When Bob ( THE DC Pen Show guy) invited Vanness to join in the DC Pen Show and show off Akkerman ( among other items) for the masses, I had to think about it. I heard stories of sleepless nights, long meal-less days and anxiety of over the top pen enthusiasts. Don't get me wrong; I was thrilled at being asked to join this large well known shin-dig.
The Vanness shop is not known for our on the road operation. We like our little corner of Little Rock, Arkansas and occasionally mosey to other southern locations; not many though.
After MANY conversations with customers and family ( and of course the greatest assistant in pen dom- Wendi) we decided to join the mayhem.
I could spend days writing of the details and anxiety related to staffing, deciding what to leave behind and the various travel scenarios we encountered; but I will spare everyone those little tidbits.
The Akkerman samples and many other ink brands and boxes arrived in DC by Van/ SUV (special thanks to Sam Highsmith and Jay Grelan). Wendi and I hand carried the LE pens by plane.
Thursday afternoon when we arrived at the hotel- pen sharing/ comparing/ trading was already taking over the hotel lobby. The ink table was taking shape, excitement was building. Wendi and I shared hugs with old friends and new, attended a few evening parties and tried to glean a few tips from the experienced professionals. Heading to our room for the night we noticed a few people testing ink. YEAH - maybe people will like the brands of ink we brought to the show.
Fast forward Friday- alarm goes off a little earlier than expected. Might as well get some breakfast. SOOO glad I grabbed that meal! We begin set up- ink sells as fast as we can set it out. uh oh- its noon- we aren't fully set up- AND we run out of Turquoise. Wendi and I are shaking our heads in disbelief. The Vanness pen team is the first booth you see when entering the show, and the first thing people grab is the ink, lots of it. Friday at 5:00 we are tired, hungry and out of several colors in
multiple brands. Doug, one of the assistants said he wouldn't have believed it if he hadn't seen it. He really thought I had over packed on ink. The REAL Show is Saturday- we need a plan- we need to change our set up, we need food. We got a few hours of sleep, full bellies and more socialization than even an extrovert can handle.
Saturday - I can't sleep, fear of the unkown, and overwhelming feeling of wanting to please all the people all the time takes over my senses. This was a team effort- and our team was superb (thnk goodness). I see crowds all the way around the inside of the building. The WHOOSH- its like black Friday at the ink Department. Vanness ink Department. I later find out a woman had tears in her eyes when she realized we were out of her choices on ink. WOW. Just WOW.
The day wears on; I work with pens and Wendi and Doug handle ink. Pilot, Sailor, Akkerman, Parker, Waterman, Pelikan. Normally those inks don't make a full sentence, but in this case it does. Its a statement- INK. I am trying to focus- hunger sets in, I can't leave. We take turns eating little bits of food.
Note: It’s Lisa and it’s November 2019- that show led to more shows than we ever dreamed- and I never wrote another blog post. This unfinished piece made me smile; so I left it as it was. I hope you like it too.
Time to dust off my blog? I just might...
