Editing The Pen Addict 229/transcript (section)

== Ballpoints/Rollerballs ==


'''Brian Anderson:''' Yeah. So a lot of like Schaefer pens do, I think, better in the store and ballpoints and rollerballs. Definitely better in the store.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' It's a- That makes sense from the foot traffic, I think, yeah.

'''Brian Anderson:''' And it's kind of a gateway drug. Like you need to sometimes ease people in from the cheap Bic that you get at the office to a retro or a Schaefer or some other nice ballpoint or rollerball. And from there, once they're used to a nicer feel in the hand and a nicer writing experience, it's not that much more of a stretch to go to a fountain pen from there.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' Yeah. And the next thing, your shop is full of shop rats on Saturday.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' They live there all day and they just want to be there and be around all the pens and are buying all the new fountain pens. That's awesome, I think.

'''Brian Anderson:''' We've become a destination for a lot of people, which is not anything we ever thought we would be. People drive from Chicago, from Milwaukee, Madison, from Minnesota. We have several- We're big in Minneapolis, apparently. We have several people who drive over on a regular basis. People who travel from all over the country and they're in the area for a wedding or an event or the big airplane event here in Oshkosh. And then while they're in the area, they just zip on up.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' Make it a point. That's awesome. That's so cool. Yeah, I wouldn't have thought- You don't think of those things. At first, Brian's like, okay, I got to get all this stuff out of the basement. And then next thing you know, you're like a destination pen shop. It just goes to show the people behind it are the reason why. I mean, let's not kid ourselves. It's Brian and Lisa Anderson is the reason why they're coming.

'''Brian Anderson:''' I guess we don't think of it that way.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' But I mean, you definitely have fans and people want to come and see you guys. And I just think it's one of the coolest things ever that y'all have this going and things just seem to be going gangbusters for y'all. So what's next? I mean, you guys, I mean, it's obviously nonstop. You're busy all the time. What's next for the Empire?

'''Brian Anderson:''' Well, our first main goal was just to have both of us quit our full-time jobs. And I did that before Brian did. Brian was working. He changed IT companies, and they just kept offering him more money and a six-month contract, a six-month contract. And it was just stupid money. So we would use that, and that supported us and helped us grow. And last year in August, Brian quit his job. And so we've both been full-time for the company since then. Yay!

'''Brad Dowdy:''' That's exciting.

'''Brian Anderson:''' It was kind of a scary move, but it was really... No joke. It was time. It was probably past time.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' Mm-hmm.

'''Brian Anderson:''' But we just... And I thought it would just be us and our full-timer Dave for a long time, but we'd just keep needing more people.