California Pen Show and End of Month Two Recap
I've survived two months!
The California Pen Show ended a couple weeks ago, and as always, it was a bittersweet moment bidding farewell to friends and returning to everyday life. Trips like these are always too short and it’s never easy saying goodbye, especially when friends are scattered across the globe. Knowing I’ll reunite with them later this year makes things somewhat easier.
On the budgetary front, the California Pen Show was the first proper test of my no-spend resolve, and the temptation was more than I expected. So, let's start with a recap of the show, and then I'll walk you through my purchases, the grand totals, and a few other updates from the end of February.
Travel and Meeting up with Friends
I took a half day at work on Thursday, but looking back, I wish I’d opted for the whole day. Several of my friends were already in Los Angeles, and I couldn't help but feel like I was missing out on some quality bonding time and epic food adventures! After a few goodbye kisses from my dog Kirby, I took a rideshare to the airport. While I waited for my flight, I used the time to work on my previous Substack post and deliberated over my budget and wishlist for the pen show.
A few hours later, I arrived at the tiny Long Beach airport, which was a pleasant change from the headache of LAX. The sight of palm trees and a golden sunset greeted me as I descended a ramp from the plane. Despite its small size, the airport felt open and inviting because of its outdoor spaces. I snagged my suitcase and took a rideshare to the hotel.
After checking in at the hotel and dropping my luggage off in the room, I met up with CY, Anabelle, and Josh, three of the people I would work with that weekend. Anabelle was especially happy, since she’d just recovered her passport, which had been lost for a nerve-wracking 24 hours. This was my first look at the impressive mall situated across from the pen show hotel. Then we got dinner at Buffalo Wild Wings, where we collectively consumed our weekly allowance of salt in a single meal. We also discovered that you can order ginger ale off-menu, much to Anabelle's delight, who then made it a mission to order ginger ale at every restaurant we visited just to see if it was available.
After dinner, we returned to the hotel and went over some logistical details for the next morning. Anabelle handed some items off to me, including a set of stamps I purchased secondhand from April, marking my first non-replenishment or storage purchase of 2024. CY brought me the Traveler’s Notebook I had customized during my trip to The Superior Labor in Kurashiki last November. And that really is my last last purchase from 2023. Our last team member and my roommate for the weekend, Jessica, joined us, and we crammed as much info into our heads as we could before calling it a night and heading off to get some sleep.
Pen Show Time!
Will I ever not have anxiety the night before a pen show? Hard to say. But my Thursday night was a one-way trip to Anxiety City. Thankfully, I managed to clock a few hours of sleep before we rose bright and early to grab breakfast before the show. We didn’t realize there was food provided, so we walked over to a local bagel shop and got a bite before heading to the ballroom for setup.
That was when we realized CY needed an extension cable for his grinding setup, and surprisingly, the pen show staff didn’t have any to lend out. So CY and I walked over to Target to shop for extension cables while the rest of the group set up the table. Thankfully, we had plenty of help!
Once we made it back to the show, we had sufficient power for CY to grind nibs at one end of the Kyuseido table while Anabelle worked her magic at the other. CY made a set of tester pens before the show, which proved incredibly useful. Customers could test his grinds and even his stacked nib offerings. Our main product focus was the Kyuseido Kakari and demonstrating its unique filling system. We had Kakari pens available in black and silver finishes, along with a selection of custom urushi pens crafted by various artisans and exclusive limited edition Sailors from Japan. Several of which I drooled over all weekend.
Friday and Saturday were the busiest days at the pen show, with a slower Sunday crowd that allowed us to enjoy a few longer breaks to do a little shopping.
I appreciated the wide aisles that made it easy to navigate the show. Accessibility was notably better at this venue than the narrow aisles and crowded hallways of the San Francisco Pen Show. The lighter crowds also gave us the opportunity to engage with attendees eager to learn more about the products we had on offer. It also allowed visitors to our table to sit comfortably and test out our array of tester pens without worrying about blocking the aisles or limiting access to other vendor’s tables.
I’m overjoyed to see a growing presence of stationery brands and sellers at pen shows. I love seeing such a wide variety of offerings, and I believe that the addition of more stationery offerings adds another level of depth to pen shows. They also help attract a wider variety of consumers and give people the opportunity to buy products that allow them to document their memories of the experience.
Meeting Christine of Everyday Explorers Co. for the first time in San Francisco last year was such a highlight, so you can imagine my excitement when I spotted her on the exhibitor list for the California show! Her stamps are wonderful, and I love how she keeps adding pen-themed stamps to her lineup, appealing to both stamp and fountain pen enthusiasts! I've already collected several sets from her, and they're so useful.
I also met Mai of Paper Treats in San Francisco last year, though I’ve been a customer of hers for years. I was so pleased she came to the Los Angeles show, and that we didn’t scare her off with the craziness of the San Francisco show. Her table was an absolute treasure trove, filled with meticulously curated offerings that never fail to impress.
What really stood out to me was Mai's thoughtfulness in ensuring that everyone had a chance to enjoy her products. She held back some of the more popular items each day so that customers arriving later in the weekend wouldn't miss out on the full shopping experience. And she kept adding new items throughout the weekend, so every time I walked by her table, I discovered something new!
Mai even created a special newspaper edition for the show. It was clear just how much time, energy, and effort she poured into it. I couldn't help but stop by to check on her regularly, as she was managing the table all by herself. I hope she gets some extra help next year to make things easier for her.
The PLOTTER tables were continuously crowded during the show, as expected. PLOTTER brought their Japan team over, and I caught up briefly with Takayuki-San, the Creative Director of PLOTTER. They brought their PLOTTER binder customization to the show, and the orange scratch shoulder leather looked SO GOOD! But I resisted, thanks to the no-spend.
Ian Schon of Schon Dsgn was having a tough weekend. He lost his voice after the first day and appeared quite miserable on the second, particularly since Ian loves engaging in conversation with his customers. At one point, he resorted to holding up a rather forlorn notepad that read, "I WANT TO TALK." Thankfully, his voice partially returned by the third day. I was excited to see his new shell titanium pens in person, and as always, his Monoc nibs were stunning.
Pilot was doing their handwriting analysis test at the show and fortunately they allowed walk-ups, since my registration didn’t go through. It was a fun experience, even if I panicked a little while writing. There’s like four people watching you! They told me the average Japanese handwriting pressure is 140 gf and mine measured exactly 140! Guess I can move to Japan now!
We were all busy and exhausted during the show, but I cherished the small moments of interaction I shared with friends. My only regret is not taking more selfies and photos. If you took a selfie with me, please send it my way so I can have it for my memories! It would mean a lot to me!
Team Kyuseido worked so hard, and we all discovered our own strengths throughout the weekend. It was my first time working for CY, having worked for a different company at previous pen shows. Sometimes, when you’re working for a friend, it’s challenging to receive honest feedback and understand expectations. However, I believe we all communicated well and I now know what to expect and improve for future pen shows!
Sunday, after the show ended and we packed up our tables, the remaining members of the Kyuseido team, along with April, went to Baekjeong Korean Barbecue to celebrate surviving the show! We let April do the ordering (#TrustApril) and it was all super delicious, easily my best meal of the trip!
Anabelle would also like me to mention that we shared a bed on the final night, and while I was promised consensual spooning, none occurred. Maybe next time!
Overall, I enjoyed this show quite a bit and I would like to come back, but it wasn’t perfect. There wasn’t much of an “after dark” crowd. I think because of the close proximity to the mall and restaurants, many people split off and did their own thing. There was also a sports team staying at the hotel? There was a rowdy group of people outside the hotel and in the lobby when we came back from dinner one night. It wasn’t super close to either of the airports, so transport from the airport to the hotel was pricey. Also, it was rainy on the day I left, which made it difficult to get around without getting drenched, and Long Beach Airport’s outdoor spaces were unusable, resulting in a crowded terminal.
Purchases and Gifts
Here’s how I spent my quarterly allowance at the pen show: the first items I purchased were the secondhand stamps from April, pictured near the beginning of this post. The group journaling stamp has been on my wishlist for close to a year. I mentioned to April I wanted to buy them, and she wanted to destash hers, so I jumped on it. These are great to share with my local journal club and I already brought them to one meetup and everyone loved them! They’re a great way to commemorate a meetup in my journal! I paid $20 for the pair. (Stamps are by liberty.hk)
Next, I purchased corners for my PLOTTER. These were $16 plus tax. I love how they turned out, protecting the corners of my pueblo brown PLOTTER while enhancing the look of it. April says PLOTTER may offer these at future events, so maybe I’ll get another set in the future!
At the PLOTTER table, I also picked up the foil stamped California notepad with the Croquis paper. This was one of the few truly limited items at the pen show, and it was not only a great commemorative piece, but the paper is amazing! The notepad was $25 plus tax.
At Paper Treats, I picked up a few goodies that I couldn’t resist. Mai was doing her beautifully curated treat packs for the show, and I had to have the pudding and melon soda packs! Her prices are so reasonable that a small budget can really go a long way at her table. These photos are from Mai because I tore into mine like a feral beast as soon as I got home and didn’t take photos first! I love these treat packs because they are like tiny pre-made capsules, and I can’t wait to decorate some spreads with these and maybe write a letter or two!
She gave a newspaper away to everyone who was working at the show, so I picked one up, then purchased the soda-themed flake stickers. I love these because they’re meant to be colored on, and since I’ve been experimenting with making my own sodas at home, I think it’ll be a fun way to document the concoctions I make. She also had the new spring limited BGM tapes, so I picked up two, even though she only charged me for one, despite me begging her to charge me for both! I love these two tapes, and the springtime vibes are perfect for journaling about the upcoming season. I spent $21.67 at Paper Treats.
I also received several generous gifts from friends. April gifted me a deliciously adorable PET sample of bears and baked goods, along with a set of 8 bit cafe themed stickers I’d been lusting after, and some ink samples from The Wet Pen.
Two of my friends from Twitch gifted me items: one was a gorgeously decorated, hand-delivered happy mail full of vintage-themed ephemera and tape samples. I can tell a lot of work went into this, and I’m excited about using the ephemera and samples in my spreads. Another gifted me the new Everyday Explorers Co. stamp set! This was such an amazing gift because it was out of my budget and I was worried I would have to wait until the next pen show before I could get it. I won’t tag them since I’m not sure if they want me to, but thank you so much for these special gifts!
Anabelle also gifted me the super cute Joe’s Market box of stickers. These have the best packaging and I looked for this sticker set all over Japan and it was sold out everywhere!
Thank you to everyone who spoiled me with gifts at the show, including Leo, who brought pastries!
Temptations
During the pen show, CY offered to give all of us an advance on our salary. I took a partial advance “just in case,” but didn’t actually end up spending it. I decided, for this show, I would stick to my $100 budget as best I could, and I’m happy to say I succeeded.
Sailor put the LINE FRIENDS pens, SALLY and BROWN on sale for $99 each. This is such a steal for a Sailor pen, and so many people were walking around with these pens during the show. I was sorely tempted to buy two or even three and ask CY to make me a stacked nib, but I resisted the temptation that so many others succumbed to.
At our own table, several Sailors caught my eye, but a single pen would have consumed my entire salary, and I decided against it.
Nagasawa always does pen and ink specials at the end of the show so they don’t have to bring any back with them, but I stayed far away from their corner when they started up the deals.
Life Things
Between the pen show and this post, a few things happened.
My husband traded his car in for a newer model while I was in Los Angeles (grr) but he’s signed a contract stating he won’t do this again for ten years. The major benefit is the new one is an automatic, so it won’t hurt my knees as much when I drive it. I still would have preferred to pay off his car sooner, though!
My dog Kirby hurt her back, and is currently on crate rest and medications to see if it’s just a minor thing that heals on its own. So far, she seems to be improving, and we’re crossing our fingers that she won’t need expensive diagnostics and surgery. I’d been putting off getting pet insurance for a long time now, and I’m kicking myself for not just picking one and getting her started on it.
Because of the uncertainty with her vet bills, we’re socking as much money away as we can into savings, in case she needs surgery in the immediate future. Kirby is now on pet insurance for any other issues that may crop up, but it won’t cover preexisting conditions, which her back pain will fall under.
But in more fun news, we had our February Houston Journal Society meetup! We celebrated the one-year anniversary of our first public meetup, and did a commemorative journal stack! It ended up being more of a pyramid this time around.
Totals
Altogether, I spent a $86.77 at the show, leaving myself with $13.23 until the end of March. CY covered all my expenses for this trip and I have money left over from my salary, but I’m not putting it into the spreadsheet yet because I’m not sure what I’ll use it for. For now, it’s going into savings for Kirby.
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You did amazing Toasty! You have been so honest with your temptations, and how hard it is to say no. Sailor Line Friends at @99$ is a deal but I think you did the right choice because it personally might have opened a can of worms in then looking for ink. Enjoy your goodies and thank you for sharing. I hope Kirby feels better soon.
Damn I forgot about the Nagasawa deals on Sunday! Also, a relief to not remember that, lol, because my suitcase ended up being so heavy to take home. So impressed that you managed to stay within budget! Hopefully nothing else tempts you for the rest of March~