A Visit To The Cross Factory Store

[Dragonmaster Lou]

I live roughly about 45 minutes or so from the Cross Factory Store in Lincoln, RI, but I have never visited it, despite driving by it on numerous occasions in the past. Part of the issue was I never had any interest in fine pens at all until I recently became interested in fountain pens. The other part was they're on summer hours right now, which means they're only open Monday through Friday, 9 to 6, making it impossible for me to visit it outside of my work hours. However, yesterday I took the day off and finally had a chance to visit it.

 

The store is located within a non-descript factory/warehouse/office building. You enter the buliding through an entrance that resembles a standard industrial sort of employee entrance. After descending a short flight of stairs, the actual store entrance is to the right.

 

The store can be roughly divided into two sections. From the store's entrace, the left side consists of all of Cross's current product line. The right side consists of discontinued/surplus products.

 

The current product side contained an excellent selection of ballpoint, rollerball, and fountain pens. None of Cross's less expensive fountain pens were displayed there, but various pen models, starting with the Century all the way up to the Townsend, were on display. The Peerless was also on display in a glass case at the checkout counter. It was very nice to see all these high end pens in the flesh, so to speak, but there did not seem to be any noticable discount on them. There was also a selection of decorative items, such as various desk decorations for the US Military Services. Unfortunately, I couldn't find an Air Force one (my father-in-law is retired USAF and I thought about getting him one as a gift), but the Army, Navy, and Marines were represented.

 

The center of the store also mostly consisted of ballpoints and rollerballs, some in glass cases and some on top of glass cases. There was also a good selection of leather and paper goods. There was also a second glass case near the discontinued side containing Cross's less expensive fountain pen models. I don't know why the inexpensive ones were in glass cases while the expensive ones, with the exception of the Peerless, were out in the open, but hey, who am I to judge?

 

The discontinued side had some good prices, as far as I can determine, but very few fountain pens. It was almost entirely ballpoints with a few roller balls. The only fountain pens I saw there were a couple of Franklin Covey branded ones (I believe Cross makes them for Franklin Covey), and some loose Yafa-branded ones lacking converters or cartridges in a $5 bargain basket. Curiously, I found a fair number of non-Cross products on this side, including Monteverde, Parker, Sheaffer (though doesn't Cross own them now), and the aforementioned Yafa (who does own Monteverde). There was also a wide selection of sunglasses, notebooks, and leather goods on this side as well.

 

In short, if you're looking for a bargain on Cross's latest and high-end products, you are better off looking elsewhere other than the Cross store, although I only compared their prices to online prices. It's possible their prices are better than other brick and mortar stores, however. There were some good deals to be had in the discontinued section, but it's pretty much a roll of the dice, depending on what you're looking for.

Edited August 1, 2015 by Dragonmaster Lou

[penrivers]

The Cross factory is in China, you just visited a Cross store.

[blINK]

The Cross factory is in China, you just visited a Cross store.

The manufacturing facilities have mostly moved to China. Previously, their manufacturing was done where the OP visited. They had a large factory, most of which has been demolished. Cross doesn't have stores, per se. Dragonmaster Lou visited the company headquarters in Lincoln, RI where they happen to have a showroom.

 

DM Lou - where are you from? I was born and raised not far from the Cross factory.

[ArchiMark]

Thanks for sharing your experience, Lou......very interesting......

[Dragonmaster Lou]

The Cross factory is in China, you just visited a Cross store.

 

While it's true that the Cross factory is in China, the store itself is still officially named the "Cross Factory Store." If you look it up in the phone book or whatever, that's what it will be listed as. It's located at Cross's corporate HQ, and as bIINK said, the actual factory used to be there. I guess technically you could call it the "Cross Former Factory Store," if you wanted to be really pedantic.

 

The manufacturing facilities have mostly moved to China. Previously, their manufacturing was done where the OP visited. They had a large factory, most of which has been demolished. Cross doesn't have stores, per se. Dragonmaster Lou visited the company headquarters in Lincoln, RI where they happen to have a showroom.

 

DM Lou - where are you from? I was born and raised not far from the Cross factory.

 

I grew up and still live in Southeastern Massachusetts, not far from the Rhode Island border, went to college in Providence, and lived in Rhode Island for a few years after college.

 

Thanks for sharing your experience, Lou......very interesting......

 

You're welcome! I figured some folks may be interested on what the store is like now. Supposedly, years ago, when they still had a factory on the site, they may have had some better deals.

Edited August 1, 2015 by Dragonmaster Lou

[blINK]

 

 

 

I grew up and still live in Southeastern Massachusetts, not far from the Rhode Island border, went to college in Providence, and lived in Rhode Island for a few years after college.

 

 

I grew up about 15-20 minutes north on 146. Went to school in Mass and also lived in RI for a few years after college - about 3 miles from the Cross factory. Small world in our little pen community.

[sd10521]

Thank you for sharing your experience.

It's sad that Cross had to move overseas, but it's how things are if a name wants to survive.

I remember my first Cross pen and pencil set when I was in third grade in 1964, it was quickly stolen from my desk... I did have many more over the years.

[Dragonmaster Lou]

I grew up about 15-20 minutes north on 146. Went to school in Mass and also lived in RI for a few years after college - about 3 miles from the Cross factory. Small world in our little pen community.

 

No kidding!

 

Thank you for sharing your experience.

 

It's sad that Cross had to move overseas, but it's how things are if a name wants to survive.

 

I remember my first Cross pen and pencil set when I was in third grade in 1964, it was quickly stolen from my desk... I did have many more over the years.

 

Yeah, it is pretty sad... At least they are still independent...

[MrThoth]

Thanx for the report! Hope to file one of my own someday.

[Dragonmaster Lou]

No problem!

[harry015]

Next time I'm in the area I'll have to drop in and hope I get lucky. I live in South Central Mass., so it isn't a long drive. Being retired, there hours aren't a problem, and sometimes less traffic getting there.

 

As someone said, survival seems to hinge on OS production in our economy. At least they kept the Corp. HQ in the old location.

 

Thanks for the detailed, interesting report.

[Joane]

A very well written report. Thank you. By the description it's very easy to imagine oneself there. I am sorry Cross moved production to China. Glad I have pens made prior to that.

[Dragonmaster Lou]

You're welcome... I'm thinking about visiting it again when they have one of their sales. Maybe I'll find some more interesting deals.

 

It is a shame they moved all their production to China. I would have hoped that even if their cheaper pens were made their, they'd at least keep their premium pens back home.