The Pen Shop Is Out Of Administration...

[1nkulus]

https://www.sintons.co.uk/sintons_commercial/the-pen-shop-bought-from-administration/

 

It is now down to 5 stores from 10.

IIRC, they had 20 stores 3/4 years ago.

 

OTOH, their shop in Trafford Centre (one of the largest malls in the UK) had only one MB LE ink in stock and 3/4 from the standard range.

The website has had a revamp.

[Inkysloth]

Good luck to them!

 

Whenever I popped in to one, I found their range overly expensive and not particularly inspiring. Maybe that will change, but Im not particularly optimistic.

[1nkulus]

Maybe that will change, but Im not particularly optimistic.

 

The future is bleak.

They will concentrate more on web sales but then why hold on to 5 bland/uninspiring stores.

 

No London presence.

Just Birmingham, Manchester Trafford Centre, Newcastle, Glasgow and the H.O/store at Morpeth.

These stores must be getting a lot of walk ins or they hope they will since the closure of the other locations.

[dapprman]

The Liverpool St Station and Leadenhall Market stores were about half a mile away from each other, and neither open on a Saturday (wrong place for tourist traffic, even with Old Spittlefields near the station).

 

I'm lad they are now out of administration as I had heard not long before that the final axe was about to fall, after all it was the Leadenhall Market shop that rekindled my interest in fountain pens with the shop assistant giving me some very good advice (which is still good to this day).

[1nkulus]

Concentrating on web sales, they will be competing with the established players and their CS is hit n miss unlike the competition.

 

I have a feeling they might have been stuck with the leases on the 5 stores and will eventually close them.

[Vicary]

I've been in Manchester for the last week or so...stopped into the store at Trafford Center. They had a very limited selection of pens. Mainly mid to low range Parker, Waterman, Cross and Lamy. But they did have something that caught my eye- a Lamy 2000 50th Ann. Black Amber fountain pen for half off. So I snagged that, when I get my tax back it will only have set me back about $220. Not too bad! They also had a Lamy 2000 FP in stainless steel for half off. Already have one of those so I didn't snag it...

 

But overall, not a very impressive pen shop.

[Fermata]

It is hard to understand that The Pen Shop in Leadenhall market is closed. This shop was so busy Monday through Friday, always five or six people shopping as a minimum as a result of it being in the centre of the Lloyds and insurance market districts where fountain pens are de rigueur.

 

 

[ImThatGuy]

Sad to see them on this path. My other (better) half used to buy all her school stationary from them when they were T & G Allan (South Shields branch in her case).

[pennylink]

I used to visit the one in Regent Street (London) occasionally, but must admit that I didn't buy much there, except for the odd bottle of ink. Nevertheless, it's sad to see these bick & mortar shops bite the dust one by one. Sign of the times, I guess.

Edited April 26, 2019 by pennylink

[Mulrich]

I visited a few of their shops last year and was largely unimpressed. They seem focused on corporate and graduation gifts and not fountain pen enthusiasts, thus I always left empty handed.

[1nkulus]

I visited a few of their shops last year and was largely unimpressed. They seem focused on corporate and graduation gifts and not fountain pen enthusiasts, thus I always left empty handed.

 

I doubt they are focused on anything. The selection isn't great and stock levels are debatable.

It is mainly for those that need something immeadiately and are not particularly brand/model/variety concious.

I have been told that they might not stock high end Lamy pens.

[1nkulus]

I've been in Manchester for the last week or so...stopped into the store at Trafford Center. They had a very limited selection of pens. Mainly mid to low range Parker, Waterman, Cross and Lamy. But they did have something that caught my eye- a Lamy 2000 50th Ann. Black Amber fountain pen for half off. So I snagged that, when I get my tax back it will only have set me back about $220. Not too bad! They also had a Lamy 2000 FP in stainless steel for half off. Already have one of those so I didn't snag it...

 

But overall, not a very impressive pen shop.

 

Glad you were able to snag a bargain. Did they offer any extra discount to close the deal?

It is a last resort store IMO.

[Sui-Generis]

I won't shed any tears.

 

We used to have The Pen Shop here in Cambridge in the Grand Arcade, even before I got into pens/fountain pens I always marvelled at the "oooh shiny!" things in the window.

 

After I actually got into writing & pens I decided to pop into the store, finally.

 

Ended up leaving with a Lamy Vista with a fine nib and a converter (already had a bottle of Noodlers Black from years back), that pen was a disaster. Scratchy, skippy and generally ornery, I ended up taking it back to the store less than a week after purchase, explained to the woman behind the counter the issues I was having. She practically barked at me that it was my fault because I wasn't using Lamy ink, and I should only ever use Lamy ink with a Lamy pen, but she reluctantly agreed to change the nib.

 

After a great deal of struggle, she changed the nib and I left the store, confident that my pen was going to be amazing now. It wasn't. Still scratchy & dry. Now I know a little more I am half wondering if she maybe didn't bend the nib slightly when she put it on the feed, having ham-handed the old one off.

 

In any case, I took the pen and the converter back to get a refund, that was the first and last set of dealings I had with The Pen Shop (and Lamy, I really want to give them another go but once bitten & all that).

.

[1nkulus]

After a great deal of struggle, she changed the nib and I left the store, confident that my pen was going to be amazing now. It wasn't. Still scratchy & dry. Now I know a little more I am half wondering if she maybe didn't bend the nib slightly when she put it on the feed, having ham-handed the old one off.

 

In any case, I took the pen and the converter back to get a refund, that was the first and last set of dealings I had with The Pen Shop (and Lamy, I really want to give them another go but once bitten & all that).

 

Sorry about your experience, CS has always been hit and miss.

Lamy is a robust pen, give it another shot from Cult Pens or The Writing Desk. Ask them to check it prior to dispatch.

 

Cult have 10% off Lamy Safari at present.

https://www.cultpens.com/c/q/brands/lamy/lamy-safari

 

P.S An apt profile signature.

Edited April 27, 2019 by 1nkulus

[dapprman]

It is hard to understand that The Pen Shop in Leadenhall market is closed. This shop was so busy Monday through Friday, always five or six people shopping as a minimum as a result of it being in the centre of the Lloyds and insurance market districts where fountain pens are de rigueur.

 

 

 

I used to work near there and got good advice from them, but never found the shop busy when I was in the area - most lunchtimes when I walked through it would be empty. Also the whole market is effectively closed at weekends and is dead - hence presumably why the shop (amongst others there) was closed.

 

[bbs]

Well I recently had very good service from them online. Sad to see any business/employer going through hard times.

[Fermata]

 

I used to work near there and got good advice from them, but never found the shop busy when I was in the area - most lunchtimes when I walked through it would be empty. Also the whole market is effectively closed at weekends and is dead - hence presumably why the shop (amongst others there) was closed.

 

 

 

Not sure of the value of the point you are making, I did refer to Monday through Friday in my post.

 

In my experience the shop was always busy.

[dapprman]

Think you misunderstood my experience. Monday to Friday lunchtime I always found it empty or near empty when ever I was in or looking in, and I was equally guilty at that time of mainly window shopping. Perhaps I was unlucky (from the view of the shop) or perhaps you were lucky.

[1nkulus]

Sad to see any business/employer going through hard times.

+1

[Ste_S]

Post Covid-19 they're down to two, Glasgow and Manchester.

 

I kinda miss the (two!) shops they had in Birmingham. Mostly for picking up the odd bottle of Waterman or Pelikan ink. The website is still going, and they claim to be 'largest European writing specialist', which I find hard to believe when their range is so uninspired for an online retailer.