Category Archives: Events

Barry is in “Pen World” Magazine!

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I was interviewed for an article that appears in the current issue of Pen World Magazine, under the “News” section. They were very interested in hearing about my participation in the Grand Central Holiday Craft Show.
Click the link below, or the picture on the left, to read the complete magazine article in PDF form:
http://www.arizonasilhouette.com/newsletter/pen-world-PW31.1_News-barry.pdf

I’ve been here in NYC for almost a month, and still have about 10 days to go. Customers from Arizona Silhouette have stopped by to say “Hello”, and it’s always nice to meet our customers in person. Lots of  pen collectors, from the various pen shows that I attend, have also come by my booth. I have even signed a few of the Pen World magazines that people brought over to me!

I’m happy to report that sales have increased this past week as we get closer to Christmas.

Happy Hanukkah to our Jewish friends and customers!

And Happy Turning to us all!

Grand Central Holiday Show Update – Day 17

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Cigar Pens

It is day 17, we are still going strong, and building momentum!  The crowds are getting bigger, and more people are stopping at the booth. At other shows people say they will be back to buy, and in my experience they do not come back, but here they actually do come back! Another observation that I did not expect was all the interest in Fountain Pens!  I made a ton of rollerball pens in the Venetian & Arcadia styles and I am glad I did.  These can easily be changed into fountain pens and I am worried I will run out of nibs – (nice thing to worry about).

Some of you asked what some of the shelves looked like close up so here is a picture of the “Cigar Section.”  Time to get some sleep – these 11 hour days are tough on an ole man!  Happy Turning – Barry

Update from the Grand Central Holiday Show in NYC

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Holiday Decorations

Wreaths at Grand Central

It is after Thanksgiving, and the Holiday decorations are up at Grand Central. The building looks even more festive. The traffic started picking up yesterday, and so did the sales.  Pens from $45 to $900 were sold, in a really wide variety of pen styles and materials.

Only 26 more days until the end of the show.  The hours are long, but the people are great! The police now know who the thief was who stole a $200 pen the first week. (I picked him out of a line up) Good luck, and many thanks, to the detectives who arrest this creep!

Well, I have to leave to get back to the booth. If you are near Grand Central Terminal please come to my little “pop-up” store! I have already enjoyed seeing many friends, students and customers stop by. It’s always a pleasure to see old friends and make new ones.

Also, best of luck to all of you who are doing their own holiday craft shows!

Happy Turning,

 

 

– Barry

Big Show Coming Up!

Events, Marketing

Sorry for not keeping up with the blog like I should, but we have been very busy lately!
We got accepted into the Grand Central Holiday Fair in NYC.  Only 40 artisans were accepted from the hundreds of applicants!  The Holiday Fair opens November 13th and runs thru December 24th.  That’s right 42 straight days from 10 AM till 8 PM every day!  Needless to say, I have been a very busy boy making LOTS and LOTS of pens for this show. In between making all these pens, I’ve been attending other shows, and will be a presenter at two upcoming woodturning symposiums.

So, in my *spare* time, I just want to share some of the more popular pens that have been selling very well for me at these craft shows.

  Sierra Grip/Gatsby type of pens always perform well made with either acrylic or stabilized wood.
  Steam Punk pen. Always a popular seller with it’s mix of metals and intricate design.
  Because of the popularity of “Game of Thrones”, the Dragon pen has been selling very well.
  The Venetian pen has been very popular for the people who wanted a rollerball / fountain style pen.

I promise I won’t take this long to keep you updated!

– Happy Turning

 

Brooklyn Museum Of Art

Events

I just finished setting up my booth for the Brooklyn Museum of Art fine craft show.  There were only 90 artists chosen for this show and I am looking forward to a good show!  If you are in the NYC area and want to see an upscale fine art show please join us either Saturday or Sunday from 11:00 AM to 6:00 PM.Tempus II

Leaving For VA Woodturning Symposium

Events

Its 8 PM and we are just finished loading the car to leave early in the morning for VA Woodturning Symposium in Fishersville, VA.  I will be demonstrating both Friday and Saturday and look forward to seeing many familiar faces and meeting new turners!  I will have my new ProX pen kit there as well as the new Polymer Clay kit.  One more surprise for those who attend, will see the Sea Shell Pen Blanks and the pens that were made from them.  Well it’s time to get on the road so I will see you in VA!

Happy Turning – Barry

DC Pen Show

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DC Pen Show Crowd

DC Pen Show Crowd on Saturday

I want to thank all my friends who visited Lenora & me this past weekend at the Washington DC Fountain Pen Show!  The crowds on Friday and Sunday were just okay but it was wall to wall people on Saturday and thankfully they were in the buying mode!

Pen Display

Pen Display before show opened on Friday

The “Jewel of Thailand” Pen (my jeweled beetle wing pen) sold well at the show and I have even received a few orders over the phone by people who saw the pen in Pen World Magazine!

 

Washington DC Fountain Pen Show

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Jewel of Thialand Tempus II I am packing up and getting ready to leave for the Washington DC Fountain Pen Show held at the Sheraton Hotel, Tysons Corner VA. this weekend, August 5,6 & 7.

This is the introduction of the “Jewel of Thailand”  pen made from jeweled beetle wings.  I will also have all the original watch part pens there as well as many other special casted pens that I make.  If you are around the Washington DC area this weekend stop by and see us!

Happy Turning – Barry

Great Pen Making Class & New Products!

Events, New Products, news
Arrowmont-2016

Arrowmont Class-2016

I want to thank all the attendees who participated in my Fine Writing Instrument Class at Arrowmont last week. Lots of pens were made, skills learned, listened to great music and more importantly,  new friendships established! We even had “our service dog” Maria add to the fun!  Experience level was from absolute beginner to intermediate but everyone learned something including me! A special thanks to Dan who taught all of us about fountain pens and nibs – thanks Dan!

Steve W.'s pens in just a week!

Steve W.’s pens in just a week!

Take a look at Steve’s pen – nice job Steve!

While I was teaching at Arrowmont we received a number of New Products in the warehouse that I want to share with you.  The Motorcycle Ballpoint Pen kit has really taken off and we have a few special blanks that just arrived for the Motorcycle pen kit.  A special motorcycle pen blank  was created for this kit and it is an exclusive for Arizona SIlhouette.  New Kallenshaan Inlay kits were designed such as the    Flames Inlay kit and the Skulls Inlay kit. Speaking of skulls, we received new skull inlay kits for the Sierra and the Skulls Pen.  Polymer Clay pen blanks are back in stock but not for long.  We received 19 of them in and only 11 are left and it has only been a few days!  Last, but certainly not least we are now an Alumilite and Pearl Ex Dealer!  We have Alumilite Clear and Alumilite White casting resins along with Alumilite Dyes and Metallic Powders.  Our Pearl Ex selection has over 19 different Pearl Ex powders to choose from.  In addition, we are starting to offer stabilized Burl Casting Material (live edge pieces) to go along with all the Alumilite and Pearl Ex products!  So take a peek at the New Products section of the website for all the new products we just received.

Happy Turning – Barry

Arrowmont – Here We Come!!

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It is busy around here after a short holiday week but all is ready for the week long class at Arrowmont School of Arts & Crafts.  This week will be a bit different since I will have Dan Symonds assisting me with the class.  Dan is an accomplished pen designer and maker so it will be fun to have his unique input to the class!

Flames Inlay on Motorcycle Pen Kit

Flames Inlay on Motorcycle Pen Kit

The class will make at least 10 different pens with different finishes plus a kaleidoscope. I will be taking some Motorcycle Inlay and pen kits to the class to demonstrate how to assemble an inlay kits.   Dan will offer his unique perspective on fountain pens and show how to properly align, clean and tune a nib for an optimal fountain pen writing experience!

We will take plenty of pictures of all the pen creations for you to see.  Have a good week – Happy Turning – Barry