Editing The Pen Addict 373/transcript (section)

== Unique Pens ==


'''Myke Hurley:''' So I've mentioned this before when talking about your pens that due to the way that they are made, every single pen within a line is different. No two look the same. And this isn't no two styles. This is like no two individual pens that come from you look the same. What is your feeling about selling online versus selling at pen shows in relation to this?

'''Carol:''' You know, we love to come to pen shows because whether our Ohana want to purchase something or not, just coming up to the tables and having a chance to chat with us, pick up the pen, see what they feel like in their hand, see how they look under the light. That's a crucial part. We do have a lot of folks that order with us because they can't get to a show. So they send us a few photos of what they've seen on our Instagram or whatever that they like. And it might be someone who's already purchased a pen at a show and they go, oh, okay, now I see everything. I feel pretty good about this, that I'm going to get something great when I order it.

'''Myke Hurley:''' Yeah, because I've done both, right? Like I've bought pens in person and I've bought pens from you that you sent to me, right? It's because it's like, oh, this, I know it's fantastic every time. But like I knew it was interesting for me when I first bought, when I bought my first pen, it's like, oh, I know what one I want. And I bought a completely different style, right? Like the Maya Makaya was the first one that I bought. I don't remember which pen I wanted to get first, but it wasn't that one.

'''Carol:''' The Kaha Kai, I think.

'''Myke Hurley:''' And I looked at them and I was like, this is amazing because they all look so unique in that way.

'''Hugh:''' There's a couple inspirational things that, if I may, I would add to what you're asking about because it's what we felt. So inside my shop, the wall is covered with emails and Instagram post printouts of people who have written back and said, okay, the pictures on the website were phenomenal, but dude, this pen is more than I could possibly imagine it's going to be. And the surprise of receiving it, knowing that every sunset is a sunset, but every sunset is unique. Every wave crashing on the beach is a wave crashing on the beach, but the way it swirls the sand and the water together is unique. Like, that's part of our basic inspiration is it's the same, but it's unique. And when people order online and they receive it and they're just, I mean, they're blown away. And that touches us deeply that we have through the interwebs, you know, that we've been able to touch them in that way.

'''Myke Hurley:''' Is it difficult to photograph your pens for the website?

'''Carol:''' It is. Yeah. Because you just, it's hard to get enough light on them to get all the sparkle and the depth. And, you know, kind of when you guys come up to the table and you hold the pen under the light and the light shines through it or, you know, you just can't get that.

'''Myke Hurley:''' It needs movement a lot of the time, right? Yes. Which is a tricky thing. Yeah.

'''Carol:''' And the, you know, they're shiny. So, yeah, they are tricky. But, you know.

'''Myke Hurley:''' I know you were, we were talking today and you had a question you wanted to ask.

'''Ana Reinert:''' One of the questions I wanted to ask was when was the first time you guys went to Hawaii?

'''Carol:''' We went together in 1985 because we.

'''Hugh:''' Yeah, tell it. Do it. Let it out. Let it out. This is, do it.

'''Carol:''' Hugh worked at a company. This is, so we're both from, originally from Chicago. So, this, Hugh, yeah. So, Hugh had been working at an electronics company for a few months and then I started there. And we met. And, of course, you know, flirted around. And back in the 80s, you know, you were not supposed to date anybody in your office. None of that stuff. And we thought nobody knew that we liked each other. And we would get together and go to the movies like really far and a far suburb from our house. And, um.

'''Hugh:''' So, I said, let's go to Maui for a week.

'''Carol:''' Yeah.

'''Hugh:''' Yeah, you did. Wow. And.

'''Carol:''' I said I was going to California. Yeah.

'''Hugh:''' Same days. Until we came back with the same tan from the same week away. Yeah. And then we were still naive and thought nobody knew until they all came up to us and said, yeah. Right, yeah. So, that was the first time.

'''Ana Reinert:''' Yep. That's an even better story than I was expecting. Way, way better. On anniversary or. Right, yeah, exactly. Yeah. Yeah. Honeymoon, something like that. But, no, it was actually like a really good date. Yes.

'''Myke Hurley:''' Yeah. Yeah. It's a very good date.