Happy International Fountain Pen Day!

My first fountain pen was my grandfathers. It was green and had a lever on the side. I carried it and a bottle of ink through high school. Eventually the ink bladder wouldn’t hold ink any longer. Around 38 years later I read about your shop and went in and bought a green pilot because it reminded me of my grandfather’s pen. And then when you moved to Carlaw you were too accessible. I bought a Brass Kaweco, a TWSBI, then an Edison, a couple of Lamys, Midori notebooks, Leuchtturm, hobonichi, a Superior Labor pen roll, small superior labor portfolio (which is lovely) and ink samples and bottles… You’ve got a great shop.

I feel fortunate that I can indulge my affinity for fine stationary at a shop that is both family-run and local. Cheers to Jon for buying that first fortuitous pen; little could he have known how many more pens would find appreciative homes because of it. Thank you!

Hello from your neighbor (in) Montreal! I’m still trying to find a better pen than the E95S, but its small form factor and gold nib are just too good of a combo.

My most memorable fountain pen experience recebtly was waiting for Noodler’s Heart of Darkness to come back in stock at wonderpens so I could use it to take my engineering notes!

Thank you for hosting this giveaway! My first fountain pen that I bought was a Pilot Metropolitan, which eventually grew into bigger and bigger purchases!

My husband bought me my first fountain pen at your shop!

My first fountain pen was purchased when I was travelling in France as a student around 25 years ago. It was a beautiful marbled orange, green and black- has “chevignon” on the cap. It was well used but I think I ruined it by using calligraphy ink, there wasn’t much to pick from in those days, and I didn’t know any better. (Found it recently, but unable to revive it)
After a long break I re-entered the fountain pen world a few years ago, with a charcoal Lamy Safari. Still a favorite- love being able to uncap with one hand! And so much ink to choose from now…

I just recently started using fountain pens for my art
I wanted to try urban sketching and found out many sketchers use fountain pens. Well needless to say I now have 7 and wanting more.

For many years I have drawn, pencils, makers, and ball point pens. Then on one of our “art adventures “ my daughter and I paid a visit to the aptly named Wonder Pen store. Mind blown. We both love paper and pens, and we discovered fountain pens. The adventure continued until we made it to Scriptus last weekend. New achievement unlocked.

Don’t remember what was my first fountain pen, but what I remember is when I was in middle school we need to use fountain pen to practice writing(calligraphy) I had one fountain pen with some k gold nib. I carried this pen in such care and clean its outside everytime I used. Sadly it got broken after one fall from desk…After these years I’m not able to find this pen at home again, still trying to figure out which brand it was. Or after find it and after web browing about fixing a nib, will there be anyway to repair this fountain pen.

I started using fountain pens during medical school and I haven’t stopped since! I still have my first fountain pen which is a Lamy Safari..

I’m not sure why we didn’t just use ballpoint pens, but I learned to write with a fountain pen in public school in the 60s. Possibly it was a Scheaffer—a small blue pen with a silver cap and it had a little lever on the side of the body that filled the pen with ink. I’ve loved using fountain pens ever since.

My first foray into this world of wonders was an Apple colour Lamy Safari. Not having a lot of money at the time and being a retired soldier it was a big expenditure. I still have it and it is one of my favourite pens. I love writing and have since shared my good fortune by introducing young relatives to this amazing realm.

I don’t remember exactly which pen I started with, but it was a slim, champagne-coloured Parker. I went to a public school in China, and in Grade 4 we were required to make the transition from pencil to fountain pen. Every week, my classmates and I had to write pages of characters in square boxes, and it was difficult with a fountain pen. My right middle finger was permanently stained dark blue for two years because I was always holding my pen wrong or spilling ink when I refilled it from the bottle. I was always jealous that the older kids had clean hands, and wondered if I could ever get there. (I did)

My dad and I started a tradition then where he would take me to the fountain pen counter at the department store every September, and we each pick a new pen and fresh notebooks. It was wonderful, like we were setting new intentions for the year. We stopped doing that as I got older, but this year I got him a Lamy Lx for his birthday. He’s notoriously hard to shop for but he loved the pen, which made me incredibly nostalgic.

Firstly, wow.. look at this fountain pen lovers community! My first fountain pen was a Pilot 78G. I’ve since added to my collection though with a Jinhao, Pilot Prera, Kaweco Sport and 2 Twisbi eco’s. The ink collection is getting out of hand but I can’t resist them either. Thanks Wonderpens.

I received my first fountain pen from my wife and 3 month old daughter after graduating seminary. It was a Monteverde Invinvia BowTie. Beautiful pen and a good writer.

My first pen was a Kaweco Perkeo that a buddy of mine gave me. He even gave one to my wife too so we could match lol.

What an amazing way to celebrate this day – thank you!

The first fountain pen I owned was a Pilot Metropolitan Retro Pop, in green (yup, I’m a newb!).

Thank you. My passion for fountain pen comes from family, I always see parents, grandparents and uncles, writing with fountain pens. I’ve always had one since I was a child.

What a wonderful story! I got my first fountain pen back in elementary school, a cheap Chinese Hero, because we were all made to learn cursive way back in the stone ages. Oh how they leaked! I’ve been a stationery nut all my life, but the first FP I really got hooked on was the predecessor to the Lamy Alstar, the very first aluminium model Lamy made. 20 years later, I still have it and after washing out all the dried ink from years of using cartridges without ever cleaning the pen (!), it still works :) I’ve always wanted to open a book or starionery store with a cafe. If I had been with my love back when I was much younger, maybe we would have done it, maybe not. All I know is, in this fast-paced world we need a space where we can slow down and enjoy simple things. I’m so glad you created Wonder Pens as an oasis for stationery lovers and I hope to visit you in Toronto some day! Much love to the pen community this Fountain Pen Day <3

Thanks for an always interesting read on your blog! My first official fountain pen was a Lamy Safari in neon yellow, but I spent a lot of time with a Sheaffer calligraphy set when I was a child.

My first fountain pen was a Pilot metropolitan which I received for Chrstmas last year. Now, ten months later, I have a few more Pilots, a couple of Lamys, lots of Platinums and several of my favourite TWSBIs. The addiction continues!

My first fountain pen was a Parker 75 Bordeaux barrel with a stainless cap that my mother left behind when she passed. i remember as kid her writing letters weekly to her family in Europe, telling me that you do not write with this fountain pen like it was a pencile. “Gently gently” she said!

Hello!,
My first fountain pen was a Kaweco sport, its a perfect little travel pen!

Liz/Jon – such a great story about how your lives and careers have been shaped by fountain pens and luxurious stationery! My first fountain pen was a Lamy Safari that I bought from Madison+PAGE. For some reason, I could not get the hang of using a Lamy (it’s that grip!) so I gave it away to a fountain pen friend of mine. I waited a couple of years and then thought I would try again. This time, I bought a Visconti Van Gogh and I was in love! Down the rabbit hole I went … still trying to find my way out lol!

My lovely sister paved the way to stationary hoarding, calligraphy and fountain pens! My first pen was a purple lamy safari from your shop.

I found my mum‘s fountain pen when I was starting kindergarten; first thing I did was to empty out the bladder – lucky for me there wasn’t a lot of ink but enough to wipe it all over my dad’s accounting ledgers. I didn’t see that pen again, until it magically appeared on my 18th birthday, with a note -
„Unlike last time, this bladder is empty – a precautionary measure as there are guests within the splash zone“
Still have it, still use it – thanks mum ?

Happy Fountain Pen Day! My 1st pen is a Noodler and I love it.

I remember watching my grandfather write his letters with a fountain pen. Something about the flow of the ink was always appealing to me.

My first fountain pen was a Waterman Phileas that my mom had. She got me into the hobby but I think I fell deeper into the online pen community. I still have that Phileas out of sentimentality but I do not use it. :(

That was really sweet story :)
It was nice to see you guys at Scriptus show, I have never seen a queue like that before lol. Rock stars :)
Thank you for a very generous giveaway.

All the best,

Mishka

My first fountain pen is LAMY Safari. My favorite pen is Kaweco. It’s light good to write and easy to carry around..

A good platinum preppy and pilot Metropolitan was all it took to go down this crazy rabbit hole. 2 years strong and never going back!

What a lovely story! So romantic. I am happy you started the business and am grateful for a Canadian company to indulge my passion. My first pen was accidental. I was looking for a nice dark drawing ink to use with brushes or a dip pen. I found a bottle with a super cool name – heart of darkness.. and hey, look, it came with a free pen. Ooooooh! This is a nice pen, I like fountain pens. I need more. (And more.) (and yet more)

My first fountain pen was a charcoal safari too!
I’m glad I was able to pick up my hobonichi weeks refill from you guys at Scriptus… saves me a trip to Japan :)

My first fountain pen of note was my Dad’s. When I was very young and couldn’t write myself he would use it to write diary entries
for me (it was the 80s and writing in a diary was still a thing). He would take out this special pen from a gold case (ok it was brass but when you’re five….) just so he could take down my dictation of whatever I thought was important that day. I still have the diary and my dad still has the pen (it was given to him as a gift so he didn’t know a whole lot about it, but I researched it and it’s actually quite a nice Schaeffer Targa).
When I started getting into fountain pens and buying them for myself within the past couple years my dad confessed that he had not used his in some time as he thought it was broken. Turns out it just needed a good cleaning which it now has and he has been using it often since and frequently sends me text messages to tell me he’s enjoying it. I even purchased him a Safari last year which he now uses as an EDC.

So I think this is why fountain pens are important. That particular pen will always remind me of special time spent with my Dad. Using it was a bit ceremonial all those years ago, and his using it with me made me feel special, and it made me feel like what I had to say was important. I think this is often why those of us who use fountain pens prefer them, even in our daily scrawls.

My wife converted me to fountain pens recently and the writing experience is so much better than the cheap ballpoint pens they use at work.

Hi there,
I am just starting on this journey with much pushing from my sister! I have bought lots of ink, cartridges paper and sundry supplies but am still afraid of my Lamy she bought me. And Pilot Parallels.
So far I’m only comfortable with dipping. I have a glass pen and a speedball calligraphy pen. Pathetic I know! I’m waiting (and waiting) to buy a Brause holder and nib set when you get them back in stock..
So maybe a new pen will propel me into the fountain pen world! Hopefully not too far down the rabbit hole as I suffer from “secondary hobby syndrome”, buying everything I might possibly need to start another hobby without actually doing the hobby! ?
Cheers! ( and your baby is adorable!)

Thanks for the great story. My first fountain pen was bought while I was deployed in the military many years ago. It was a Waterman that is somewhere between Teal and light green in color and has a couple of light purple rings on the barrel near the section. It’s an unusual color and has a gold-plated stainless steel nib (F). I cannot tell you how many miles I’ve written with that pen; it may just need to be inked up again real soon! I don’t have any Auroras, so this would be a wonderful addition to my little stash of pens. Thank you.

My first fountain pen was just about 6 months ago, a TWSBI classic in Burgundy from you guys. I’m now up to 5! Still hovering in the affordability category for now.

Thanks for the giveaway! :)

My father always used fountain pens but it wasn’t until I saw one at an auction that my interest was piqued. It was a Lamy 2000 and I got it for 40$. Now I have approx. 30 pens and I’m just starting to get into different inks. My wife and friends all think I’m crazy but the more I look around – I see more people writing and using pens and stationery. I have ordered from your store and I loved the handwritten note that came with it. Keep up the good work.
P.S. Love the blog as well.

My first fountain pen was a Lamy Safari, as I imagine many people’s was. I still use it, though less these days- I’ve got it inked up with Diamine’s Oxblood. It now accompanies me in political nonsense ramblings in a Peter Pauper Press journal (which are excellent in just about every way, speaking of.)

Don’t make me choose one favourite! I love them all. But I find myself reaching for the Lamy 2000 more and more….

Thanks for the great giveaway!

On a day off, I was wandering and walked past the Vancouver Pen Shop and stopped to take a look. I was blown away. I walked out with a Platinum Plaisir, some ink cartridges, a few Rhodia pads, and a lifelong passion!

New to fountain pens…. have always had a love for pens and stationary….experimenting with new inks… have fallen down the rabbit hole ….

My girlfriend bought a lamy al-star and pilot metropolitan as her first pens. I couldnt stop stealing them during class! Soon after, she bought my first fountain pen, an ocean blue lamy al-star, since then theres been no going back!

That’s a lovely story. My first fountain pen is my mom’s college pen – a Sheaffer Imperial. Then a few months after, we were going through my gradma’s stuff after she passed away and I found her hand written lesson plans (she was an elementary school teacher) and how pretty her hand writing was. There goes me and my want to go back to sitting down and improving my handwriting again.

I’ve always loved stationery even when I was little. But I feel down the fountain pen rabbit hole in middle school, when I came across a Hero fountain pen in a store. That was my first fountain pen, and it kept growing after that. It’s always a treat to go visit stationery stores and see all the paper goods and pens that are in store.