Fountain Pen Stores In Seoul?

[Tenkai]

Ah well, that sucks.

 

I'll think of it for saving money for a Thompson pen

[adamsw216]

Fountain pens themselves are definitely more expensive in Korea than in the US, but if you're looking for inks and/or paper, these shops will still give decent prices and the best selections.

 

BestPen is near Yeoksam Station (역삼). Just go straight out of Exit 7 for about 3 blocks (it's a bit of a hike), and it will be directly on your right. I've been to the shop and they have great selections. I've also been purchasing from them online with no issues and super fast shipping (if you live in Seoul).

 

Pen Shop Korea (the website actually lists 3 different B&M shops, but I am referring to the first one) is located in the building directly across the street from the Costco near Yeongdeungpo-gu Office Station (영등포구청) and has a great selection and friendly staff. The shop is on the 5th floor of the Dream Tower office building, so it may feel weird walking in there with all of the business employees, but rest assured it is on the 5th floor and there's usually at least one or two people in there browsing around.

The other two shops listed on the website are also located within Seoul near Gangnam.

 

I also found Penmate, but they don't seem to be located within Seoul so I have not done business with them.

 

Hope this is helpful for someone!

[tdcackler]

Out of curiosity, do any of these shops carry pens made in Korea? My wife and I are adopting a boy from Korea and my hope is to pick up a pen while there, sign all appropriate documents with it and then give it to him on his 12th birthday. I did something similar for our other son, filling out all his birth papers with a Levenger pen which is safely cleaned and sitting in my desk drawer for when he is older.

[b8amack]

You can find all sorts of pens made in Korea. Fountain pens made here, though? Not so much. You're going to want to go with a brand like Javapen. http://www.javapen.com/ You're more likely to find them in run of the mill stationery stores than specialty fountain pen stores, though.

 

 

ETA: I couldn't vouch for the quality of these pens, personally, having never used one. My worry is that it might be low. They are the only Korean fountain pen maker I know of, though.

Edited March 12, 2014 by b8amack

[adamsw216]

Fountain pen design and manufacture is not really a thing in Korea. The market for fountain pens here is incredibly narrow so you probably won't find much in the way of Korean-made fountain pens. The only three I am aware of are JAVAPEN, APIS, and Pilot Korea (Pilot Korea has been known to operate and manufacture separately from Pilot Japan). However, the only one I think might be noteworthy could be an APIS pen if you can figure out how to get your hands on one. From what I understand, APIS pen is the only one that manufactures their own nibs.

[b8amack]

Is Apis still in business? I'll have to ask around.

[adamsw216]

Ah yea, I just had a talk with my local pen shop owners and they informed me that APIS is no longer in business. I'm not sure where to begin looking for a vintage APIS in Korea, either. They also told me that JAVAPEN is a Korean company but a lot of the manufacture is done outside of Korea, so it's not really a Korean pen. I asked them if they knew of any other Korean fountain pen manufacturers and they said they weren't aware of any.

[tdcackler]

Thank you very much for checking. I actually emailed Javapen and they replied with some locations. Are other types of pens (namely a roller ball) more of an option? I really want to pick up a pen for our adopted son while we are in Korea that I can sign the paperwork with and then give to him when he is older. Any other thoughts?

[fledermaus89]

Quintessential Korean pen= MonAmi 153. They are disposable ballpoints, but quite a design icon in South Korea (more so than the Bic Cristal, in my opinion). I know they've made a limited edition model of this pen recently. Still, I wouldn't say it's valuable/durable enough to keep for years as a gift.

[b8amack]

Thank you very much for checking. I actually emailed Javapen and they replied with some locations. Are other types of pens (namely a roller ball) more of an option? I really want to pick up a pen for our adopted son while we are in Korea that I can sign the paperwork with and then give to him when he is older. Any other thoughts?

 

Why not just buy a nice fountain pen here, even if it's not Korean? Javapen would not be hard to find at all, honestly, but their pens are (imo) nothing special. I use Java ink all the time, but I have no urge to buy one of their pens.

 

@Adam: You can find vintage apis pens on gmarket.

Edited March 15, 2014 by b8amack

[tdcackler]

The idea is that the pen would be from his homeland - although we're bringing him home to the States, we're mindful of his heritage as a Korean and don't want to diminish that. But from the sounds of it, there isn't much in the way of pens like that - ones of an heirloom quality.

[clear1]

The idea is that the pen would be from his homeland - although we're bringing him home to the States, we're mindful of his heritage as a Korean and don't want to diminish that. But from the sounds of it, there isn't much in the way of pens like that - ones of an heirloom quality.

 

Hi. I live in Seoul, South Korea.

 

When are you coming? Are you coming to Seoul?

 

We don't have much of a Korean-brand pens now. Still, there's one limited edition ball pen, cellebrating 50 years of production.

 

It's sold out now, but if you want, I can give you(and him) mine as a present. I barely used it.

 

Let me know when you are coming via email. kimwt76@gmail.com

 

Here's the photo.

 

[kenshiro]

@JediGamer, I highly suggest you take clear1 up on his offer. I'm of Korean descent and my heart actually skipped a beat seeing that Ltd. Ed. Monami. I used those things all through my childhood and still have tactile memories of clicking them open and closed in boring 학원 lessons.

 

Damn, now I'm going to have to go find one for sale.

[kenshiro]

Incidentally, if you want to find pen retailers, the shortest path is to just look up a rare-ish model number on Naver Shopping. Just about every shop in the country I've seen is registered with Naver.

[tdcackler]

 

Hi. I live in Seoul, South Korea.

 

When are you coming? Are you coming to Seoul?

 

We don't have much of a Korean-brand pens now. Still, there's one limited edition ball pen, cellebrating 50 years of production.

 

It's sold out now, but if you want, I can give you(and him) mine as a present. I barely used it.

 

Let me know when you are coming via email. kimwt76@gmail.com

 

I ... I really don't know what to say. We received some rather discouraging news today on the adoption front. Nothing that totally derails anything but we have some additional hurdles and are looking at a couple more months to wait before we get our little guy home. Your generous gift means the world to me and is a tremendous encouragement. I graciously accept on one condition - that my wife and I take you and a guest to a meal when we are in Seoul for our court date. Is that a fair trade?

[clear1]

 

I ... I really don't know what to say. We received some rather discouraging news today on the adoption front. Nothing that totally derails anything but we have some additional hurdles and are looking at a couple more months to wait before we get our little guy home. Your generous gift means the world to me and is a tremendous encouragement. I graciously accept on one condition - that my wife and I take you and a guest to a meal when we are in Seoul for our court date. Is that a fair trade?

 

Hi. Everything will go just great, I believe.

 

Just let me know when you come to Korea. It's nothing compared to what you are doing.

 

Have a wonderful day!

[adamsw216]

I've found two more pen shops here!

 

The first one is Pen Cafe which is located in the underground Lotte Town shopping center that is connected to Euljiro Station (을지로) on the green line (Line 2). You can see a map here.

It's a rather small store that is set up much in the same style of the high-end jewelry stores that surround it. Despite its cold and corporate setup, they do have a good selection of the more expensive pens/inks hidden away in the cabinets. It's probably best to browse around the website to see what they have in stock before making a trip to the store.

 

The second one is Pen Galleria which is located near Samsung Station (삼성) on the green line (Line 2). Go out Exit 4 and head straight/slightly left down the main road and take the first left onto the first side road. Take a right on the second street and follow that road until you see the sign for 펜갤러리아. It will be on the very top of the building with a Japanese restaurant on the bottom floor (as of this post). I've not had a chance to actually go inside, so I can't really say much about the atmosphere.

 

Hope this helps!

[Simius]

I've found two more pen shops here!

 

The first one is Pen Cafe which is located in the underground Lotte Town shopping center that is connected to Euljiro Station (을지로) on the green line (Line 2). You can see a map here.

It's a rather small store that is set up much in the same style of the high-end jewelry stores that surround it. Despite its cold and corporate setup, they do have a good selection of the more expensive pens/inks hidden away in the cabinets. It's probably best to browse around the website to see what they have in stock before making a trip to the store.

 

The second one is Pen Galleria which is located near Samsung Station (삼성) on the green line (Line 2). Go out Exit 4 and head straight/slightly left down the main road and take the first left onto the first side road. Take a right on the second street and follow that road until you see the sign for 펜갤러리아. It will be on the very top of the building with a Japanese restaurant on the bottom floor (as of this post). I've not had a chance to actually go inside, so I can't really say much about the atmosphere.

 

Hope this helps!

 

Very timely,many thanks. Both conveniently located on Line 2. I'll check them out this weekend.

[b8amack]

Confused about Pen Cafe, then, as the earlier posts from fabri00 (with pictures) implied that that location had closed. You went there, Adam?

[tdcackler]

Well, I can check for them as I will be in Seoul in about four weeks! We got our court date for our adoption!