Behind the Scenes at a Major Pen Show: Chicago 2022

I don’t often have a table at pen shows - ordinarily I prefer to be able to roam around the show, and given my status as a hybrid blogger/retailer with a small operation, it’s logistically difficult for me to bring enough inventory to a show to make selling in person worthwhile. This year, however, I had prepaid for a table at Chicago back before the pandemic, so I decided to go ahead and set up with a small meet-and-greet station featuring stickers, a card with a discount code for the shop, and some products to try out (including the new Sanzen Tomoe River Paper, more on that below).

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It’s amazing what some people bring by the table for me to look at. Paper shown here is the new Sanzen Tomoe River.

For those of you who have never attended a pen show in person, they typically span Thursday to Sunday and work something like this: Vendors begin arriving on Thursday, and sometimes the show organizers have reserved a smaller ballroom, or there are tables set up for trading (mainly vintage). I’ve never partaken to any great degree, but I hear you can score some pretty good deals on rare pens in these “presale” or “after hours” trading sessions.

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If you’re looking to score an uncommon pen from one of the many small makers who attend pen shows in person (like Shawn Newton), it’s always a great idea to pick up a weekend pass so you get first pick before the public opening.

Most of the action starts on Friday morning, when the full show opens to weekend pass holders. If you’re making a weekend out of a pen show, I always advise attendees to purchase the weekend pass instead of paying by the day, because that way you get to start earlier, and it also gets you access to “exclusive” events like pizza parties and after-hours socials. In Chicago, the show opened to the public at noon on Friday, but there will be an extra hour of pass-holder access from 8-9am on Saturday morning before the public opening.

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Chicago features two full ink testing stations with literally dozens of different inks to try out in dedicated tester pens.

Attendance on Friday was slower on Friday morning, but picked up as the day went on. I mainly spent the day browsing the show with friends who I had not seen in years. Even more so than Atlanta, this Chicago show feels much more like a pre-pandemic pen show in terms of the number of vendors and other exhibitors present. If you’re in the area, I would highly recommend attending. I’ll have a full recap of this particular show next week, which I’ll write after the two public days on Saturday and Sunday, but it’s shaping up to be a great one. For now, enjoy my Friday pics!

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The new Kanilea Pen Company “Lewa Lani,” featuring this gorgeous flecked material with subtle sheen. They’re available with and without the cap band.

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Vanness brought Vinta inks, Ferris Wheel Press, and more!

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Schon DSGN brought a fresh batch of anodized full-size fountain pens, including these as-yet-unnamed dark matte beauties.

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I walked away with a Copper Pocket Six with a dark patina, as well as an Anniversary Edition Machined Pen v.2 in bronze.

Another shot of the three available finishes on the Machined Pen v.2, Anniversary Edition.

Not everything was about the sales - Conid had an “ambassador” on site showing off their wares. The rumor is that they’re restarting production soon….

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Erick at Amarillo Stationery brought all the Monarca inks!

T.G.S. Curated Shop Orders will continue shipping on Sunday, within our 2-3 business day shipping timeframe even though we’re at the show. We still have Midori 70th Anniversary MD Notebooks available in the “Light” format, thought the Stationery Kits are sold out for now.

April 28-May 1: Chicago Pen Show!

Just a reminder that this coming weekend I’ll be attending the 2022 Chicago Pen Show, so if you’ve been considering a shop order and would like something to ship before Thursday, please get your orders in before Wednesday (tomorrow) at noon. I may be able to do show pickup, depending on logistics and size of the order, so e-mail me and we can arrange to drop shipping charges.

While I will have a table in Chicago, I will NOT be set up as a vendor. The table will be a meet-and-greet, informational resource only due to things like inventory management and travel burden. I will have things like stickers and buttons, however, along with pens and paper to test out and see in person. I look forward to meeting as many of you as possible at the show, so please stop by!

This post does not contain paid third-party affiliate links. The Gentleman Stationer is supported by purchases from the T.G.S. Curated Shop, as well as the T.G.S. Patreon Program.

When You Find a Specific Pen You Like: Atlanta Pen Show 2022

I’ve been more selective about acquiring pens for my personal collection over the past two years. After nearly a decade as a dedicated fountain pen user, it’s definitely become harder to find pens that, at least for me, are truly “new” and interesting enough to justify a spot in a collection that frankly already has more than I could ever reasonably rotate through. While I don’t envision myself ever having fewer than a couple dozen fountain pens, I have started the process of gradually refining the current hoard into a (much) smaller number of pens that see regular writing, and in limited instances, replacing them with pens that I know I’ll enjoy.

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Stacy Robinson (who sells through Penzbydesign), had these lipless “Navigator” fountain pens available at the Atlanta Pen Show last weekend. Let’s just say they sold quickly.

I’ve really taken to the design of the Schon DSGN “Engineered Plastics” collection, as well as their full-size anodized fountain pens. In addition to the craftsmanship and overall build quality, this particular pen hits a sweet spot in terms of size and ergonomics, including postability. Which is one reason why I picked up three similarly-sized fountain pens from Stacy Robinson’s table at the Atlanta Pen Show, all in some unique materials that I’ve been coveting for the past several years (including two Conway Stewart acrylics, Pistachio and Coral Razorshell).

I also stopped by the Hinze Pen Company table and picked up this pen, which features a Starry Night Acrylic that reminds me of an impressionist painting. (Wait for the full review - this pen now features a custom nib grind by Matthew Chen.)

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I acquired this custom Jonathan Brooks pen from the Carolina Pen Company table in D.C. last year, but haven’t gotten around to inking it up. Consider that problem fixed as of this morning.

My “pen show hunts” have been more targeted in recent years - I’ve developed a strong sense of what I will enjoy and use, and what I’ll use once and set aside - and my acquisitions over the course of the last year reflect this. As you can see from the photos, they’re pretty much all Schon DSGN and/or pens from custom and small-batch manufacturers that feature uncommon materials or custom nibs. I’m also gradually dipping my toes back into the vintage world, but focusing on one or two models like the Parker 51 and the Parker Vacumatic.

I had nibs ground by Matthew Chen for the first time in Atlanta, taking home a Naginata Togi and a cursive italic. Both are excellent.

Another area where I’ve been focusing is nib customization. I’m working on a couple of longer-term projects for the site, one of which is a comparison of different nib grinds as done by different nib workers. Each nib grinder has their own “signature”, so no two grinds are alike, though they might nominally be “the same” (i.e., two cursive italics, architects, etc.). It’s been fascinating to see the variation, and somewhat astonishing to realize the level of talent across the community. Over the past two years, despite having around 15 pens ground, I’ve not had a “bad” grind - something I couldn’t say even five years ago.

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Kirk Speer grinding a nib at the Pen Realm table in Atlanta.

The 2022 Atlanta Pen Show was a great experience, and consistent with Baltimore, reasonably well attended given that many people are still in the process of getting comfortable traveling again. I fully expect the shows later this spring and over the summer to continue moving in a positive direction (provided of course, the pandemic continues to ease). It was great meeting so many readers, even though I could only really be there for a day! If I missed you, I hope to catch up later this year.

A Brief Note and Update on the Weeks Ahead

As you may have seen from following me on social media, I’m in the middle of construction here at T.G.S. HQ (i.e., my home office, i.e., the room above the garage), so review content may look somewhat different over the next two or three weeks as I’ll have to find new locations to shoot photographs. In the meantime, I plan to do my annual “Best Pens” update, and possibly attend the Chicago Pen Show at the end of the month. T.G.S. Shop Orders will continue to ship within the regular 2-3 business day time frame.

This post does not contain paid advertisements or third-party affiliate links. The Gentleman Stationer is supported by purchases from the T.G.S. Curated Shop and the T.G.S. Patreon Program. All opinions expressed herein are my own.

Atlanta Pen Show Day! And a Lochby Update

Happy Pen Show Day everyone! I’m in Atlanta and will be taking in the Atlanta Pen Show today and tomorrow. Atlanta is one of the first shows I attended regularly, and while it’s not the biggest show, it’s well-run and attracts a diverse group of vendors, vintage and modern. If you live in the Atlanta area, or even if you’re within a few hours’ drive - like me - it’s always worth a trip to a pen show. Keep an eye on my Instagram (both feed and stories) for pictures from this year’s event.

If you’re on the fence about Atlanta, check out some of my recaps of prior Atlanta Pen Shows. The last show I attended was in 2019 (pre-Pandemic), and I’ve been a regular attendee since 2015. (That show, by the way, was absolutely epic, and I wrote a two part review that you should read if you want to hear about how good a pen show can be. Part I and Part II are available here.)

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Lochby is Back in Stock

While I hoped to have a Lochby case/notebook cover restock arrive in time for me to take it with me to the show, I couldn’t get my act together in time to actually place the order for a timely arrival. That said, the package is arriving at my warehouse today, so I’ve updated stock numbers and will have orders ready to start shipping Sunday/Monday upon my return from Atlanta.

The T.G.S. Curated Shop is an authorized retailer of Lochby and all other brands we stock. The Gentleman Stationer is supported entirely by purchases from the T.G.S. Curated Shop and the T.G.S. Patreon Program.

State of the Collection: My Franklin-Christoph Fountain Pens after Baltimore

I’ve not written about my Franklin-Christoph fountain pens in a while, even though the brand has been a mainstay of my “daily workhorse” rotation for years now. Previously my collecting has focused on the Model 20 “Marietta” fountain pen, the slip-cap pen that’s one of my all-time favorites, especially for showing off acrylics and other materials. In recent years, however, I’ve expanded my repertoire and added several new pens in different models, including the Model 31 “Omnis”, the Model 02 “Intrinsic”, and the Model 45.

From left: two Model 31 fountain pens, four Model 20s (still my favorite), a Model 02, and a Model 45.

Even if I don’t end up purchasing anything, browsing the prototype trays at the Franklin-Christoph tables is one of my favorite pen show experiences. (It’s rare that you don’t end up walking away from the table with something.) This past weekend, I purchased the Model 02 and Model 45 shown here, both in this dark flecked acrylic with scattered gold, burgundy, blue, and green. (I believe this material is called “Cathedral,” and it’s made appearances at pen shows in the past but I was never able to snag it in a pen model that appealed to me. I’m still looking for a Model 20.)

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The Model 02 features this material on the section and finial, with the slightly blue-tinted “Antique Glass” body.

Another reason I never feel guilty about picking up more Franklin-Christoph pens is because the purchase includes a tuned JoWo nib, with numerous specialty grinds available for a small uncharge. In addition to Franklin-Christoph’s own excellent in-house nib grinds, you can opt for work done by Japanese nib crafter Yukio Nagahara. I chose Nagahara needlepoint nibs for both of the pens shown here. I haven’t inked these pens up yet, but you can expect these pens (and these nibs) will get a full write-up sooner rather than later.

Catch Up on the Rest of My Baltimore Pen Show Adventures

You can read my full recap of the 2022 Baltimore Pen Show here, and you can also view additional show photos on my Instagram, including in the Stories where the pics and running commentary are saved to the highlights. I got home late last night, so I’m still getting settled, but you can expect the blog to resume a normal schedule this week.

Finally, T.G.S. Curated Shop orders are no longer delayed and will ship within the typical 2-3 business days. All orders placed during my absence started shipping out LATE last night and will continue through the weekend. Many thanks for all your support!