Being recognized at the SF Pen Show

This year at the SF Pen Show, I got to help out volunteering at a booth instead of just walking around as a visitor. Usually I'm the one browsing tables, so it was fun getting to watch people choose what to buy.

Grid notebooks and blank pages moved fast. People would pick one up, flip through a few pages, and buy it without much hesitation. Ruled notebooks sat there a lot longer. I always assumed ruled pages were the safer, more popular choice, so watching the opposite happen in real time was eye opening.

I also noticed how much easier something sold once I gave a person a small pointer. Not a sales pitch, just a quick note on how I personally use the item, or what it works well for. There was a notebook shaped horizontally instead of the usual vertical layout, and a few people picked it up not quite sure what to do with it.

I told them it's great for work, it fits right between your laptop and the edge of your desk, so it's perfect for taking notes on a Zoom call or keeping a to-do list visible outside your screen. I could see it click almost every time. They would look at the notebook again, nod, and buy it. It reminded me why I try to write about how I actually use each piece in the box, and not just what it is.

The venue itself brought back a memory too. This was the same venue as the SF Stationery Fest I attended back in March. I remember walking around that day feeling like a complete noob, still so early in this business that I barely knew how to introduce myself to people. This time around, a good handful of people recognized me. A few came up and said, "oh, you're from Paper Bento! I follow your Instagram!" We ended up having some really lovely conversations. This felt like progress to me, and it was surreal to experience how far Paper Bento has come since we started earlier this year.

Looking back, both parts of the day taught me the same thing. The notebooks people bought fastest were the ones they could actually picture using, once I gave them a reason to see it that way. I think that is also just why people remembered me this time. I've kept showing up to these events since March, being as genuine as I can be. I used to think I needed to have everything figured out before people would take me seriously. Now, I am realizing that it's more important for me to show up and keep sharing the things that matter to me.

Thanks for reading.

I hope this gave you a little window into what these shows are actually like from behind the booth.
Has there ever been a place where you noticed yourself becoming a familiar face over time? Hit reply and tell me.