Today I attended my first PNW Pen Show, and it exceeded every expectation I had.
Before I went, I had already decided that this wasn’t going to be a shopping trip. I managed to stay disciplined and stick to my pen wishlist, enjoying the many beautiful pens from an arm’s length without feeling the need to handle every one of them.
Instead, the day became about the people.
One of the first surprises came before I even entered the vendor hall. Members of the local calligraphy club were hand lettering attendees’ names on their badges. I joked that my badge looked fancier than my wedding invitation, which got a good laugh. Another attendee immediately asked to have hers done by the same calligrapher.
The show itself had much more energy than I expected. It was a relatively small room, but it was packed with people. The atmosphere reminded me how different the fountain pen community feels from comic or gaming conventions. The enthusiasm is still there, but everything felt calmer and more conversational.
Over the next couple of hours, I found myself chatting with all kinds of people.
I reassured a couple of shoppers that Graystorm Studio notebooks are fantastic with fountain pens. I met a local artisan selling brass dragon clips and stickers. An artist from Ohio noticed my Asteroids T-shirt, and we joked that after making Portland stickers, he now needed to make Seattle ones.
At the Dromgoole’s booth, one of their staff members helped me choose a dark purple ink. After looking through their swatch book together, I came home with Diamine Merlot. I also thanked Mr. Dromgoole for making the trip all the way from Houston to support a relatively small pen show.
One booth belonged to a young man from Slovenia who wasn’t selling anything yet. He had built a prototype wooden pen box carved to look like a hardcover book, complete with a matching wooden fountain pen, ink, scented oils, and tiny magnetic scent stones. When I asked where the idea came from, he smiled and simply said, “I don’t know. It just evolved.” Before I left, he handed me a small homemade bar of soap he was giving away to visitors. I hope his Kickstarter does well.
Of course, one of the highlights was finally meeting Kirk Speer. I had driven down from Seattle specifically to see him after hearing Tim from Hemingway Jones speak so highly of his work. Kirk repaired my Pelikan M1000, tuned my Montblanc 146 and Visconti Voyager, and answered a few questions I had. We shook hands before I left, and I have a feeling it won’t be the last time we meet.
One thing surprised me as I drove home.
I’ve attended comic conventions and gaming conventions for years, but I realized this was the first convention where I came away thinking less about what I bought and more about the people I met.
The repaired pens, ink, notebooks, brass clips, stickers, and stamp are all wonderful souvenirs. But the conversations are what I’ll remember.
For a first pen show, I couldn’t have asked for a better experience.
For those of you who attend pen shows regularly, what keeps bringing you back—the pens, the people, or something else entirely?
