Central Massachusetts Pop-Up Pen Show

[toggle67]

  On 9/15/2023 at 12:09 AM, Gloucesterman said:

Looks like the Hurricane (Lee) won't have a lot of influence around the central Massachusetts area on Saturday. Just a couple of hours worth around 10 A.M.

 

Just overcast/cloudy weather forecast for the day. In fact, I will be driving away from the winds and rain - so I am good with that.

See you (all) on Saturday. Remember my offer...

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Looking forward to it very much! It'll be a blast. Cheers! 

[toggle67]

The show is happening right now. Come one, come all! We hope to see you there! 

[Catpaws]

I went and it was a really nice day!

[SamChevre]

One of these years, my schedule won't be a mess.

 

This show was 10 miles away, but I was returning from a week-long overseas trip and couldn't make it.

[Gloucesterman]

  On 9/18/2023 at 1:00 PM, SamChevre said:

One of these years, my schedule won't be a mess.

 

This show was 10 miles away, but I was returning from a week-long overseas trip and couldn't make it.

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Sorry we missed you:-(

Wishfully, next years Commonwealth Pen Show will happen as intended.

Meanwhile check the Boston Pen People website as we occasionally have "micro' shows with 4-6 vendors. The meeting are fun too and happen every other month.

[inkstainedruth]

How did it go?  I couldn't go because stuff happened (I didn't get to the event in WV for the other hobby either, as it happened... ).   Spent too much of the weekend in a car (drove from Pittsburgh to Dunkirk, NY, Friday night; then to the center of NYS (roughly 20 miles west of Saratoga Springs) on Saturday. Left there in the mid-late afternoon to Binghamton for dinner, and then a little bit further south (Vestal?) for the night.  Then on Sunday we took the "scenic" route home, mostly on smaller roads until we got into PA.  I'm now a complete wreck, because I had 7 loads of laundry to do, plus run to the grocery store between loads to get a loaf of bread, a lottery ticket, a package of flour tortillas, and a couple of boxes of snack cakes (because they were on sale) between loads.  All after getting my hair washed late morning....  

I'm now a complete and utter wreck, and the one antiques place I was able to get to (that was OPEN -- a place we tried to get to on the way home through the Cook Forest area was supposed to be open but wasn't -- apparently due to a family emergency) I only saw ONE pen -- a BP and pencil set for some brand I never heard of -- Capella (?).  Sigh.  The really sad part was that we saw huge numbers of little antiques stores that we didn't have time to stop at....  And of course the reason for the trip -- coordinating with people from the local "makers club" about getting some machinery equipment out of my late-brother-in-law's shop?  That didn't happen....  The guy who supposedly had the trailer to haul the heavy stuff?  He got COVID, and so did the two people who were supposed to ride up with him.  The five people who DID make it up there?  They were apparently DAYTRIPPING it.... 

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

 

ETA: Oh, and as an additional bit of fun and games, we had our water heater decide to start leaking around dinnertime on Thursday -- just as I was about to walk out the door to go to a pen club meeting....  (Fortunately, we were able to get someone out and they replaced it in a couple of hours and for a couple of hundred less than the price we were quoted over the phone; unfortunately a DIFFERENT company my husband had tried calling decided that 7:40 AM Friday morning was the right and proper time to call back....

🤬

[toggle67]

  On 9/17/2023 at 2:20 PM, Catpaws said:

I went and it was a really nice day!

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I'm so glad that you came to the show! I hope you had a wonderful time! 

[toggle67]

  On 9/18/2023 at 1:00 PM, SamChevre said:

One of these years, my schedule won't be a mess.

 

This show was 10 miles away, but I was returning from a week-long overseas trip and couldn't make it.

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It's too bad that you couldn't make it. A number of vendors expressed interest in doing this again soon, including Paul Erano and Myk Daigle, as did David Nishimura who called it a model for smaller shows, which was an honor to hear, especially from David, so I'm thinking very seriously of doing this again, and even making this an event that happens a few times a year. I will certainly keep everyone informed if or when we do this again. 

[toggle67]

  On 9/19/2023 at 2:58 AM, inkstainedruth said:

How did it go?  I couldn't go because stuff happened (I didn't get to the event in WV for the other hobby either, as it happened... ).   Spent too much of the weekend in a car (drove from Pittsburgh to Dunkirk, NY, Friday night; then to the center of NYS (roughly 20 miles west of Saratoga Springs) on Saturday. Left there in the mid-late afternoon to Binghamton for dinner, and then a little bit further south (Vestal?) for the night.  Then on Sunday we took the "scenic" route home, mostly on smaller roads until we got into PA.  I'm now a complete wreck, because I had 7 loads of laundry to do, plus run to the grocery store between loads to get a loaf of bread, a lottery ticket, a package of flour tortillas, and a couple of boxes of snack cakes (because they were on sale) between loads.  All after getting my hair washed late morning....  

I'm now a complete and utter wreck, and the one antiques place I was able to get to (that was OPEN -- a place we tried to get to on the way home through the Cook Forest area was supposed to be open but wasn't -- apparently due to a family emergency) I only saw ONE pen -- a BP and pencil set for some brand I never heard of -- Capella (?).  Sigh.  The really sad part was that we saw huge numbers of little antiques stores that we didn't have time to stop at....  And of course the reason for the trip -- coordinating with people from the local "makers club" about getting some machinery equipment out of my late-brother-in-law's shop?  That didn't happen....  The guy who supposedly had the trailer to haul the heavy stuff?  He got COVID, and so did the two people who were supposed to ride up with him.  The five people who DID make it up there?  They were apparently DAYTRIPPING it.... 

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

 

ETA: Oh, and as an additional bit of fun and games, we had our water heater decide to start leaking around dinnertime on Thursday -- just as I was about to walk out the door to go to a pen club meeting....  (Fortunately, we were able to get someone out and they replaced it in a couple of hours and for a couple of hundred less than the price we were quoted over the phone; unfortunately a DIFFERENT company my husband had tried calling decided that 7:40 AM Friday morning was the right and proper time to call back....

🤬

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It's too bad you weren't able to make it. It went really well, thank you for asking. I'm so sorry to hear of your exhausting weekend - I'm sure you're glad that it's a memory now. 

 

The turnout wasn't huge, but that wasn't a big surprise, considering that this was the very first show of its kind anywhere near here, and I'm thrilled that the quality of the people who came was as top tier as a Parker or Waterman's from 1900, and I believe that everyone who came bought at least something. There was a truly impressive variety of pens and pen related merchandise there. Several members of our pen club came, and one was also a vendor, John Corwin, who's a really nice guy, and his vintage flex fountain pens are really great and affordable. (Nathaniel Cerf is in our club as well, but was unable to attend. It's a great little club.) The vendors were all excellent, and among my very favorites from anywhere. Several of them expressed interest in doing this again, and possibly several times a year, including Paul Erano, Myk Daigle, and David Nishimura, who also called this show a model for smaller shows, which was an honor, especially coming from David. I'm thinking very seriously of making this show happen at least a few times a year, and I will certainly let everyone know if or when the next show happens. I hope we'll be able to see you in the future. 

[inkstainedruth]

  On 10/4/2023 at 12:16 AM, toggle67 said:

It's too bad you weren't able to make it. It went really well, thank you for asking. I'm so sorry to hear of your exhausting weekend - I'm sure you're glad that it's a memory now. 

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Thanks.  I'll admit that I freaked out a bit when I opened a credit card bill yesterday, and was going "Where the heck is Dunkirk, New York?"  Only to remember -- "Oh yeah, that's the weekend we drove to Broadalbin and back...." 

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[greencobra]

jeez, reading this now for the first time. i haven't really been active here since i logged back on after being away for several years. the board is really slowing down as opposed to several years ago when we were crushing it. it's hard to find current posts when you do a quick scan. i've run up into many threads that were last active around 1999.

 

i'm only 60 miles away from monson, bout an hour if everything runs smooth. this pop up show, do you switch up the locations? or stay close to monson? doesn't matter, it's an easy drive. i don't have too much life getting in the way of anything, i'd like to make one. don't have anything spectacular (besides myself) to bring to show, i have common stuff really. nice pens but nothing unusual to the point anyone would want to look.

 

i think someone mentioned trades. i'd love to trade something i currently own for a nice waterman carene fp. or maybe an edson. got a thing right now for waterman inlaid nibs. yeah, i don't get it either. current production is fine, not looking for 'tique grade collectors pen.

 

anyway, back on topic, i'm sure you're planning to publish the dates of the next one and i'd like to be there if i'm able. nice job on that last one. intimate sounds good. you can spend a lot of time getting an education on pens you're not familiar with.

 

[toggle67]

  On 10/4/2023 at 10:32 PM, greencobra said:

jeez, reading this now for the first time. i haven't really been active here since i logged back on after being away for several years. the board is really slowing down as opposed to several years ago when we were crushing it. it's hard to find current posts when you do a quick scan. i've run up into many threads that were last active around 1999.

 

i'm only 60 miles away from monson, bout an hour if everything runs smooth. this pop up show, do you switch up the locations? or stay close to monson? doesn't matter, it's an easy drive. i don't have too much life getting in the way of anything, i'd like to make one. don't have anything spectacular (besides myself) to bring to show, i have common stuff really. nice pens but nothing unusual to the point anyone would want to look.

 

i think someone mentioned trades. i'd love to trade something i currently own for a nice waterman carene fp. or maybe an edson. got a thing right now for waterman inlaid nibs. yeah, i don't get it either. current production is fine, not looking for 'tique grade collectors pen.

 

anyway, back on topic, i'm sure you're planning to publish the dates of the next one and i'd like to be there if i'm able. nice job on that last one. intimate sounds good. you can spend a lot of time getting an education on pens you're not familiar with.

 

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This was originally intended to be a consolation prize for everyone who had planned on attending the large regional show that had to be cancelled this year, sadly, but the extremely enthusiastic response I received about the show from both attendees and vendors was such that I'm seriously looking into making this a regularly occurring event, and possibly a few times a year. Several seasoned vendors agreed with me that there is a real need for small shows, and lots more of them, and David Nishimura called this a model for such shows, which was a real honor, and it made me feel quite good about everything about the show. I will certainly let everyone know about future shows, and they will probably be at the same venue in Monson.