Hey folks!
It's amazing how quickly time flies when you go to pipe shows. Another pipe show has come and gone and all you can do is reflect on what a great time it was. I left Grand Rapids to pick up a friend in Grand Ledge (near Lansing, MI), and we arrived at the new venue, The Crown Plaza, around 9:00 p.m. Friday evening. We immediately headed for Russ Cooks room because he is a mutual friend of ours and had a great time. The room crawl, while small this year, we very much alive. I was fortunate to be able to catch up with friends like Bob Oakley and The Pipe Tart that evening because as many of you who go to pipe shows know that when you meet an old friend, the conversation is rarely brief. Unfortunately the hotel was fully booked so we had to stay off site. I think we went to bed around 2:30 and woke up at 7:30 the next day to get breakfast and head over to the show at 9:00. I was happy that excitement trumped fatigue all weekend!
I have to say that NASPC did a great job at this new venue. It was clean, the coffee was hot and fresh all day, and there was exactly enough space for a show of this size. The conference center held about 60 tables and another 6 were in the conjoining hallway outside with all but one table completely full. One of my favorite things about this show is the raffles they hold at the top of every hour. The tickets are 1 for $1. I threw a $20 at it first thing and ended up winning approximately 5 tins of tobacco, two of which I gave to new smokers because I'm not fond of aromatics. The sales this show were great, with vendors like Pipes2smoke, PipeandPint, Cornell and Diehl, Paul's Pipe Shop, about a dozen pipe makers, and another dozen tables selling estates, private collections, etc. There was even a man there selling IMP meerschaum pipes at some jaw dropping prices.
I didn't buy any pipes this show, but I was able to pick up Fred Hanna's book, "The Perfect Smoke". He was doing a meet and greet with autographs, and we talked for about 10 minutes. He is a very genuinely nice guy who urged me to email him (he pointed out the page in his book with his email) with what I thought about the book. I look forward to talking with him in the future and while I'm only 15 pages into his book, I'm thoroughly enjoying it. I also picked up a Xikar cutter for a steal, so I'm a pretty happy guy.
I was also able to meet and chat with Scott Klein and Wayne Teipen. Amazing carvers and amazing guys. I can't wait to see them at the next show. Hopefully I'll be able to leave with one of their pipes next time; their work is absolutely wild.
My only complaint was the lack of seating. I asked a few NASPC members to find some chairs and tables to put outside for the smokers because people were sitting on the ground outside and I felt bad. I told them I would do all the work bringing them in and out but was promptly ignored in the excitement and madness that goes with running a show. Luckily, some chairs showed up around 4:00 after most of the foot traffic left.
Overall, this show was great. I think the change of location was a definite benefit to the NASPC show and I'm excited to attend next year. Those of you who are hesitant to go to a show, or think that it's too expensive, think again. After room, board, gas, and stuff at the show, I spent maybe $250. Even if you show up and don't buy anything, it's still way worth it just because of the great people and experiences. I was even able to meet with a few guys from PipesMagazine!
Best,
Dan
P.S.- Sorry about the lack of photos. I know many of you HATE it. I'll do better next time!
It's amazing how quickly time flies when you go to pipe shows. Another pipe show has come and gone and all you can do is reflect on what a great time it was. I left Grand Rapids to pick up a friend in Grand Ledge (near Lansing, MI), and we arrived at the new venue, The Crown Plaza, around 9:00 p.m. Friday evening. We immediately headed for Russ Cooks room because he is a mutual friend of ours and had a great time. The room crawl, while small this year, we very much alive. I was fortunate to be able to catch up with friends like Bob Oakley and The Pipe Tart that evening because as many of you who go to pipe shows know that when you meet an old friend, the conversation is rarely brief. Unfortunately the hotel was fully booked so we had to stay off site. I think we went to bed around 2:30 and woke up at 7:30 the next day to get breakfast and head over to the show at 9:00. I was happy that excitement trumped fatigue all weekend!
I have to say that NASPC did a great job at this new venue. It was clean, the coffee was hot and fresh all day, and there was exactly enough space for a show of this size. The conference center held about 60 tables and another 6 were in the conjoining hallway outside with all but one table completely full. One of my favorite things about this show is the raffles they hold at the top of every hour. The tickets are 1 for $1. I threw a $20 at it first thing and ended up winning approximately 5 tins of tobacco, two of which I gave to new smokers because I'm not fond of aromatics. The sales this show were great, with vendors like Pipes2smoke, PipeandPint, Cornell and Diehl, Paul's Pipe Shop, about a dozen pipe makers, and another dozen tables selling estates, private collections, etc. There was even a man there selling IMP meerschaum pipes at some jaw dropping prices.
I didn't buy any pipes this show, but I was able to pick up Fred Hanna's book, "The Perfect Smoke". He was doing a meet and greet with autographs, and we talked for about 10 minutes. He is a very genuinely nice guy who urged me to email him (he pointed out the page in his book with his email) with what I thought about the book. I look forward to talking with him in the future and while I'm only 15 pages into his book, I'm thoroughly enjoying it. I also picked up a Xikar cutter for a steal, so I'm a pretty happy guy.
I was also able to meet and chat with Scott Klein and Wayne Teipen. Amazing carvers and amazing guys. I can't wait to see them at the next show. Hopefully I'll be able to leave with one of their pipes next time; their work is absolutely wild.
My only complaint was the lack of seating. I asked a few NASPC members to find some chairs and tables to put outside for the smokers because people were sitting on the ground outside and I felt bad. I told them I would do all the work bringing them in and out but was promptly ignored in the excitement and madness that goes with running a show. Luckily, some chairs showed up around 4:00 after most of the foot traffic left.
Overall, this show was great. I think the change of location was a definite benefit to the NASPC show and I'm excited to attend next year. Those of you who are hesitant to go to a show, or think that it's too expensive, think again. After room, board, gas, and stuff at the show, I spent maybe $250. Even if you show up and don't buy anything, it's still way worth it just because of the great people and experiences. I was even able to meet with a few guys from PipesMagazine!
Best,
Dan
P.S.- Sorry about the lack of photos. I know many of you HATE it. I'll do better next time!
