Pen Shops In London

[Quadratus]

Sadly, London is a desert when it comes to pen shops. Pen Friend continues as an online business (penfriend.co.uk) but there is no specialist pen store where you can browse like those in Paris, Amsterdam or Rome (and many other European cities). The Pen Shop chain (Liverpool Street and other places) has a reasonable stock of pens, but they tend to concentrate on Mont Blancs, Watermans, a few Pelikans. The more exotic manufacturers, including Japanese or Italian, are not represented.

 

This is a sad result of the ridiculously high business rates on premises imposed by local authorities and the reason why so much of the British capital city has become disfigured by the endless “chain” stores, turning British high streets into a bland and monotonous series of shops seen everywhere else (e.g. Boots. WH Smith, Starbucks, Costa, the high street banks etc etc etc.)

If only someone enterprising would start a specialist pen and ink shop somewhere (even some distance from the historic centre of London), I am sure it would thrive.

[mulrich]

Shame you weren't here at the weekend and I knew about it before hand as I would have dragged you and your wife over to the London Pen Club near Liverpool St Station. Not a good area for tourism on a Saturday except the near by Old Spittlefields Market - though on Sunday it's also by Petty Coat Lane (Middlesex St) - though that's really over-rated.

It would have been great seeing the London pen club. Please ask around if anyone has come across a Dupont Vertigo or Pilot VP in a pen case (the two pens I forgot on the plane); I would love to get them back.

[mulrich]

Update on my lost pens. Since my inbound flight went through Heatrow I tried the airport lost and found office. They have an easily searchable website (missingx.com) and you can also submit a lost item claim. I visited the physical office before my return trip and they were very professional but dont have a contract with Delta, my airline, so they werent able to help.

 

Delta also has a way to submit a lost item claim online (https://live.nettracer.aero/delta-paxview/lostandfound/landing.do), which I completed the day I lost my pens but I have less trust in their system. When I checked in for my return flight at the Delta counter I asked if the airline had their own lost and found collection. The counter agent had me talk to another delta employee who asked questions about my missing item and then went into the back room for about ten minutes before returning with my pens!

Im still receiving emails from deltas lost and found office saying theyre searching for my lost item, so I dont think the London delta office communicates with Deltas corporate lost and found service.

So if you forget something on a fight into Heathrow and fly Delta, your item is likely being held by Delta at the airport and you need to physically speak to someone at the airport (you can also submit an online claim but I wouldnt count on this). If you fly other airlines, the Heathrow lost and found office is worth contacting.

[da vinci]

Glad you got your pens back - it restore faith in mankind!

[Jbeustis]

Where did you end up buying a pen in London?