I had the pleasure of dropping by Wonder Pens in Toronto and thought it would be a great subject for the magazine Pen World.
The editor agreed, and Jon and Liz Chan and their store are in the October issue. While the story itself isn't online, you can read Liz's blog about it!
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I spent Christmas in New Orleans, and not far from my hotel, I discovered Papier Plume, a lovely store on Royal Street in the French Quarter.
Well, someone had to play Santa, and so I bought myself this beautiful Jean-Pierre Lepine Attila fountain pen. It's made from a solid block of celluloid and has a lovely sheen, and like all Lepine pens, it's a beautiful writer. What a great find!
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Just a few days after placing my order, I receive my stuff from Wonder Pens in Toronto, via the mail. I got a TWSBI piston-fill fountain pen, a pack of Field Notes (lovely little notebooks), and a refillable cartridge for my Kaweco pen.
And they threw in a couple of goodies as well! C'mon, who doesn't love the Miracle Fish fortune teller?
Great service, and exactly as advertised. I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship.
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There's a new pen and paper retailer in Toronto - Wonderpens, at 906 Dundas Street West. I haven't had a chance to visit the store in person, but I've gone through the website, and I'll be ordering some things. Shipping is a flat-rate $7.00 across Canada.
The site includes a great blog, too.
It's nice to see a store like this in Toronto. There are some great shops that carry the high-end stuff, like Laywine's and B. Sleuth & Statesman, and then you get a couple of the entry-level Cross fountain pens at big-box stores like Staples, but it's hard to find someplace that does the nice mid-range stuff by itself.
And when you're finished at Wonder Pens, go down to Queen Street to The Paper Place. It's the old Japanese Paper Place, and it carries a magnificent selection of fine Japanese papers, book binding supplies, and other really cool stuff.
After writing all that, I'm starting to get the urge ... I need to make a trip into Toronto!
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I recently purchased some items from Stylus Fine Pens in Edmonton, Alberta. It's one of the few places that carries those marvellous Blackwing Palomino pencils, as well as blotting paper, and a lovely jet-black ink from Noodler's (okay, so now you know my order).
Check it out. The online ordering was simple, and everything arrived in the mail quickly. I love it when I can get great service and a wide assortment of items, without having to pay the duty charges on a U.S. shipment.
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I went to Toronto yesterday to visit Paper Things, a wonderful store in Yorkville. Not only does it carry all sorts of beautiful paper and journals, and prints stationery and invites (some of the work is done in-house), but all proceeds from the store's sales go to help fund the National Ballet of Canada.
I'll be writing about this store in a future issue of Pen World magazine, so stay tuned!
(And I can hear you saying, "Did you buy anything while you were there?" Well, what do you think?!)
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I was in Montreal for a couple of days, and while wandering about, I happened upon Papeterie Nota Bene, a lovely little paper store. So of course I had to buy something. I picked up some lovely Japanese papers, and then noticed jars of odd pencils with black erasers. I need another pencil like a hole in the head. But that didn't stop me from buying this one.
It's a Palomino Blackwing 602, and I bought it over the other Palomino pencils there because it has a tag written on it in gold - Half the pressure, twice the speed. Of course I had to find out.
I sharpened it this morning and ... oh my my. In order to describe it, let's just say that it writes the way a chocolate cream melts on your tongue. It's almost liquid in the way it puts down a line on the paper. If you love pencils, you have to try one of these. And if you don't love pencils, try one anyway. You will then love pencils!
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I missed Fountain Pen Hospital's Spring Pen Expo, but a New York radio station didn't. You can read all about it - and hear the broadcast - by clicking here.
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I should have taken my camera for a picture, but I was walking and so I wanted to travel light ... I'm in New York for the New York Auto Show. I've been buying pens by mail order from Fountain Pen Hospital for many years, but this is the first time I've been near the showroom. (The odd name is because the company, which is now 65 years old, started out primarily repairing pens.)
Okay, it was a half-hour walk, but I had to see it. What a great store. Nice people, lots of good pens, great service. I was going to buy one pen. I bought two. Hey, if I'm in the neighborhood, I might as well stock up.
You can visit them online at Fountain Pen Hospital.
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In the February issue of Pen World magazine, I have a story on what I like to see from pen retailers, entitled "Details Make The Difference." You can see it by clicking here.
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