Pen Shops in Europe

[Nipu]

Hi Everyone,

 

After the hard slog of exams, I am finally taking a break , and going on holiday to Europe in a month(!) and will be visiting these cities:

London

Amsterdam

Berlin

Prague

Paris

 

yes, i am very excited

 

One of my favourite things about FPN is the amazing diversity of places our members live in, have lived in, or have traveled to - so I thought I would take advantage of your collective international experience and ask:

 

What are some great pen shops to visit in cities?

 

 

I would love to hear your opinions/views, if you have a moment to reply!

 

Thanks,

Nipu

 

 

ps. dear admin - i felt this may be the best forum as this post is about where to buy writing instruments but please move it I've posted in a silly spot!

[rhk]

Info for the Netherlands.

In Amsterdam you fond Akkerman in the Kalverstraat. However, if you have some time I suggest going to Den Haag, to visit PW Akkerman (www.pw-akkerman.nl).

[lesley]

I was in Berlin in October, and the vintage pen scene was a little thin on the ground, however there is a large Sunday antique market in the Tiergarten, which is the large park in the centre of Berlin, which had a few sellers of pens. If you want to look at modern pens then the department store KaDeWe (pronounced kahdayvay) has a very extensive selection of pens and a huge selection of stationery. It also has a truly amazing food hall which is worth a visit!! Another good pen shop there is Papeterie, in Uhlandstrasse....quite upmarket but oodles of pens and inks.

 

Amsterdam, well the only place I found was Akkermans...if anybody else knows others I would be pleased to know about them as I plan another Amsterdam trip in April May time

 

Penshops in London are pretty expensive, but Websters in Bluewater is well worth a visit.

 

Hope you enjoy your trip Nipu.....let us know what your buy!!!

 

 

 

 

 

[MikoB1]

Mora Stylos in Paris. Great shop. Nice selection of used and vintage as well as major brands. Mora has its own unique brand--Oldwin. Mr. Mora is very knowledgable and a pleasure to speak with. Overall best pen shop in Paris.

[Inkanthropist]

I've always found Glenn Marcus' website to be a great help when travelling and looking for pen shops:

 

http://www.marcuslink.com/pens/review2.html

 

Neil

[georges zaslavsky]

QUOTE (MikoB1 @ Feb 23 2007, 07:05 AM)

Mora Stylos in Paris. Great shop. Nice selection of used and vintage as well as major brands. Mora has its own unique brand--Oldwin. Mr. Mora is very knowledgable and a pleasure to speak with. Overall best pen shop in Paris.

True, also add Stylo Marboeufs and Le Palais du Stylos who are also good penshops.

[Nipu]

thanks guys, these are very helpful suggestions!

I will definitely keep you posted on what I end up buying - pens and ink AND paper...

 

Nipu

[Phthalo]

Pack as little clothing as possible. Save that precious luggage allowance for ink and paper!!!

[anniemac]

I'll do you a trade - here's a link to the blog inkquest, very funny, very informative, and if you go to January 6 you can read about adventures in pen shops in Paris.

 

In return - I posted a thread just like yours a week or so back asking for advice on pen buying in Hong Kong, Australia and Singapore. We're going on holiday too!

Amazingly I've had not a single reply, so any advice about Sydney? I'll be without connection to FPN so at least will have to go penbuying!

 

 

http://inkquest.blogspot.com/2007_01_01_archive.html

 

Sorry, not much of a trade really as I've just noticed the inkquest blog author has already posted, with a better link to his site. I think my link takes you direct to the correct month though.

It's well worth a read anyway!

Edited February 24, 2007 by anniemac

[Nipu]

Hi Anniemac!

 

Thanks for your links - as for Pen shops in Australia - well,I can only comment about the Sydney ones, although there is a Melbourne one ( called Pen City)...

 

Sydney: The Pen Shop, Penultimate, Inchiostro (which sells dip pens and ink and paper) and one more , whose name I have forgotten... ( I am going to the City tomorrow anyway, so I will let you know). These have a decent range of pens, with staff that actually love FP's and know lots about them. The are quite small, though, and the selection can be limited at times, especially if you ( like me ) are not interested in a standard medium nib. Peter's of Kensington is a little out of SydneyCity, but has a wider (but random) range of pens, often heavily discounted ( At least when compared with Australian prices).

 

Forget about buying interesting inks here... I order mine online

 

WC Penfolds is a run-of-the-mill stationers ( I think its pretty boring) as is Officeworks ( which does sell Quink ink by the bucketload - and cheap- not only was Quink the ONLY ink I could ever get my hands on for years and years ( I lived next door to a giant Officeworks when I was at university!) , I seemed to be the only person in Sydney buying the stuff.

 

...Which may be due to my second point, which is that you prbably don't want to buy pens here... they are ridiculously expensive. I once paid $190 for a Sheaffer prelude ~7 years ago!!

 

You can also go to David Jones, and Meyer, which are the two biggest ( and rival ) department stores. One can spend a total of approximately ten minutes ( if you take your time!) in the small stationery section amusing yourself with the fact that something like a Waterman Phileas sells for more than $110...

 

Then again, the exchange rate just may work in your favour...

 

 

[lesley]

If you are in london I forgot to mention Portobello Market, prices are a little on the high side, but I have found a little bit of bartering usually manages to get the sellers to drop their prices to a more reasonable level.

 

The guy whose website is listed below lives quite near me and I have done some good deals with him and he trades at Portobello, nice guy with lots of stories to tell. www.hanspens.com. No affiliation, just a satisfied customer.

[french22]

QUOTE (georges zaslavsky @ Feb 23 2007, 08:42 AM)

QUOTE (MikoB1 @ Feb 23 2007, 07:05 AM) Mora Stylos in Paris. Great shop. Nice selection of used and vintage as well as major brands. Mora has its own unique brand--Oldwin. Mr. Mora is very knowledgable and a pleasure to speak with. Overall best pen shop in Paris. True, also add Stylo Marboeufs and Le Palais du Stylos who are also good penshops. Here are the addresses   Elysées Stylos Marbeuf 40 rue Marbeuf 75008 Paris   Téléphone 01 42 25 40 49   MORA STYLOS 7 rue de Tournon 75006 PARIS   LE PALAIS DU STYLO 9, rue Auber 75009 Paris Tél. 01 47 42 31 42   More shops here : http://www.lestylographe.com/fr/pages/rubr....aspx?rm=30#R65   Have a lot of fun during your trip !

[belfast-popeye]

I went to Portobello Rd last November, saw some pens on the market, nothing to write home about Still luck of the day i suppose. Also called in penshop on Regents St on way through to Knightsbridge, nearly fell of my feet would need huge overdraft.

[marklavar]

QUOTE (Nipu @ Feb 22 2007, 10:07 PM)

Hi Everyone, After the hard slog of exams, I am finally taking a break , and going on holiday to Europe in a month(!) and will be visiting these cities: London Amsterdam Berlin Prague Paris yes, i am very excited One of my favourite things about FPN is the amazing diversity of places our members live in, have lived in, or have traveled to - so I thought I would take advantage of your collective international experience and ask: What are some great pen shops to visit in cities? I would love to hear your opinions/views, if you have a moment to reply! Thanks, Nipu ps. dear admin - i felt this may be the best forum as this post is about where to buy writing instruments but please move it I've posted in a silly spot!

In London, your best bet is Selfridges. You should also try 'The Pen Shop', a chain of specialist pen shops with branches at airports and Regent Street, London, as well as other places. Harrods has a limited number of pens on offer, mostly the very expensive ones.

[Nipu]

Thanks everyone!

 

What a wonderful collection of shops...my credit card will leave a trail of smoke as I swipe and sign away...ah, well, you're only young once:o)

 

Nipu