Letter Writing Club FAQs

I think one of my favourite times of the month is our Letter Writing Club. While I get a bit weepy thinking about Caleb growing up, every month when the second Sunday rolls around I think to myself, I can't wait until Caleb is old enough to occupy himself with some toys so I can sit down and write some letters for the entire two hours. In between sips of tea and maybe an egg tart. Or two. Our next Letter Writing Club is this upcoming Sunday, November 8th, and of course I've got a stack of letters to get into. For first-timers, though, I thought I might put up a few frequently asked questions to hopefully welcome you to venture into our shop for some letter writing madness! It can sometimes be a bit intimidating to come into a new place and not 'know what's going on,' but I hope you'll give us a try if you're in the area. Can I come alone? Absolutely! Don't be shy. Drop in by yourself, or with a friend. We have a big, long communal table set up, so you may end up sitting next to (and chatting with!) someone, or you can sit on your own as well. One of the perks of writing letters together is that you may have an opportunity to chat with someone just as excited about letter writing as you. If you have any questions, Jon or I are usually hanging around, but I'm sure any of the other letter writers could also help you out. You can see what we look like here, but we're also the Asian folks with the baby. Do I have to talk to you weirdos? Nope! Sometimes it's nice to have a bit of chatter in the background, but you're more than welcome to sit and write some letters without all the babbling. What should I bring? You should bring your address book, or a few addresses of friends or family or politicians or whoever else you'd like to write to. If you're planning ahead, you can think about upcoming birthdays or events, or even do up a bit holiday like getting a head start on all of your Christmas mailings. You can also bring your favourite pens, stationery, envelopes, stamps, washi tapes or anything else you'd like, but we have everything you'd need to mail a letter (except the address and the letter itself). At no cost, we've got stationery, envelopes, postage, and a few fun things to make your letter look extra nice, like wax seals. I don't have anyone to write to, can I still come? Sure, anyone is welcome, even if it's just to sample the coffee and egg tarts. But I always think it's more fun to join in! Consider writing an anonymous letter to cheer someone up, to leave on the TTC or at a public location. You can also sign up for a pen pal through some international pen pal websites, like the Letter Writer's Alliance. Additionally, sometimes we have people we happen to be in touch with who are looking for pen pals, so you can let us know if you're stuck! What time should I come? You can come anytime between 2-4. We "end" at 4, but often letter writers can linger or hang out for a bit longer. Even if you're running late, you can always pop by to get a quick thank you note done, or begin a letter to finish later. When does the Letter Writing Club take place? How will I know if there are changes? The Letter Writing Clubs runs on the second Sunday of the month, but sometimes we bump it back a Sunday if there's a holiday. You can always double check on our Wonder Pens Calendar (scroll to the bottom of the page). Can I bring my friend/child/dog? Of course! We're mostly adults here, but just like at a cafe or at a regular shop, children are definitely welcome. Dogs of all sorts are also welcome! We have a dog here, Super, who mostly hangs out in the back office area because he's a bit of a maniac. Do I need to write with fountain pens? Absolutely not! We have fountain pens for you to write with, if you'd like to try them out, and a lot of our letter writers happen to also be fountain pen users, but you can write with pencil, gel pens, crayons, or whatever else you'd like. Can I bring my fountain pens? Yes, I especially would love to see them! But we have a lot of fountain pen using letter writers, so for sure, bring what you've got inked up! I really like doing crafty or arty mail art kind of stuff - can I do that here? For sure! I love mail art. We don't have too many crafty supplies here, you can bring whatever you'd like to use. I myself have only recently discovered washi tape, so I've been generous with making sure the back of my envelopes are extra secure ;) Can I buy stuff from the shop? Sure, you can. Most of our merchandise for sale is cleared off so we have room for letter writing, although some of it still along the walls, like the ink bottles and some of the notebooks. If you know what you'd like, then we can definitely grab it for you, or you can also place an online order ahead of time, select it as "in-store pick-up" to avoid shipping charges, and we'll have it ready for you. I hope to see you this Sunday! Sometimes I'm in and out of the shop, so I miss seeing some of you, but the Letter Writing Club is also one of my favourite times to sit and chat with a few letter writing friends :)