Pen Store, Take Note, In The Junction Area Of Toronto

[torstar]

On a first spring walk I came across a pen/paper store Take Note at 2993 Dundas West, between Keele and High Park.

 

The store, at first glance, appeared to be a similar set-up as Wonderpens (now at an address must more East than prior.)

 

Nice to have this kind of store in the West End.

 

http://www.blogto.com/design/take-note-toronto

 

 

 

 

[tinta]

Thanks for the heads up Torstar.

The times that I go into the Big Smoke, I usually visit places in the West End or Etobicoke.

I will also try to find a shop that sells Maltese pastizzi. Use to work in that area of town.

 

[torstar]

I think Little Malta is a few blocks West of the store, I like their bread.

[wastelanded]

Like the song said, "Ain't that good news, man ain't that news".

[shawndp]

Thanks for the heads-up! The even better news is they are open Sundays!!!

[saskia_madding]

Is it run by an ex-employee of Laywine's? I called yesterday to ask about something, and she said she recognized me from Laywine's. Her voice sounded very familiar.

[shawndp]

So this thread got me excited about a new place to check out and that is what I did today... A couple of notes

 

1) Getting there >> driving in that part of town is a little more "intimate" than it is compared to Vaughan. Parking is tricky but fortunately there is a a Green-P off Pacific (the store is at the intersection of Dundas & Pacific). The rate is $1 / 30 mins.

 

2) The Store >> good amout of space with a nice selection of pens / pencils / paper. The seems to be a bit of an art-supply bias in the area (there are a couple more dedicated art supply places nearby) - if you like Stabilo markers they have them! Also lots of pencils - Palomino and Faber-Castell. In terms of pens, there was an excellent selection of Lamy, Pelikan and Faber-Castell. Ohto, TWSBI, Rotring (pencils), Pilot and Cross had offerings too. For paper there was Life, Rhodia and Midori very nicely displayed as well as a few others I did not recognize. The ink selection was really quite diverse - J. Herbin (including the wee tins with cartridges), Private Reserve, Edelstein, regular Pelikan, Platinum, Iroshizuku and a few Noodlers. There were an awful lot of greeting cards that relegated the ink to a corner. Oh yes - there was Midori too - the Traveler Notebooks and the refills and accessories. Prices are all typical Canadian retail, so no big surprises.

 

3) Overall >>very nicely laid out. The people in the store were very nice and helpful but seemed less than knowledgeable. The vibe was more Paradise Pen and less Wonderpens. If you know what you like, there isn't a reason to not shop here, but in Toronto I haven't met a pen-person more knowledgeable and helpful than Jon @ Wonderpens.

 

4) What did I buy? >> Nothing! My gf spotted a Star Ferry ballpen that matches perfectly with my camel Midori Passport and bought it for me! She bought the 10th Anniversary Tin with the mini Midori for herself. They had all 3 colours available!

 

5) Bonus tip >> there's a gelato place across the street with some nice but not-particularly-imaginative flavours and a brewery / pub a bit further up at Keele & Dundas called Indie Ale House with some very creative beers. I bought 4 bottles to sample the styles and so far it is looking like my next trip with be to the Indie Ale House with a side run to Take Note.

[torstar]

Thanks for the responses, i really want to support bricks and mortar places while they still exist, and the earliest reviews are late fall 2015, so I didn't go by in my usual fog for a few years.

 

Especially where I live in the High Park area.

 

The Junction is sort of gentrifying in a nice-hip way...

[Hal-Francis]

I was driving by Little Malta on Sunday and spotted the blue sign for Take Note. near Dundas and Pacific. I'm a sucker for pen stores, so I stopped in. Nice people and their paper selection is really good - particularly the Japanese brands. Nice selection of pens, not overwhelming like some downtown stores and definitely not pretentious. Felt like a European and hip spot at the same time. They also have some fun stuff to browse like mugs and things. They do carry Platinum, which is a good thing. When I asked about Sailor they said it was coming later in the summer, so I guess I'll head back there in August. Nice staff. Owner knows her stuff about pens. She looked familiar - maybe she was at Laywines a while ago.

[ivyman]

I wonder if they have someone onsite to replace pen's ink sac for customers. That would be nice. As far as I know, the closest pen repair shop near Toronto is in London, Ontario. It would be a pain sending pens back and forth using Canada Post. Would be nice if I could just drop by and get the ink sac replaced.

 

Also, it would be nice to be able to buy Tomoe River papers and pads from them, instead of paying through the nose shipping from the USA by USPS.

[Type_O]

I haven't visited them yet, but they're first on my fountain-pen-store-tour list for the next time I'm in Toronto. No car, so it's all public transit... yay TTC!!!

[tinta]

I haven't visited them yet, but they're first on my fountain-pen-store-tour list for the next time I'm in Toronto. No car, so it's all public transit... yay TTC!!!

Not so bad,... at least there's public transport.

Here in the boonies, you either drive or walk, or try to find a taxi.

[shawndp]

There is Green P parking... I think if you go south on Pacific, it is on the left and No Frills is on the right...

[ggrosjean]

I was in there on Saturday during a trip to Toronto and it's a very nice store. Pretty good selection of paper, ink and some pens.

 

Met the owner and she's still trying to find the perfect mix of products to offer. She also was surprised to find the store is a topic here.

 

Walked out with 3 bottles of ink and an expensive pen case I don't need but like the colour.....

 

I do the rounds of pen stores in Toronto every trip and I'll add this one to the list. I think it's important to support the people who support us.....and our habit.

[torstar]

There is Green P parking... I think if you go south on Pacific, it is on the left and No Frills is on the right...

 

The street is usually good for parking during a weekday, I've had little trouble in 20 years of finding a spot on Dundas West for my occasional shopping jaunts. There's a very good used book store called Pandemonium on the other side a block down, well worth a look if you have that kind of interest.