Is It Just My Area?

[Roseofsharon]

Hey guys, over the last couple of days I've been out to the shops to purchase inks, pens and stationery. However what I've noticed is you can buy fp's at most places but writing paper (by that i mean proper pretty sheets of paper, not just the functional) and coloured bottled ink are almost impossible to find. I found a tiny selection of feminine writing paper in one shop and most even if they sell fp's don't even sell cartridges any more let alone bottled ink of varying colours.

 

Do you all purchase your writing paper and inks online? Or is it my area that is the problem? Are there stores in the uk that still do these things?

[rwilsonedn]

I don't know about the UK, but in the States it is not uncommon to find an office supply chain store that has a few Cross fountain pens, no cartridges, no bottled ink, and only various kinds of printer paper for "stationery". I think the managers who order stock have no idea that a fountain pen requires supplies that are not ink-jet cartridges.

Here, if you can find a real stationer, or far less likely, a pen shop, you treasure it. So yes, most of my purchases now are of necessity on-line.

ron

[Intellidepth]

Definitely online. I need to travel to one shop in a major city several hours away to buy anything other than a Lamy. While they stock a fair bit, it is still limited.

 

As for pretty stationery, you could purchase good plain paper stock from a stationer that also supplies matching lined envelopes and print it yourself.

 

I tend to buy plainer quality correspondence cards with deckled edges and lined envelopes. By the time I've used a coloured ink in a flex pen to write the message, decorated a letter or two, and sealed the envelope with coloured wax and decorative seal, it takes on its own kind of pretty. People seem to love that.

 

Regarding writing letters to pen pals here on FPN, I was more interested in finding paper stock that didn't bleed or feather. I've found a blue stock that I can put through a printer, but not really a good white yet that I'm completely happy with.

[Pickwick]

I have a Sister living in London and she Buys Basildon Bond writing tablets in W.H. Smith which is excellent letter writing paper.

[jar]

There's a pretty active pen posse in the London area I understand. London 'The Hole' Geek Gathering. I'm sure they can help you.

[domnortheast]

It's not great these days on the highstreet for decent paper, inks and pens. Most stationers stock a standard range - Basildon Bond paper, Parker and Lamy pens and Quink.

 

Rymans is fairly good for stuff, WH Smith. There're the various branches of The Pen Shop but usually expensive.

 

It is worth doing an online search for independent stationers in your area, they can still be found although my experience has been hit and miss as they have to cater to the mass market.

 

Shopping online has proved the best method with excellent shops like Cult Pens, The Writing Desk and Purepens having a good supply of all the items.

 

Dom

[Roseofsharon]

Thanks guys. I go to university in London, so shall scavenge around some of the stores on oxford Street and bond street.

 

I have found a couple of options online alread.

[Rhianna1001]

I live in Chesham in Buckinghamshire on the outskirts of London and work in a stationers we sell Basildon Bond writing pads and other pretty writing papers we also sell a range of coloured bottled ink as well and from a range of brands

[peterg]

There is an excellent art shop in Great Russell Street (between Tottenham Court Road & Gower Street). Even if they haven't got writing paper it is worth a visit.

[missuslovett]

If you're in London, Paperchase has its flagship store in Tottenham Court Road and they do student concessions. I haven't been in a long while but they have a very extensive stock of paper of all kinds, notebooks etc. Their website might be a help also...

 

http://www.paperchase.co.uk/

[Lubee]

I don't find much thats good in terms of fountain pens or paper on the hight street in general but I am very lucky to have a local independent http://www.writeherekitenow.co.uk in Shrewsbury that is a mecca for people like me Plenty of things to drool over - pens, paper and other bits and bobs, and always happy to dispense free advice without any hard sell.

[chunya]

I live in a small village in Derbyshire and the nearest 'small town' has a stationers that has been in business for over 50 years . They used to be absolutely brilliant when we first moved here 25 years ago ... but they've shrunk their floor-space by half in the last 10 years, business has fallen off quite dramatcally.... and now they sell blue-black Quink bottles, and that is it.... no cartridges. Many of the original staff/owners seem to be taking a back seat nowadays, and when I called in to stock up on FP friendly pads, the young chap behind the counter really had no idea what I meant. The fact that most papers will bleed was completly new to him. Sometimes you want to support the local businesses to provide some buffer for them from the internet, but you can't put the genie back into the bottle.

[da vinci]

Thanks guys. I go to university in London, so shall scavenge around some of the stores on oxford Street and bond street.

 

I have found a couple of options online alread.

There are some great but expensive shops/boutiques in Bond Street. MB, Smythson and Penfriend. There's a Penfriend in The strand and a pen shop in Oxford street. For more options in addition to Rymans check out Muji branches and Foyles in Piccadilly. Then you have Harrods and Selfridges. And not least the WES show in October Edited May 31, 2015 by da vinci

[Beechwood]

I appreciate that this is out of area but Jespers in Harrogate has a substantial fountain pen selection:

 

http://www.jespers4stationery.co.uk/index.html

[Chrissy]

I buy mainly from online sources.

 

Amazon.co.uk, Bureau Direct, The Journal Shop, Cult Pens and ebay among others.

Edited May 31, 2015 by Chrissy

[chunya]

I buy mainly from online sources.

 

Amazon.co.uk, Bureau Direct, The Journal Shop, Cult Pens and ebay among others.

If you buy on-line, then Cult pens are brilliant, fast, great list and and so inexpensive!

[Cryptos]

I've just noticed that our local cheap-store (The Warehouse) stocks Clairefontaine Trophee paper in the printer-paper section. They have all the colours in 80gsm for about $18 for 500 sheets, and cream 160gsm for around $24 for 250 sheets. Those prices are tempting but I haven't seen a review anywhere that says if the paper is okay for wet inks.

[AAAndrew]

I also had trouble finding correspondence sheets that weren't either completely blank, or had a more feminine image. So, I created my own using an image from an old magazine.

 

I have this version with lines, and another without. This is for a half-page sheet.

 

 

I print it on HP Premium Laser paper. or you can use a nice cotton formal correspondence paper you can get in a lot of office supply stores.

 

I keep meaning to clean up some more old images and make more choices for stationary.