Montreal Pen stores?

[Federalist Pens]

Greetings,

 

I'm going back to Montreal in June for the F1 race. I've been there twice before, but have not looked for pen shops previously :embarrassed_smile: !

Are there any retail/vintage shops in Montreal (Old Montreal)? Of course, they need to be open on weekends!

 

[goldkiwi]

Greetings,

 

I'm going back to Montreal in June for the F1 race. I've been there twice before, but have not looked for pen shops previously :embarrassed_smile: !

Are there any retail/vintage shops in Montreal (Old Montreal)? Of course, they need to be open on weekends!

 

I haven't actually been to the retail shop, but I've purchased from Russell at Nota Bene and have been very pleased! Probably a good idea to contact them to see if they're going to be open that weekend

[Seville]

http://www.marcuslink.com/pens/review2a.html

 

This would be a good place to start.

 

Philip

[Federalist Pens]

Thank you for that link Seville! I can see there are a few stores in the area.

I will check out a couple when I'm there!

 

Goldkiwi, thanks also for the link to Nota Bene!

 

Frank

[Samovar]

I can strongly suggest both Nota Bene and Boutique du Stylo http://www.stylo.ca on Sainte-Catherine in the underground shopping mall. It's your best source and it's open on the week-end.

 

Enjoy the race weekend.

[Federalist Pens]

I can strongly suggest both Nota Bene and Boutique du Stylo http://www.stylo.ca on Sainte-Catherine in the underground shopping mall. It's your best source and it's open on the week-end.

 

Enjoy the race weekend.

 

Thanks Samovar! I plan to visit the store downtown. I park my truck Friday night at the hotel, and leave it till Monday!

I learned the hard way the first year I was there (parking ticket plus cab fees from the parking area to the track).

I take the metro around town now!

 

 

 

[elachance]

Hi,

 

I can also recommend la Maison du Stylo, on Union St. The old couple that operates the shop are very kind and helpful. They also had a nice selection of paper (Clairefontaine, etc.). Also, if you're heading to Crescent St. to meet with the other F1 fans, you might stumble upon a cigar shop on Ste-Catherine (sorry; can't remember the name). They don't carry alot of pens, but they sometimes have older discontinued pens at a good price (that's where I found a replacement nib for a Lauréat 1 a few years ago). And while in Montreal, make sure you have poutine! (I'll gladly suggest more "sophisticated" delicacies if you're interested).

 

Élaine

[oreca]

Interesting thread. Enjoy the Grand Prix, I'll be there as well, in grandstand 31.

 

It will be a blast I'm sure.

[Federalist Pens]

Hi,

 

I can also recommend la Maison du Stylo, on Union St. The old couple that operates the shop are very kind and helpful. They also had a nice selection of paper (Clairefontaine, etc.). Also, if you're heading to Crescent St. to meet with the other F1 fans, you might stumble upon a cigar shop on Ste-Catherine (sorry; can't remember the name). They don't carry alot of pens, but they sometimes have older discontinued pens at a good price (that's where I found a replacement nib for a Lauréat 1 a few years ago). And while in Montreal, make sure you have poutine! (I'll gladly suggest more "sophisticated" delicacies if you're interested).

 

Élaine

 

Elaine,

 

Always open to suggestions on "sophisticated" delicacies!

 

I will check out Stylo! As for the cigar shop, where on St. Catherine is it? Is it by Crescent (Hard Rock)?

 

 

Oreca,

 

Thanks! I know it will be fun. This is my third race there. I was last there in '06.

 

It's not cheap, as you know. I am paying $100 more for Silver seats (Senna) than I paid for Gold seats (Pit View) then!

Not to mention hotel and gas costs! Where else on this continent can you have that much fun though?

[Samovar]

The name of the cigar store is Vasco, it's sometime expensive, but it's in the heart of the Formula 1 racing craze at the corner of Ste-Catherine and Crescent.

http://www.vascocigars.com

 

Crescent street is normally closed down during the race and you can see free concert and see exotic cars.

 

Nota Bene is open on week-end http://www.nota-bene.ca

 

 

My favourite restaurant are Au Pied de Cochon http://www.restaurantaupieddecochon.ca and

Moishes Steak House http://www.moishes.ca/flash.html

 

If you intend to visit any of those fine establishment, I would reserve right now.

 

Enjoy your time in Montreal. I've been to the race a few time and it's the best week-end of the summer.

 

 

 

[Federalist Pens]

Bonjour!

 

I’m back from Montreal, and I felt it was my duty to let my fellow FPN members know about my experience with pen stores in the city. Thanks to all of you that gave me leads on these shops. I went to three of them from the tips here, and even stumbled into one looking for those other shops. All of these shops are downtown, along (near) St. Catherine.

 

So let’s start with Maison Du Stylo (Peel Pen Shop) at 1212 Union. This is the oldest shop with a very knowledgeable proprietor. Robert Culmer loves to talk about pens, and we spent time talking about various brands and pen shows in the states. This shop had the only vintage selection from the four I visited. He even has NOS Targa pens for around $100 if you’re interested.

The sad note is that Robert plans to retire at the end of the year. The store will be closing. They have been there 54 years, and he feels it is time to move on. I suggest you contact him towards the end of the year as far as stock and prices.

 

On to La Boutique Du Stylo in the famous Simon’s Complex (underground mall along St. Catherine). This is a retail store with a good selection of various brands. They also have a wide selection of refills. They are also a Mont Blanc boutique. Of course, the downside is that you are paying retail prices. The staff could have been friendlier, but that is another story….

 

At the intersection of St. Catherine and Crescent (two stores in actually), is a tobacco store called “Vasco”. They have a great selection of various brands including Visconti, Aurora, and Omas. They still have new 360 Vision FP, but at the price of $600 Canadian, they will probably still have them for a while!

 

While looking for these stores, my brother and I found a jeweler (we’re watch guys too!) who had a large selection of pens. Le Parchemin is a jeweler along St. Catherine by “Place Des Arts” (Art Museum). This store carries Sheaffer, Parker, S.T. Dupont, as well as Mont Blanc. The rep that we dealt with was friendly and knowledgeable, especially with Mont Blanc (Boutique).

 

I was able to visit these stores in the same day, at a time frame of about two hours. They are all within a 5 block walking distance, and are accessible by the Metro. As far as exchange rates go, you lose about 5 cents to the US Dollar at the current rate. It has been higher, so we were pleased and considered it more or less a “handling” fee. If you deal with anyone else other than banks, you can lose more monies in the exchange.

 

By the way the race was great! It was my third time there, and it was fun as always. The weather was good, and a good guy won the race- Robert Kubica. It was his first GP victory, and vengeance for hitting the wall there last year!

 

Frank

[goodpens]

Reviving this old thread:

 

I'll soon be in Montreal for just a few days. The itinerary is already full and I'm not sure I can swing a stop to pen stores, but I'm interested in what stores are currently in business and if there are any Canadian pen or ink brands I should look for.

 

Thanks in advance for any guidance.

[Namo]

Shops I know of:

 

Downtown: Boutique du Stylo. Good choice of pens and inks, Sailor retailer (from what I understood, their were the first in Canada?). Almost no papers. Full price levels. I don't remember any sale prices.

 

There is a new shop in Chinatown, on St-Laurent boulevard, just afte the gate, on the right sidewalk. Small choice. I don't know about prices opportunities.

 

Not far from downtown: Nota Bene, a papershop with huge choice from Rhodia and Clairefontaine to Japanese Midori, Mnemosyne... and some small local, Italian and others producers... some FPs, Lamy, Kaweco, Pilot, Pelikan, but not every models. Some inks. Ask for Russell, best guy in the city. The shop in on avenue du Parc, at Sherbrooke corner.

 

In the Mile End neighborhood, Papier Japonais is a small paper shop, specialised in made by hand or small scale papers, not all FP friendly. Some handmade inks, interesting "organic" inks, made by a young Montrealer chemist. Earth tons, worth the try if on the neighborhood.

 

There are a few shops that are selling FPs between many other items (cigars etc.). Vasco on Ste-Catherine, in the western part of the city, is one of them. Sometimes interesting items, but definitely not FP sellers.

 

Parchemin is still in business, selling mainly books, but also jewels and pens. IMHO, not a great choice unless you know what you want.

 

Maison du stylo is closed.

Edited September 17, 2017 by Namo

[goodpens]

Shops I know of:

 

 

Thank you for providing such a great list. I appreciate it! Merci!

[dan in montreal]

Reviving this thread, as options have gotten even fewer recently. I actually liked Parchemin at Berri, but that store closed a few months ago. The shop in Chinatown is still there, but they don't have much.

 

The only pen shop I can recommend now is Nota Bene, as the customer service at that downtown shop near Simons has gotten to be absolutely atrocious... It was never stellar, as the OP pointed out in 2008, but it's gotten to the point they've definitely lost me as a client. Last time I went there, the employees were outright rude and unhelpful - the poor customer in front of me left the place with a frown after having had his pen "serviced" by the saleswoman (quite badly, it seemed). Come to think of it I haven't had a pleasant experience there for the longest time. The newer staff does not seem to care that they are selling fountain pens - they might as well be selling t-shirts or chewing gum. When it's the customer who points out to the staff that yes, "you do carry that ink, it's on the shelf right behind you" or that you have to explain that yes, it is easy to change a nib on a Safari or a TWSBI", I think you have a problem. With online shopping as your main competition, you'd think people would go out of their way to train staff and help customers.

Sorry for the rant, I got to thinking about this while reading this thread:

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/346810-whats-your-worst-fountain-pen-shopping-experience/

 

The exact opposite happens whenever I walk into Nota Bene, where the staff is polite and knowledgeable - thankfully, customer service is not dead. The downside is that their selection of pens is still limited.

 

Anyone know if any new shops have popped up, even with a limited selection of pens and paper?

[Namo]

Reviving this thread, as options have gotten even fewer recently. I actually liked Parchemin at Berri, but that store closed a few months ago. The shop in Chinatown is still there, but they don't have much.

 

The only pen shop I can recommend now is Nota Bene, as the customer service at that downtown shop near Simons has gotten to be absolutely atrocious... It was never stellar, as the OP pointed out in 2008, but it's gotten to the point they've definitely lost me as a client. Last time I went there, the employees were outright rude and unhelpful - the poor customer in front of me left the place with a frown after having had his pen "serviced" by the saleswoman (quite badly, it seemed). Come to think of it I haven't had a pleasant experience there for the longest time. The newer staff does not seem to care that they are selling fountain pens - they might as well be selling t-shirts or chewing gum. When it's the customer who points out to the staff that yes, "you do carry that ink, it's on the shelf right behind you" or that you have to explain that yes, it is easy to change a nib on a Safari or a TWSBI", I think you have a problem. With online shopping as your main competition, you'd think people would go out of their way to train staff and help customers.

Sorry for the rant, I got to thinking about this while reading this thread:

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/346810-whats-your-worst-fountain-pen-shopping-experience/

 

The exact opposite happens whenever I walk into Nota Bene, where the staff is polite and knowledgeable - thankfully, customer service is not dead. The downside is that their selection of pens is still limited.

 

Anyone know if any new shops have popped up, even with a limited selection of pens and paper?

Hey, Dan. I totallly agree with you. Boutique du Stylo does have serious staff troubles. My ex wife ordered an ebonite pen as a Christmas gift and they recommended a Conklin All Am. in black... I asked for a Kaweco convertor for a full size Kaweco pen I was buying at the shop. I did not pay attention: the lady gave me a small Sport convertor... the same lady thought Aurora was out of buisiness and didn't know Aurora was making ink... They still have a nice choice though.