This weekend was the 2017 DC Pen Show. I’ve been waiting to go since I learned about it in fall of last year. My fiancé, Jim, and I are moving soon, so we’re busy doing all the pre-moving stuff chores and errands. That means we didn’t have a full weekend to devote to the show, as it deserved. We were only able to go for part of the day on Saturday.
I didn’t think I had any real expectations before the show. When we got there, though, I realized that I had formed expectations because they were blown completely out of the water. The show was much bigger, and MUCH better attended than I could have possibly imagined. There was so much to see that I’ll be dividing my overview of the show into three pieces. Stay tuned for the other two!
We met three friends there, all of whom happened to arrive early (while we were just on time). The show was already packed, despite officially starting at 10am (when we arrived). They’d already run out of the “official” swag bags several minutes earlier. But it was ok, I’d come prepared with my bag of holding.
The admissions procedure confused me as, once you paid, you weren’t given anything to prove it. So anyone could just walk right in. But perhaps that was just a result of being in a new location this year. “Growing pains”, as it were.
The Small Room
We started with the small room, as it was right next to the “registration” desk. Immediately inside the door was the Kanilea Pen Co. and I don’t know if I’m relieved or saddened that their pens, though fantastically beautiful, didn’t speak to me.
While I was checking out the giant table of pens across from Kanilea, Jim was very happy to discover that Mr. Yoshi Nakama of 18111 still had some of his “Stone Mask” pens that are very reminiscent of the Easter Island Moai. It was on his “to buy” list for the show, and I will readily agree that it is VERY cool. It’s got a slightly rough texture that is unlike anything that I’ve felt on a pen before.
Once I got past the crush of people bottlenecked at the entrance (the result of having two big pen tables there), I got a decent look at the entire room. It was roughly the size of my entire apartment, perhaps a bit bigger, and every wall had a vendor’s table. I doubt I can properly explain the layout of the room, so I drew a little picture for you. *grin* Don’t expect perfection, I’m trying to remember the room from the half hour I spent in it on Saturday morning.
The room was so full of people and vendors that we all lost each other and ended up just checking it out at our own pace for the most part. I was able to alert Jim that the Ink Journal table still had some of the Robert Oster Soda Pop ink, so he swooped in and bought the last bottle they had. He also took advantage of the “Take a Pen, Leave a Pen” table and picked up a Noodler’s Ahab in exchange for a demonstrator pen.
Jim’s strategy was to take a quick turn of the room, then go back and really look at what he was interested in. On the other hand, I made slow progress, giving each table my undivided attention on my first pass. The variety of pens available intrigued me.
Walking around the room, I was searching for “the pen” for my series. You know, the pen I’ll hopefully be signing books with. I specifically wanted a fountain pen that was red and white, and I wanted it to really speak to me. There were many lovely pens, even a metal one that looked blood spattered but was, unfortunately, ballpoint. Even pawing through the various pen blanks at The Woodshed Pen Co. booth revealed no sign of my pen.
As I finished my circuit of the small room, Jim tracked me down and joined me in my leisurely perusal of the last few tables I hadn’t yet seen. He decided to go scout out the large room while I picked up the Ink Miser Ink Shot and Inkwell from their inventor as well as Noodler’s DC Pen Show Ink, A House Divided. With my bag of holding a bit more full, I made my way to the large room.
Did you go to the DC Pen Show? Are you interested in going? Leave a comment and let me know.
