I am a new member from Hawaii. I miss Earl Shigemoto. He took care of my pens, and more importantly, he just made me happy every time I visited his shop. I feel disconnected now. And my pens...need help. My vintage pens have collapsed rubber tubes...probably because he sold me so many pens that I couldn't use them all at once. If anyone knows where I can go to get my pens fixed, please help.

Aloha kaua, e komo mai! I miss Earl too. I don't think there are many people who knew as much, or are as helpful and friendly as he was. With the exception perhaps of some of the people here. I hope you find a place for your pens.

Doug

Alooooo-ha JCMICHEL,

Enjoy FPN!!!

I have been away from Hawaii since 1997 .
Still have ohana all over the Islands. I never had the pleasure to meet Earl Shigemoto.

I lived most of my life on O'ahu and Kaua'i.
I bought my first fine fountain pen, Waterman, Harmonie at HOPACO in Ala Moana, 1980's.

Welcome to FPN.

Hi and welcome to the FPN!!
There are many here that do repairs and will be glad to help.

Welcome to FPN. Hawai is great, but do you guys have any Fountain Pen repair shop there?

Welcome to FPN! Aloha! Been a few years since I lived in Hawaii, ok it's been 40 years, but I would love to go back.

Hi,

I'm just wondering if any of you have suggestions for places to buy fountain pens here in Hawaii. I'm in Honolulu and would like to buy my first fountain pen... Does anyone have suggestions for good online stores that don't charge excessive shipping prices to ship fountain pens, ink, etc. to Hawaii?

Thanks in advance!!!

Hi there and greetings!
Hope you find somewhere to buy there. Try out ebay as it has lots to offer and would be cheaper than heading off to the mainland or so...

Mike

I've gotten most of my pens online. Let's see... Swisherpens.com, worldlux.com, fahrneyspens.com, etc. My technique is "stalking" pens. I keep a short list of pens that I'd like to buy and have the funds for and visit the different online stores on a regular basis. Every now and then, but with frequent regularity, they'll do something really nuts and drop the price of one of "my" pens. That's when I pounce on it.

For instance, this past February 29, WorldLux had a one day "leap day" sale: 15% off all prices, even their clearance prices. A Pilot Ecrino had already been on clearance and the price dropped to $33 so I popped for one. I notice that it is now marked "Hot Seller" and is priced at $60, plus shipping. So I got it for half price. Many places have end of the year prices. I got a silverblue Lamy AL-star for $27 at Pendemonium during their last end of year sale.

The stalking technique works for more expensive pens too. I bought a Pelikan Grand Place for $180 at Fahrneys when I was looking for a "backup" M600. I have no idea why it was so cheap. And that was to backup an M605 I had found at Altman Luggage for $127 (including shipping).

But pens are best seen in person. It's really hard to get a good idea of what a pen looks like, feels like, or writes like without looking at one. Sadly, there aren't many places here in Honolulu that will get you very close to a fountain pen. There's the Montblanc boutique in Ala Moana -- best to go there AFTER you've picked up a Rolex at nearby Ben Bridge and have it dangling from your wrist. Just a joke -- I've actually never been inside the Montblanc boutique at Ala Moana. Oh, I know. Fisher over in Kakaako has one case with fountain pens. They have Watermans, Pilot, and I think Parker and Sheaffer maybe...? There is also no one at that particular case so you have to flag someone down. But they have crazy sales every now and then too. My friend bought a Namiki Vanishing Point there for $80 on sale. That's a really good price.

Sorry for rambling on.. Welcome to FPN and good luck on your quest. May your words and pens be worthy companions!

Doug

Greetings JCMICHEL,

As one new lister to another I hope you find what you want.

I live in Georgia, but travel to O'ahu once or twice a year for business.

I've only seen Honolulu and Mililani, plus took one trip over to the big island. What a fantastic place! Was over just 2 weeks ago - very nice.

Anyway - good luck on your search!

GeneF

Hello and welcome to FPN.

Alright all of you Hawaiian FPN folks, we are officially booked for a vacation in paradise! July 2nd thru 9th on Oahu! I am officially excited, it's been 40 years since I was last there for me and my family has never been. What kind of pen trouble can I get into while I am there!!???

Luckily (or unluckily), you won't be able to get into much pen trouble. Aside from a MontBlanc boutique or two and the sad pen counter at Fisher Hawaii, there isn't much. Plus we don't want you spending your money on pens, we want you spending your money on tips!

Good timing though. The weather should be just great -- it'll be warm, but the trade winds should be blowing and keeping everything from steaming. It will be the middle of our tourist season, but with the price of travel and the loss of a major cruise line and an airline or two the visitor count is down so it won't be as packed as it sometimes is. But you won't feel lonely walking down the street, that's for sure.

Kalakaua Boulevard is now a one way street, and if you wonder where all the lei sellers in their woodies went, well, they got sent to permanent little kiosks... at the airport. I'm wondering what you will think of the changes. We always complain that the tourist industry has made everything so crassly commercial, but it's still a nice place, I think. Are you staying in Waikiki?

Doug

HDoug, yes we will be in Waikiki at the Hilton Hawaiian Village complex. I'm renting a car for the week to hit the far reaches of the island and planning on a day trip to the big island for a little volcano tour. I notice you have a big flea market sometimes, any luck there with vintage pens? Would it be worth checking out?

[/quote]

But pens are best seen in person. It's really hard to get a good idea of what a pen looks like, feels like, or writes like without looking at one. Sadly, there aren't many places here in Honolulu that will get you very close to a fountain pen. There's the Montblanc boutique in Ala Moana -- best to go there AFTER you've picked up a Rolex at nearby Ben Bridge and have it dangling from your wrist. Just a joke -- I've actually never been inside the Montblanc boutique at Ala Moana.
Doug
[/quote]

A few months ago, I went to the Mont Blanc store at Ala Moana. The sales reps there are a pretentious bunch who ought to be more gracious towards their customers. I got the impression the saleswoman felt I was a nuisance because I only went in to purchase a bottle of ink.