You may have noticed: we’ve been a bit quiet around here. But it’s for good reason. The pen business is booming in Canada, and in Toronto specifically. This, however, has had a bit of an impact on our online presence.
Since Scriptus, last November (which is how we date things around here), we have been extremely busy. There have been many, many repairs, from both Canada and abroad. We have rescued many, many useless and damaged pens from heaps in antique shops and shows. This, of course, has meant more repairs. We have been busy, especially lately, helping to organise Scriptus 2016 & 2017 (yes, already).
So, there hasn’t been much time for website posting, and certainly not for forum activity. We apologise for the former. Those of you who subscribed did so, hopefully, for the quality, if not the frequency, of the posts. We actually have a folder full of various ideas and photos which, sooner or later, will make it onto the site.
As a result of all of this, we have done some thinking and dinner-table discussing. The result is that you will see a few changes to our website. Actually, just one big one: no more online sales, with only one exception. There are a few reasons for this.
First, and foremost: the time it takes. To find, repair, catalogue, photograph & list a pen takes many hours. We don’t have much time lately (see the leading paragraphs), and want to use it a wisely as possible.
Second, most of our pens are selling briskly and happily ‘in real life&rsquo, at events in Toronto and at Laywine’s Pens & Organizers downtown (at 25 Bellair, just north of Bloor, in Yorkville). Any pens we list online tend to languish here, rather than finding new, appreciative homes. And we would much rather move them on than amass them in an unused pile here.
The exception? We will still sell replacement Vacumatic sockets online. There are very few sources for these, and each represents a saved pen.
And just think: the less time we spend updating pens for sale, the more time we have for sharing other pen information. At least that’s the theory…
