Scriptus Toronto Pen Show - Sunday, October 29th

It's that time of year again! Leaves and hot tea and books and Scriptus, our favourite annual meeting of fountain pen enthusiasts. It's a one day pen show, where retailers like us, vintage pen restorers and repairers, and other stationery related folks all gather together and show off some analogue tools. This year it's taking place Sunday, October 29th, from 10 am to 4 pm, at the Toronto Reference Library. The library is big, but on the day of, there will be signs from the front entrance pointing you all the way to Appel Salon on the second floor where the pen show is hosted. You can see more information on the official Scriptus website. At Scriptus, there's lots happening. There are, of course, modern and vintage pens for sale, inks and notebooks, pen storage, calligraphy supplies. The 2017 Show Ink, Confederation Brown, is made by KWZ, and it's an olive, army brown green. The last two years of show inks have sold out very quickly, even with a 2-bottle per person limit, so it's best to pick up the ink early! There's a raffle, where you can purchase tickets to enter to win several different prizes. You can see many of the prizes offered on the Scriptus Facebook page, and follow along for more updates and details leading up to the show. We donated an Edison Collier and some Kobe Ink (No. 8 Arima Amber) and a button! Obviously the button is the real score ;) This year there is also a Show Pen, a beautiful red ebonite fountain pen made by Bexley, limited to 150 numbered pieces. The pen is available for pre-order or purchase even if you don't attend the show. Jon ordered one for me, and I can't wait to see it. It will be my first Bexley! And we have our own surprises in store. Special Scriptus postcards and special Scriptus buttons...what excitement! Like last year, we'll have a few colourful things from our friends at Franklin-Christoph. It's a mixed blessing, really, because I have to stop myself from keeping them all myself. I sort of to keep it together when I see folks fingering my favourites. Also very exciting, we have some brand new inks to debut at the show, and which we'll be carrying regularly after - I think this may be the first time they're available for sale from within Canada! Last year I know a few folks were disappointed we didn't bring everything they wanted to see or try out at the show, so if you come and visit us at the show, you can pick up a card for 5% off store wide at brick and mortar shop, only good for the day of the pen show (Sunday, October 29th, 2017). Our shop will be open from 1-5 pm. If you have something in particular you'd like to see feel free to send us an email or leave a comment in the blog. I can't make any promises (wouldn't Jon just love that), as we have limited room on our tables, but more importantly in the cars, but if there's a lot of interest, we'll definitely keep it in mind. If you'd like to pick up an online order please call ahead to make sure we get to it in time. We process orders as they come in, but please touch base with us to make we've got everything. If you don't hear back from us, likely we have not processed your in-store pick-up order yet, and will not have packed it up for the show. In case you missed it or will be missing it, here are blog posts from our visits to the show 2016, 2015, and 2014. Last year was our first year exhibiting, and it was a blast. You can tell we're big fans of this show. Bonus content: I "interviewed" Philip Akin, one of the show's organizers, about the show a year or two back.

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In other news, we finally had our baby! As predicted by doctors, midwives and strangers alike, she turned out to be big: 8 lbs 4oz. Thanks, Jon. We had hoped and expected baby girl to arrive early October and possibly even late September, but our goose needed a bit more cooking, and with some unexpected drama at the arrival, we're only now starting to settle in. Given my completely unfounded optimism, I had thought I would have a few weeks to adjust while preparing for Scriptus, but of course that was not to be - here we are with just under a week to go and a warehouse that has been upended. In the US, where there are a number of major pen shows throughout the year, there are a few retailers who attend several shows. It's times like these I wish I could be a bug on the wall and see how the experts prepare. Jon and I and the team have been planning and preparing while looking at each other and saying, uhhh hmmm...oh right, yes, that sounds like a good idea. Last year seemed to go alright, but it's all a blur now so we can't quite remember what we did. Jon and I look at each other over the dinner table and say things like "that square credit card reader still works right? where is that thing?" In any case, I hope to see some of you there! Please come and say hello, unless, of course, the baby is terrorizing me, in which case pretend like you don't notice us. I probably will personally only be there for the first half with the new baby and Caleb, before heading home early, but the team will be there all day long. I'm a bit sad to be missing out on the fun - the morning is the best sort of chaos and craziness, but I love the afternoon when it slows down a bit, and we can take a breath and we might even get a chance to walk around for ourselves. I can hardly believe the expansion and sprawl of our lives and our family and our business over the last five years - it seems like just yesterday Caleb unfurled into the world, shrieking and oogling and wiggling around. As you might imagine, everyone has greeted the new baby in their own way: Chicken has stayed aloof, occasionally coming in for a sniff while the baby is sleeping but otherwise watching from a distance, Super has stuck his snout right in for a few good licks every time he gets the chance, and Caleb wants to get involved in every way possible. It's funny what Caleb has picked up on, and his excitement at changing diapers and buttoning up onesies is both endearing and terrifying to watch in action.