolutely.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' I've taken many pens apart that were full caps. If somebody is explaining to you a filling system, don't act out what they're telling you. Because I did that. Yes. And squirted ankle over a vintage pen owner's table. They were just telling me how it could be done. They were not telling me to do it.