We've been thinking about this for a while, and we're finally getting our act together: every once in a while, we're going to host a free mini workshop, Introduction to Fountain Pens, here in the shop. The first workshop is Saturday, May 20th, from 10:30 to 11:00. It'll be before the shop opens, so there's space and room to move around and try out everything before customers start coming in. This short and friendly workshop is for complete beginners, or people who used to use fountain pens "a million years ago" and want to try again. If you have a fountain pen that was passed down to you or that you've never used, please bring it along! (Our staff can do some light troubleshooting if your pen isn't working right now, but if your pen is vintage, we likely won't have any replacement parts or be able to take apart your pen fully for cleaning.) Topics that we're going to cover include:
- How to fill fountain pens with ink
- How/when/why to clean your fountain pen
- How to choose a fountain pen ink
- How paper qualities vary
- Higher end fountain pens
But it's really going to be a bit more of a hands-on kind of a workshop. Participants will get a chance to fill and clean fountain pens for themselves, as well as test out different nibs and try writing on different papers - and hopefully ask lots of questions! This is also a really terrific workshop to attend with a friend who is completely new to fountain pens! You are more than welcome to attend with a friend who maybe is sort of a stationery nut but hasn't quite caught the fountain pen bug, or someone you just want to introduce to the pen world. With the new spring weather here, it's a fun Saturday morning, and you can browse around the shop at after, as well as around Leslieville for brunch or shopping. We'll have treats to eat (in addition to the treats to write with), and coffee as well. Space is limited, so we ask that you RSVP by emailing, calling or visiting the shop. The details are also available on the workshops section of our website
here. If you can't make it, we ask that you let us know as a courtesy so we can open up the spot to other people. If you can't make the May 20th date, we'll be posting more dates for the future. We're aiming to have a workshop once a month, depending on how much interest there is. And of course, you're always welcome in the shop for a crash course on fountain pens any time as well!
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Comments
Anonymous said:
Definitely something to think about!
In the meantime though, I really do welcome you to come to the shop! Any of our staff would love to give you the tour of pens after the beginner pens, specifically tailored to your preferences and tastes with regards to how the nib writes, looks and holds in the hands, especially after you’ve had some experience with writing.
Kevin Love said:
May I suggest offering a workshop for the next level pens? I suspect many people order beginner pens on the philosophy of “if it does not work for me, so what, it was cheap.”
I certainly put myself in that category. But the next level up, may be worth the trip before buying.
Anonymous said:
We’ll have more workshops posted for sure, stay tuned! Looking forward to your visit :)
Anonymous said:
Great! Hope to see you there, and hope your friends might also make it in! :)
Anonymous said:
That’s definitely one of the advantages of a brick and mortar, having all of the pens to test out!
However, to be honest, I must say that I think the introduction workshop will mostly be covering beginner pens, like the Lamy Safari, Pilot Metropolitan, Kaweco Sports, as we’re planning this workshop more for people completely new to fountain pens, rather than people who have some experience and are looking for the next level pen.
If you’re interested in trying Platinum or Sailor nibs, for example, you’re more than welcome to stop by the shop anytime and see what we have in the display! We would love to see you again :)
Paul Godden said:
Brilliant idea! I don’t get to Toronto often, but a chance to try out and compare EF, F, M, B, music, and stub nibs in steel and gold from different manufacturers would be amazing. I think all levels of pen enthusiasts would love a chance to experience the differences between, say, Platinum or Sailor gold nibs, and Edison, or Lamy steel, and decide where the money is better spent… even if it’s just watching a more experienced hand guide the expensive nibs!
Suzanne said:
Hi again! I sent an email to register and shared the info with a few friends. ☺ Really looking forward to this. Thanks again!
Karen McNamara said:
I can’t make it to the May work shop but I would certainly love to come by another time. I would bring my Mom who has not used a fountain pen in many years. Thanks, I can’t wait to visit your store.