Editing The Pen Addict 353/transcript (section)

== Women Vendors ==


'''Myke Hurley:''' As a woman vending at a pen show. Yes. How has your experience been? Not just here, but in general.

'''Myke Hurley:''' Okay. So that's a very big question. It is a big...

'''Jessica Coles:''' It's a very important question. I'm also fishing. Okay.

'''Myke Hurley:''' No vest, but I'm fishing.

'''Jessica Coles:''' Okay. Well, as a woman getting into this, I first started coming to shows when, you know, I wouldn't see other women in one room. You know, you could go into a room and there wouldn't be another, a single other woman there.

'''Jessica Coles:''' I would get times where I would be included just because I was a woman. Um, and people really wanted to include me, uh, to make me feel welcome. I've had times where I've been excluded because I'm a woman, um, talked over because I'm a woman or people asking my opinion just because of that. Um, I've had a very wide variety of it, but I think it's pretty well balanced that I've had both sides of that. Um, but my favorite is when someone came up to my table and said how nice it was that I was watching the table from my husband.

'''Jessica Coles:''' And I said, I'm sorry, my husband's at home watching the kids.

'''Anna Reinhardt:''' Yes.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' Can I ask? Was that something like that is an incredible answer. Did that just come to you?

'''Jessica Coles:''' Well, it was true.

'''Myke Hurley:''' Yes. This, this didn't happen this weekend.

'''Jessica Coles:''' No, no, no. This was, this was a couple of years ago. Um, but no, it was true. He's at home and he has the kids. So, and he's fixing the dishwasher too.

'''Jessica Coles:''' Handy. Yeah. Um, no, it's, uh, I've, I've always been in areas where, um, it's more male dominated. Um, so I am very used to that, but, uh, I guess maybe I'm, I try not to do that. I have a chip on my shoulder about it, but I do want to stand up for that and say, you know, there's no reason why I shouldn't be a woman here. And there's no reason why you shouldn't expect that. Um, but oh my goodness, my husband does not have anything to do with my business. He has his own and I have mine and I'm very proud of doing that, but I don't, I also don't want a special, um, I don't think people need to go out of their way to make me welcome or to give me, um, you know, a foot up. I'm just, I'm another person running my business here. Treated like everyone else. I'm enjoying it. Well, yeah, I think that, uh, we just have to come to accept that it's more common and it's there.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' While noticing a change in there being more women, uh, attending and exhibiting, did the average age change?

'''Jessica Coles:''' Oh, absolutely. Okay.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' So it's both you've seen.

'''Jessica Coles:''' Yeah. I've seen the average age. I'm not going to, yes, I've seen the average age come down.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' It makes sense. And I guess maybe, um, considering that you are more involved in vintage pens, that maybe you had been in more environments where you would see a difference, right? Were you going to places specifically just for vintage stuff and seeing these changes or is it just pen shows in general?

'''Jessica Coles:''' It's pen shows in general. I think that they, um, have started changing from being shows that are focused on vintage to shows that are focused on pens. Um, and I don't really see them as being vintage versus new or, um, you know, big retailers versus small makers. Um, but I see it going from people who are trading vintage pens with each other into people who are using them. Um, so it's, it's more people who are interested in the life of using them and that vintage and modern are both involved with that. And I'm excited to see people using vintage pens. Um, it makes me very sad when, um, I come across a stash of pens that are 80 years old and have never been used. I mean, for me, it's great to find those, but, um, to have those just stashed away.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' It makes me think of Toy Story.

'''Jessica Coles:''' Oh.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' Right? Like all those pens are just so sad because nobody's using them.

'''Jessica Coles:''' But the pens are not alive though.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' Are we sure though? I don't know. Wow.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' Have you seen this pen?

'''Anna Reinhardt:''' Okay.

'''Jessica Coles:''' This is like, this is like a nightmare pen for me. It's, I think it would try. It's exciting, but very exciting. Well, that's what scares me is if it was alive, it would be a vampire, I think.

'''Anna Reinhardt:''' Yeah. So I want to talk about the scary things for a second because sometimes like, especially, you know, me being newer to fountain pens, vintage is a scary word to, you know, someone walking in, who's very new and very inexperienced. So tell us like why your focus is on vintage. And at the same time, I feel that you do a great job of getting in, into like, not just experienced vintage buyers hands, but you're really focused on like the customer service aspect of getting into a new people's hands and making vintage, you know, not a scary word for someone who walks into the pen show for a first time. Like how, like, do you explain like that kind of path that I feel like you, you're kind of taking right now?

'''Jessica Coles:''' That's a very long question. And there were, I think actually like 15 questions. Probably. That's what I do the best. That's how I do questions. But just before I answer that, you, you sharpened my black wings?

'''Anna Reinhardt:''' I did. Sorry about that. I, I, I think I helped someone get a sale and they were a big fan of your, uh, coom masterpiece sharpener.

'''Jessica Coles:''' Okay. Um, but you sharpened my black wings?

'''Anna Reinhardt:''' At least two, maybe not four. Got it. I think it's 12. Okay.

'''Anna Reinhardt:''' So yeah. So yes.

'''Jessica Coles:''' I don't know if I've ever used my black wings or a black wing yet. No, you can.

'''Anna Reinhardt:''' He's doing you a favor, really. The point looks great on them. They're ready to rock.

'''Jessica Coles:''' Okay. Well, thank you. I appreciate it. They are, they are extra sharpened by Brad Dowdy. Yes. I will hold them extra dear. You can eBay those now.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' They can go on eBay.

'''Jessica Coles:''' Seriously.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' Sharpened by Brad Dowdy. I reckon you could sell those for a price. Artisanal. Some people will buy those, I reckon.

'''Jessica Coles:''' Well, he's not the one that got asked to sign an iPad today.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' We don't want to get into that. It's not official. It's not, it's not. We don't want to.

'''Jessica Coles:''' I was really impressed though. Yeah.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' It's the whole thing. It's not fun.

'''Jessica Coles:''' I got to stand next to you. Um, okay. So.