Where Were Pens Sold Back In The Old Days?

[DBQMary]

I remember one time when I was a kid in the mid 1970's when I was in scouts the troupe would go to Galena IL in April to march in the parade that coincided with Ulysses S. Grant's birthday. There was a drug store that had a 4' x 4' foot box with 4" inch sides that held Parker Pen Jotters that were all loose in the box. Now if you have any Jotters with the chalk marks on them like MED 1.98 and so forth in your collection you know what I mean. That was how they were sold. It was a wonder to see that when I was young. You were cool if you had a Jotter to write with in 8th grade. There was one scout that like the 5 finger discount a took his share of pens. I had to share a locker with him in High School so I made sure I did not keep anything of real value to me in the locker. I heard later in life that he spent time in prison. Go figure...

 

JotterAddict62 - I live about 20 minutes from Galena IL. The scouts still gather there. I have seen their camps and the parade. I have roamed the antique shops in Galena for fountain pens without much success. I am also a fan of Parker pens and of course Sheaffer.

[pen2paper]

The department store museum blog lists what goods were sold on what floor of the store.

http://departmentstoremuseum.blogspot.com

Writing equipment might be found near jewelry.

Couldn't find the Ferndale shop name, but Kebba's was the Royal Oak stationer store.

 

My mom once worked at Jacobson's, and Winkleman's. Whether Jake's had a stationery department??? if so, then her blue Snorkel, (which became my 1st pen), when replaced by a scratchy finepoint grey P-51, likely purchased there. Or, at J.L.Hudson's. I don't recall the stationery dept at Hudson's, but somehow do recall boxed paper from Hudson's. Weekly family news flowed through letters, mainly redistributed, with additional page details, via my mom, and grandmother as news dispersal central. Miss that. These days, family news is abruptly discovered via "Find a grave" popups : (

Elementary school required use of fountainpen. Blister packed Sheaffer school pens were available at both the corner market, and next door pharmacy. I do not recall ever seeing an Esterbrook until I became interested in fountainpen history as an adult.

[pajaro]

GAH! After this winter, who cares about Michigan?

 

Burdines in Ft Lauderdale, McRaes in Pensacola, and the office supply stores in downtown Pensacola had nice pens, like Montblanc. GEEZ LUIZZE! I can't remember the guy's name who sold me my Montblanc in Pensacola. Yeah, that's FLORIDA, baby! Only state worth living in, at least you can afford it, unlike that other coast. Darned Michigan has about frozen my brain.

[aalmcc4]

I can't say with first hand knowledge, but a recent experience may offer some insight on this interesting thread. A while back, maybe 2-3 years ago while cruising one of my many local haunts (read; antique mall/shop), I came upon a large number of fairly high end vintage fountain pens and pen/pencil sets essentially new in their boxes. They were mostly mid to higher end pens. Parker 51s, 61s, 51 specials, Sheaffer snorkels, some Eversharp Skyliners etc. They were like time machines really. The pens/pencils were even in their cellophane wrap. The shop keeper told me he was really at the end of the supply he had. Story is that they all came from a customer who consigned them. They were from his parent's (who had long since passed away) jewelry store. He also had other "real jewelry" , but I wasn't interested. By the era of the pens he had, this would have been in the 1950s. I missed passed on that treasure trove as they were all ridiculously overpriced, but offered a really neat view into the 1950s.

[JotterAddict62]

 

JotterAddict62 - I live about 20 minutes from Galena IL. The scouts still gather there. I have seen their camps and the parade. I have roamed the antique shops in Galena for fountain pens without much success. I am also a fan of Parker pens and of course Sheaffer.

So if I would travel in that part of the country I would not find any pens because you have them all?

I have not been over that way since 1984 for a day trip in July. Man that was a very hot day back then at lease 100.

[DBQMary]

So if I would travel in that part of the country I would not find any pens because you have them all?

I have not been over that way since 1984 for a day trip in July. Man that was a very hot day back then at lease 100.

I haven't been too successful in Galena or Dubuque, but I keep looking. I did find some nice old Sheaffers in Salida, Co on our ski trip last week. One was a mechanical pencil with a military clip, the first I had ever seen in person.

Yes we do get the heat here. But not this week, temp not even into the 20's. Cold winter. Hope you do make it back someday. Galena is a great little town with fun shops and good restaurants.

[OcalaFlGuy]

GAH! After this winter, who cares about Michigan?

 

Burdines in Ft Lauderdale, McRaes in Pensacola, and the office supply stores in downtown Pensacola had nice pens, like Montblanc. GEEZ LUIZZE! I can't remember the guy's name who sold me my Montblanc in Pensacola. Yeah, that's FLORIDA, baby! Only state worth living in, at least you can afford it, unlike that other coast. Darned Michigan has about frozen my brain.

 

Come to the Sunny Side.

 

We have Tangerines.

 

 

Bruce in Ocala, Fl where it's a little cloudy but 70 deg here today.

[SteveE]

 

Come to the Sunny Side.

 

We have Tangerines.

 

 

Bruce in Ocala, Fl where it's a little cloudy but 70 deg here today.

 

Tangerine Popsicles?

[Ghost Plane]

It got so cold this winter the oranges were squeezing each other to stay warm.

 

We used to walk from my grade school to the 2 drugstores in San Marco where they not only sold Sheaffer No Nonsense and cartridges, but had the most awesome balls for jacks, which was THE game in my 5th grade class. There was still a marble top on the soda fountain in the 1970s and they made cherry-lime cokes to order from syrup and Key Limes. The straws were paper and would fall apart if you lingered too long.

[ANM]

I worked at Soda Fountains in the 60's while going to high school and college. I loved cherry lime cokes, lime cokes and cherry limeades. I didn't know it at the time but we had Key limes. The first time I saw a Persian lime, I was in my 30's.

[jar]

http://www.fototime.com/2F915601FBDA4BB/medium800.jpg

[Ghost Plane]

Ahhhh. Y'all know what I'm talking about!