LA Pen Show Report 2014: Other People’s Money
The theme for this year’s report is other people’s money (OPM). This report reflects my own interests in the pen world is shaped by the pictures I take at the show. Farmboy and I are running and financing the 2014 San Francisco Pen show with our secret third member. Actually, it’s not that much of a secret but….. Thus I spent a great deal of time promoting the SF show and less time focused on taking pictures and buying pens. Thank god because this was a buying show. The last two years I was struggling to find pens to buy while this year I had to make some tough decisions regarding which pens to buy and which pens to leave behind.
The second event that loomed over the show was the weather in the Eastern part of the United States. Coming into the show week, a huge storm brought ice and snow to parts of the country not used to that kind of weather. The storm then proceeded north creating more havoc for people in the Northeast. This did have an affect on the show since many did not make the show and had to cancel. Some notable people including Paul Erano and Bill Weakley did not make the show. In addition, a few others did not make the show due to other reasons including Pendelton Brown.
After the fiasco of two years ago where I was munching on breakfast in Northern California while Loren was texting me a message on how much he had already bought at 9 am, I decided to always arrive on Wednesday. Thus I woke early to have an incredibly over priced breakfast and head off to the show at 8 am. The usual suspects were already in the room. Every time a new person arrives and sets up, a crowd forms like a pool of ravenous piranhas.
Thursday
Here, Rob Lott staring to put things out and a crowd begins to form.
Still, the room was a bit less crowded than last year because several of the people who missed the show due to weather are regulars on Thursday morning.
The side hallway areas is deserted as usual on Thursday.
For all those that remember our Pen Posse Saga of Loren’s MB 236, the story continued at the show. Farmboy determined that the barrel could not be saved. Loren found Osman Sumer early on Thursday morning for a second opinion and to see whether a donor part could be found.
In the end, Osman did not have a donor barrel but would sell Loren another MB 236. Loren decided the best course of action is a bionic (i.e. modern custom made) barrel replacement. Stay tuned.
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