Editing The Pen Addict 720/transcript (section)

== Background in Stationery ==


'''Brad Dowdy:''' Yeah, even better. All right. So before we get into all of this stuff that we got to get into, I want to talk about your background in stationery. Because like I said, we just met a couple years ago, three years ago. And just met at pen shows, probably in Orlando, I think. Yeah. Orlando pen show for the first time.

'''Toni Palumbo:''' Yeah, but it was so funny because I think that was like only my second or third time at Orlando. And I didn't know who you were. And I don't know if you noticed, but everyone at our table was freaking out. How did you get a table with Brad? And I was like, Brad, what do you mean? Because I mean, I've started listening to your podcast since then. And I have a couple more that I listen to. But back then, I really wasn't listening to them. They're like, do you know him personally? I was like, no. No.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' Too funny. Yeah. Yeah. I'm a nobody. Nobody knows me. No. Not at pen shows. Everyone knows me. No. But I want to know how you got to that pen show in the first place, right? Like when did stationery start to become part of your life? Were you like an early in life kid who loved all the school supply stuff? Yes. Tell me about when you first like realized you like this stuff.

'''Toni Palumbo:''' So I was like the three-year-old obsessed with school supplies. So my mom told me it like started that young. Wow. So I went to private Catholic school and we didn't have like, oh, the clothes that you would wear to school. So I was always the one with the binder and sheet protectors. And in it would be like Staples, Office Max, Office Depot, Target, Walmart, and every single supply I would want. And I'd make all my notes and then hand the binder over to my mom and be like, this is what we're going to do for the next two days. And she'd be like, ugh. But I mean, she was always very supportive, but it was like, okay, well, we're going to get a pen case from Target. We're going to get the backpack from Office Max. And that I always, even in school, people knew like, oh, if you need a pen, a pencil, an eraser, anything, go to Tony.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' Yeah. I remember like being that person. Did you have like the, the, your least favorite product set aside so you didn't have to hand over the good products? Oh, absolutely. Yeah. You have to have, I call it when, you know, when I'm older and in the office, I always called it a bait cup. Like, you know, I just leave a cup out of my desk of the stuff that I didn't want.

'''Toni Palumbo:''' So, you know, when I worked at theater, I worked at theater for like five years and I had a Toyo steel box with all my very expensive pens and pencils and erasers. And you mainly used pencils in theater so you could erase. Mm-hmm. And then I had like a children's school box. I would throw all the actors if they forgot their pencil, their eraser, their highlighter, and they never knew the difference. Like they didn't even notice.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' No. They probably thought it was the greatest thing ever. Yes. And you're like, eh, eh, it's all right. It's good for you. Right. It's good for you. Yeah. So when you were, when you were a kid back in school, did you have any favorites? Like, did you, was there any particular items that, that stood out? Like I remember like back when I was in school, which is a long time ago, the original paper made eraser made came out and it was just a tragedy of a, of a product. It was a horrible product, but it was super popular. Did you have anything that you remember using or, or loving at the time?

'''Toni Palumbo:''' You know, I recently found it and I hope I didn't lose it. It could be in our storage unit, but I believe it was Bic made a pen with, it was a half circle and it was a click. It went from side to side.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' Okay.

'''Toni Palumbo:''' And I had like a bunch of those in every color. And it's so funny because I loved the shape so much. I recently kept it. And also I just saw it like a couple of years ago and I knew that day I should have just bought it and I didn't, but it was those pencil cases that were two sided and had the built in sharpener.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' Oh yeah.

'''Toni Palumbo:''' And had all the little compartments. I love those. They just like popped back up at target a couple of years ago and it was really, really kiddish. And I thought, no, I won't get it, but I should have just taken it for the design alone.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' Yeah, for sure. You, you got like, I, as we know, I, I very much like a childish and kiddish thing. So you just got to go for it. You just got to send it, send it and get the, get the silly stuff.

'''Toni Palumbo:''' Hopefully target will bring it back.