From the Travel Journal: Arriving in Hong Kong and CN Square Stationery Store

From the Travel Journal: Arriving in Hong Kong and CN Square Stationery Store

I’m sort of jumping around a bit as I backtrack from last summer’s trip but I’m still hoping to share more of these snippets of our adventure.

February 25, 2020 — wonderpens
Tags: Japan Trip
Wrapping up 2019

Wrapping up 2019

Happy New Year!

Another year in business. This was a year filled with adventure, growth, luck, some good, some less so, learning, slogging away, good books, mediocre books, huge moments, tiny moments, airplane rides and train rides and bus rides, new pens, surprises, hurdles, Google translate, diaper changes in unusual places, spilled ink, celebrations, reading lessons, waiting, finger crossing, coffee, good company, good customers, good staff, new relationships, changes, stickers, snacks, some relatively low level disasters, painting, and some pretty okay stationery.

December 31, 2019 — wonderpens
Traveler’s Notebook 2020 and Meet-Up: Saturday, November 23, 2-4pm

Traveler’s Notebook 2020 and Meet-Up: Saturday, November 23, 2-4pm

The Traveler’s Notebook 2020 items are here, and are already flying off the shelves. In fact, many items went straight out of the boxes into smaller boxes for Canada Post or onto our holds shelf for people picking them up in store. It’s a crazy thing when I think back to our first days carrying Traveler’s Notebook and our teeny tiny display and its journey over the years.

Traveler’s Notebook Factories: Narita Airport and Tokyo Station

Traveler’s Notebook Factories: Narita Airport and Tokyo Station

In Tokyo, Japan, there are three Traveler’s Notebook Factories. The main Traveler’s Factory is located in a back alley in Nakameguro, a small district with many independent shops, studios and boutiques. We were fortunate enough to be able to visit and also meet with Iijima-san, the creator of the Traveler’s Notebook, and you can read more about that visit here.

October 10, 2019 — wonderpens
Visiting The Superior Labor, Part 2: Staying in the Observatory

Visiting The Superior Labor, Part 2: Staying in the Observatory

Welcome to Part 2 of our visit to The Superior Labor in Okayama. You can find Part 1 here. For some background information, since it’s been some time since our travel posts, this past summer, we visited Japan and Hong Kong. I had thought I was going to blog on the road, but couldn’t keep up—so here I am catching up.

September 12, 2019 — wonderpens
Traveler’s Notebook Meet-Up at the Studio Shop: Caravan Stamps

Traveler’s Notebook Meet-Up at the Studio Shop: Caravan Stamps

We were lucky enough to host the Traveler’s Company Caravan Stamps for its final two weeks in Canada, at the main shop, and for their very last day here in Canada, we celebrated their journey with a meet-up at the studio shop.
August 27, 2019 — wonderpens
Update from Hong Kong

Update from Hong Kong

Still in Hong Kong! Summer is closing in on September, and we’re very much looking forward to returning back home, seeing the shops, seeing the animals. 
August 19, 2019 — wonderpens
Visiting The Superior Labor: Part 1

Visiting The Superior Labor: Part 1

Of course (of course!) it goes without saying that we could not visit Japan without trying to see if we could visit The Superior Labor in Okayama. The Superior Labor studio, factory, shop and family home are located in Okayama prefecture, about an hour’s flight outside Tokyo.

August 10, 2019 — wonderpens
Visiting Pilot Pens Fountain Pen Factory in Hiratsuka

Visiting Pilot Pens Fountain Pen Factory in Hiratsuka

As a small business owner, there’s sometimes a limited extent to which you want to demonstrate how the sausage is made. Do people really need to know that the lights in your pen display are held together with washi tape?* Is it really a good look to share that you found some shop display furniture on the side of the street and you had to guard it while you called someone from the team in the shop to come out and find you half a block away to help you carry it back? It could go either way.
August 01, 2019 — wonderpens
The Tsukiji Fish Market

The Tsukiji Fish Market

Anyone who knows anything at all about Japanese culture knows how important fish is. It’s no surprise, given that Japan is an island nation, that fish feature prominently in much of their cuisine, and sushi is, of course, both popular everywhere and incredibly delicious.

July 25, 2019 — wonderpens