This weekend I vended at the new On the Paper Trail LIVE event in Nashville, TN. The event opened on Friday afternoon and continued through Sunday afternoon. I dragged my sweet husband Bob along with me to be the face of the table while I taught some workshops and, you know… shopped a little!
The Vendors at the Event:
There were approximately six or so vendors at this event which doesn’t seem like much but 100% covered the bases for most people: a nib grinder, a pen maker, three pen shops with an assortment of stationery products, a pen distributor, a 3D maker or accessories and … me, with stickers, stamps and washi and more.
We even overheard someone say this was their first event and they were so overwhelmed! Can you imagine if they had gone to DC or SF first?
So, while it was a small event, I hope it was a good experience for the attendees with a decent array of products to see and try.
Activities at the event:
Someone kindly captured a photo of me teaching the Make Your Own Junk Journal workshop which I always forget to do. Everyone had fun building their own notebooks and beginning to fill them with ephemera.
On Friday night, Derek of DWRDNet hosted a type-in, with 17+ typewriters available for people to try out with an array of styles, typefaces, designs and details. He gave a wonderful presentation introducing new folks to typewriters and then the clicking and clacking commenced. Some folks just played, others wrote letters and I just admired them all.
Olive Octopus hosted an Ink Pony Club event where everyone got to try different papers and use ink to paint the artwork printed on the pages. The lobby of the hotel was a perfect place to relax and paint and make new friends.
There was also two different washi tape events: how to use washi and a washi tape swap event but I forgot to get pictures. Just imagine Jaclyn of Kaleidocraft absolutely killing it with cool demos and activities!
Stuff I acquired:
I want to mention how incredibly kind and thoughtful the stationery community is. Everything pictured above (except for a few items not shown like two jars of jam from Kristy which is in my fridge because I already opened them). I cannot tell you how touched I am by how generous and thoughtful everyone is.
There was also a Swap table where people could leave things they weren’t using or no longer wanted and pick up things you might like. I grabbed the spider web washi, the absolutely amazing 8-bit Pokemon-style playing cards and the astrology banner in the background. I have been to a couple other events that had this but I absolutely love this aspect and how generous folks are. The fear is always that one person will walk up and dump the entire contents in their bag and leave but that has never happened. People are always so sweet saying “Oh, I don’t want to take too much!” and “I didn’t bring anything so I can’t take anything.” The point of a swap table is to find something new while also unloading some things you no longer need. If you didn’t bring anything this time, remember to pay it forward somehow later whether you bring items to the next event or pack a box of things for a neighbor, co-worker, friend or family member. Sharing the joy of our hobby is half the fun. Anything left at the end of the weekend gets collected to take to the next local pen club meet-up, a local craft supply reuse shop or charity shop. It will all find its proper home.
I also got the latest Ink Pony Club packet from OliveOctopus and a couple bottles of ink. Some of the students in my workshops gave me treats and treasures like the jewel star, a box of vintage paper and a skein of “tourist yarn” since I was unable to venture out to the local yarn shop during the weekend.
Thanks to everyone for their kindness and generosity.
I bought two lovely pens. The first is the very perfect lime green Pilot MR special edition (Japan Exclusive). I can’t even find it online anywhere but The Gentleman Stationer had it so call or email there if you need one too. I also had Bill, the sale rep for Pilot, show me his beloved Pilot E95s (he says he’s been carrying it in his shirt pocket for decades) and that was all it took to convince me to buy my own finally.
I think the two pens look stunning together and I’m happy to have them in my collection.
Cool things I saw:
Final Thoughts:
On the Paper Trail LIVE was a very small event but featured a good assortment of vendors in a city that has not had a pen and stationery event until now. And this event focused on demos, activities and classes and made sure there were lots of places for attendees to sit, hand out, meet other people and just hang out. I think expanding the focus of stationery events beyond the marketplace is a way to make it fun, interactive and educational. I am definitely pencilling this event on my calendar for 2027. Are you?