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 !
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

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

This would be a good place to start.

Philip

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

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!

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

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

It will be a blast I'm sure.

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?

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.

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