Show Report

[Nick]

Well I'm back from Chicago and man was it just incredible. Alot of
work, but still just an awesome expirience. We arrived at the resort around 10:00 pm on Thursday night. The drive really wasn't too bad. We should have been there earlier, but Premal had to take care of a few things for his father. So we didn't leave Columbus until 3:00 pm. Before we were even unloaded, Premal and Nick - the third person who came to help at the show was named Nick too - had already seen a few buddies and were being offered drinks. Anyway, we unloaded quickly and found ourselves being offered Mint Julips. Ohh boy, did I get a bit tipsy! More than tipsy I think. Friday morning came around with a painful ache. Premal stayed up all night - he's nuts! -and woke me up at 6:00 am to see if I wanted to come down and get a table for the Friday pre-show. Well, I thought about it for one (painful) minute and told him that I wasn't going to make it. The other Nick skipped the pre-show too.

I got up about 7 am, and imbibed great quantities of coffee. Down at the convention hall, people were already lined up, and the show didn't officially open for another hour. Exhibitors were let in to set up just after 8:00. That day I met Peter Heeshen, Paulo Becker and Bruto Sordini of Don Carlos. Bruto and I had a ball. His poor wife had to translate for us all day long. We sold a few pipes, not too many, but a few. I totally found the best bargain at the show. I was checking out Per Billhall's table, man he has some pretty pipes, and there was the well used looking pipe kind of off to the side. Being curious, I picked it up. Turns out this was an old "friend of the shop" pipe that Sixten Ivarson made. He used to make pipes for his friends. I was totally psyched to see it. It was really neat to be holding the pipe in my hand. Anyway, Per comes up to chat with me, telling me that he has Lars identify the pipe because the stamp is very worn down. Apparently, Lars was able to heat the wood and bring out the stamping better and said that his father made the pipe in 1975. Just out of curiosity, I asked how much the pipe was. Per hemmed and hawed finally saying $400. "Four hundred??" I think to myself. "I can totally afford four hundred." I offered $350 for the pipe and he took my offer! WOOOHOOOO!!! Sixten Ivarrson! How totally cool is that?? My trip was made and we hadn't even been there a day.

Friday night we spread all the pipes we brought out on the bed, table and virtually every flat surface in the room. People wandered around the hotel, checking out all the open rooms. We sold a few pipe, nothing too exciting. I got to stroll around the hotel. Met Tom Eltang, saw some gorgeous pipes. The one that really stood out was a 1924 Parker magnum. Ohh man it was so pretty! Friday night we crashed pretty early. I think we closed the room around 11:00 pm and were in bed by 11:45.

Saturday was awesome. The convention hall where ths how was is about the size of three soccer fields. And it was just crammed with table after table filled with pipes! Ohhh boy, I was in heaven. I went around drooling over pipes. I asked a ton of folks for critique on my pipes. I talked to Roland Negotia, Todd Johnson, Martin Volmer and Anders Nielson, Jess Chonowitsch, Kjeld Sonderson, and a few others whose names just aren't coming to me at the moment. I'll have to look at the list of folks again. Anyway, it was totally cool! They all gave me great tips and critique. Martin Volmer even came back up to me Sunday and said he'd been thinking of what he said and had a few other things to add. Too neat. Ohh! I also shook Bo Nordh's hand too. Ho cool is that?

Saturday evening I sold a bunch of pipes. Quite a few folks wanted my Roland Horn, but I wasn't about to party with it. Premal took me, Nick and a few others out to dinner. I had a nice steak! Yumm!

Sunday was much slower, which allowed me to walk around more. I picked up a new drill bit, a pipe by a new Spanish maker - Martin Rafiel, I think his name was - a Red Hat pipe by Kjeld Sorenson a Don Carlos in a really neat shape - Bruto says it was inspired by his motor cycle crash - and a Brian Ruthenburg with an awesome blast. I was really looking for a nice Castello 55 too, but I only saw three and the prices weren't right, so I passed. We packed up and left the show about 7:00 pm, much later than we'd hoped too. I didn't get back to Columbus until about 3 am. Man I was beat. I stayed home Monday, recuperating and doing little things around the house. It is really good to be home. I missed Lauri and the kids a ton. I chatted with them everyday, several times a day. Nick and Premal were very restrained in the grief thay gave me for being so sappy on the phone. Hehehe. I totally can't wait to get back down into the shop and put into practice some of the tips I got.

Ohh! My buddy JP was there too. He moved to Michigan a while back so it was nice to be able to catch up with him.

[achduliebe]

That's very cool Nick. I am very jealous. Hopefully I will make it up for the show next year or the year after...we'll see how things go.

[sethile]

Thanks for the report. Sounds fantastic Nick! I really wanted to go. Man I'd have loved to see all that! And getting to talk with all those great pipemakers and even get tips?! I'm hoping I can make it next year. Problem is this show happens on a really tough weekend for me to get away. :boohoo:

I got to make it happen somehow though!

[josh_ford]

Thanks again for the ride, man. The show was great. I was really glad to meet those of you who I did, and sorry I missed those of you who I didn't. Can't wait 'till next year.

Josh