A New Adventure for the Wonder Pens Family

After a long, dusty, roller-coaster search, we have some big news. We're moving! Our tiny corner of the fountain pen and stationery world, here at 906 Dundas West, has been an incredible adventure. Taking the entrepreneurial leap, discovering new products, meeting some pretty fascinating and hilarious people - this space has been a little cocoon for us (I've been reading the Very Hungry Caterpillar...). But we're ready to turn into our beautiful butterfly! Too cheesy? Just a little? The truth is that we've long outgrown our small space. The Christmas holiday bustle was full and crowded and there were times people had to look over each other and take turns looking into displays. Our back room has become fodder for a Hoarders' episode, and our front display window now holds stacks of boxes for shipping. Passersby often peer over the stacks of different sized boxes, likely thinking, "hmmm, Wonder Pens, are they selling...cardboard?"

But really, part of the big capital-d Dream is for us to have a live-work space, where the baby and the dog can grow up in the shop with us. We are truly a family business, and I don't know if it's because we sell a bit of an old-fashioned product, but we're looking for a bit more of an old-fashioned way of business. A mom & pop shop, where mom & pop & baby & pup live in the apartment in the back. Jon and I have some experience moving - the mishaps moving me from Kingston to Toronto for my first teaching job foreshadowed many more exciting moving adventures in this city to come for the two of us. We've done our share of renting U-Hauls and driving around the city with furniture tenuously balanced in the back. I recall once, turning a tight corner with a metal pole to prevent curb cutting, Jon asking me to check if he was okay on my side. "Oh, yes, Jon, fine." - as I glanced casually in the mirror, looking with horror as the U-Haul made contact with the metal pole and a hubcap came rolling off. Jon, bastion of self-restraint, sighed and looked at me with disbelief. Some yelling may have ensued. Another time, Jon dropped Super's food container onto the pavement, and dry kibble went everywhere. Super looked on in shock and horror, stunned into stillness. I'm pretty sure raccoons had a field day with that one. If I recall correctly, there was some yelling going on for this one too. While, of course, I expect there to be a few more "exciting" moments, I couldn't be more thrilled for this next adventure. More details to come, but we are moving to the east end of the city. We'll be closing down the 906 bricks & mortar shop for a week or two in April or May for the move, and we're hoping to have the new place up and running sometime in May. There are some renovations going on, and always delays, always delays, but things are rolling on wheels. Please stay tuned over these next few weeks! There is so much going on, including the new Copper Orange, the blue Midori's, new lines and new products coming into the shop, features on the blog, pictures of the new space and its renovations, and - especially - we're going to have a few projects for your last visits to say good-bye to our 906 Dundas West space. We've found a beautiful studio space with a storefront area with enough space to run calligraphy classes, a packing and office area, and an apartment in the back for the baby and dog to romp around - and enough sunlight for the plants and our business and our family to grow.