Any Other B&m Stores In New York City?

[Mysterious Mose]

I like to try out a pen: hold it and write with it before buying. For years, I've used Fountain Pen Hospital, and 10 or 20 years ago, Joon. Are there any other brick & mortar stores in New York City?

[corniche]

Hi MM,

 

Lamy has a place in SoHo, IIRC.

 

 

- Sean

[inkstainedruth]

Yes, I've been to the Lamy Soho store a couple of times. It's small, but the last time I was in NYC (before 2020 decided to be, well, 2020) I went down to it and got a couple of the Lamy Crystal inks.

There is also a place I just found recently about but haven't been to, someplace in Queens. The place specializes in Japanese paper and I think they may have pens as well.

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[KingsCountyWriter]

Kinokuniya in midtown has fountain pens. The West Village and SoHo have branches of Goods for the Study. One of NYCs best stores opens in a few weeks; Yoseka Stationery reopens in Greenpoint after a great run in Sunnyside. I think thats what Ruth was referring to.

[taimdala]

Yes, I've been to the Lamy Soho store a couple of times. It's small, but the last time I was in NYC (before 2020 decided to be, well, 2020) I went down to it and got a couple of the Lamy Crystal inks.

There is also a place I just found recently about but haven't been to, someplace in Queens. The place specializes in Japanese paper and I think they may have pens as well.

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

 

Pretty pretty please, might we have the name of the store in Queens? My daughter just moved to Brooklyn and I can ask her to check it out for me. Thank you so much!

[Marcwithac]

In addition to FPH, Lamy and Kinokuniya, there is a Montblanc boutique at Madison and 58th Street. Also, Blacker & Kooby at Lexington and 92nd Street carries some fountain pens. Ever since Art Brown closed there is nothing in Manhattan comparable to Fountain Pen Hospital for selection and service.

[gerigo]

Sadly, there are not many pen stores left in NYC. For me a pen store has to have sufficient stock to cater to the everyday person who are looking to spend a few tens of dollars, yet enough high end stuff to allow me to aspire to. Having everything under $100 is of course very nice but sometimes I like to window shop expensive pens. However from a business perspective, this makes it hard for shops to hold stock of very expensive pens which is the reason why with the exception of FPH, no one else has expensive pens. Having said that, here are stores in NYC based on what I know:

 

FPH. Currently still the most complete. However can be a little snooty and curt if you catch the guys on a busy day. Focused on serving fountain pen enthusiasts. Currently closed, with only curbside pick up.

 

Goods for the study. They have 2 locations, one in Nolita and the other in Washington Park area. Their main draw are cheap pens, brushes and pencils as well as a good selection of papers, notebooks and stationery. They have a smattering of standard fountain pens by Pelikan, Lamy, Sailor, Pilot, Faber Castell and Lamy. Nothing fancy or unique.

 

Branded boutiques. Lamy, Montblanc, Cartier, et el. I am sure you'd be able to find the odd Hermes or LV as well. You get the idea. They don't cater to fountain pen enthusiast and they don't know what they are selling, with the exception of Lamy and Montblanc. Incidentally Montblanc has 2 locations, one in Westfield mall close to FPH and the other, the flagship store, uptown.

 

New stationery focused shops with some fountain pens.
Niconeco Zakkaya. I have only heard of this place and have not been. Primarily focused on paper, washi tape. May have SOME fountain pens and probably very low end.

Yoseka. Now in Brooklyn. Also primarily focused on papers, stationery paraphernalia and washi. They DO carry Sailor as well as the studio inks, and some unique Taiwanese pens like TWSBI. Closed as well and only provide curbside pickup.

Japanese stores that have stationery.

Muji. Enough said. Only a couple fountain pens but their stationery section is always fun.

Kinokuniya. Their fountain pens are ridiculous priced and selection VERY limited. Don't bother. Go for the amazing Japanese stationery selection. This is the closest experience you'll have that is akin to shopping at a store in Tokyo.

 

Luggage shops with pens

Altman Luggage. This has been my drug hmmm... fountain pen dealer of choice. They give me an even better discount than the regular 20 off and they have a decent selection. You can get inexpensive pens as well as those crazy pen of the years from GVFC. I know there must be others but I live close to them and give my business to them, so have never bothered to find others.

Art Brown. Now if you google the name, you'd find that it would appear. In all seriousness, the owner bought the name from Art Brown and the shop is really a kiosk in the jewelry mart somewhere in mid town. They only carry ST Duponts which I am sure is grey market. They have a very wide selection, including leather and lighters. They also have the crazy $20k to $50k pens that sit on your desk to mimic sculpture.

This is all I know. I don't usually venture uptown so have not checked shops up there. Please add to the list?

[Mysterious Mose]

Thanks for the few leads. Now I play detective and track them down.

 

I remember checking out a Montblanc showroom in New York a few years ago. They had only Montblanc branded products, such as overpriced wallets, pocket calendars and attache cases. I don't remember if they even had pens.

 

Does anyone else even remember Joon's? They had a store in Grand Central terminal. I think that's where I got my beloved Pelikan M805.

 

Are any of the following still in business and carrying pens? (This is from OCD research maybe two years ago.)

 

IVY League Stationers, 2955 Broadway (116th Street), NY, NY

Janoff's, 2870 Broadway (110 Street), NY, NY

Jason Office Products, 140 W. 31st Street, NY, NY

Montgomery Stationery, 5014 13th Avenue, Brooklyn, NY

Altman's Luggages, 135 Orchard Street, New York, NY

 

 

[gerigo]

Montgomery Stationery is fake. When I was starting out around 2012 or so, I used to see their ads on EBAY and found out I was only living a couple blocks away from the store. Turned out to be a front with not a single pen, a bunch of pedestrain office supplies in a dingy shop that was so disorganized and horribly dirty. I asked them about pens and they said " They are in the basement. We can get them for you." I walked out.

 

I was lucky enough to start when Joon and Art Brown was still around. I remembered going to Art Brown because I was interested in a few demonstrators. That day, they had too many choices and I just ended up with a Noodler's nib creeper and a bottle of the Herbin Rogue Hematite. When I went back again the next week, they went into receivership and the doors were locked forever.
I also decided to visit Joon that was in midtown. It was sad because they were obviously winding down the business. There was literally nothing on the shelves or on display.

 

Thanks for the few leads. Now I play detective and track them down.

 

I remember checking out a Montblanc showroom in New York a few years ago. They had only Montblanc branded products, such as overpriced wallets, pocket calendars and attache cases. I don't remember if they even had pens.

 

Does anyone else even remember Joon's? They had a store in Grand Central terminal. I think that's where I got my beloved Pelikan M805.

 

Are any of the following still in business and carrying pens? (This is from OCD research maybe two years ago.)

 

IVY League Stationers, 2955 Broadway (116th Street), NY, NY

Janoff's, 2870 Broadway (110 Street), NY, NY

Jason Office Products, 140 W. 31st Street, NY, NY

Montgomery Stationery, 5014 13th Avenue, Brooklyn, NY

Altman's Luggages, 135 Orchard Street, New York, NY

 

 

Edited October 5, 2020 by gerigo

[Mysterious Mose]

Montgomery Stationery is fake. When I was starting out around 2012 or so, I used to see their ads on EBAY and found out I was only living a couple blocks away from the store. Turned out to be a front with not a single pen, a bunch of pedestrain office supplies in a dingy shop that was so disorganized and horribly dirty. I asked them about pens and they said " They are in the basement. We can get them for you." I walked out.

 

I was lucky enough to start when Joon and Art Brown was still around. I remembered going to Art Brown because I was interested in a few demonstrators. That day, they had too many choices and I just ended up with a Noodler's nib creeper and a bottle of the Herbin Rogue Hematite. When I went back again the next week, they went into receivership and the doors were locked forever.

I also decided to visit Joon that was in midtown. It was sad because they were obviously winding down the business. There was literally nothing on the shelves or on display.

 

What you said about Montgomery Stationery is consistent with my experience, about 3 years ago. They said to call first before paying them a visit. They said many of their pens are in the warehouse, not the store so we'd have to make prior arrangements to have what I wanted to look at brought to the store.

 

I didn't even know about Art Brown when they were in operation.

 

I'm curious about Joon. They had top of the line pens but I don't think they carried anything else but pens.

[inkstainedruth]

Kinokuniya in midtown has fountain pens. The West Village and SoHo have branches of Goods for the Study. One of NYCs best stores opens in a few weeks; Yoseka Stationery reopens in Greenpoint after a great run in Sunnyside. I think thats what Ruth was referring to.

Yes, Yoseka Stationery sounds like the place. I haven't been there so I don't know what they're like -- the last time I was in NYC was the end of February for a family thing, and I didn't have a lot a free time -- I basically had one day on my own, and went down to the Lamy Soho store (I had been to FPH at Christmas, for what has sort of become an annual holiday pilgrimage for me, since it's close to the subway).

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[welch]

In all, FPH is the only full-scale FP + ink + paper store. Art Brown's was about twice as big, so we lost a lot when they had to close in 2013.

 

Of all those smaller places mentioned, I have often stopped at Janoff's. It is in Morningside Heights, on Broadway between Columbia and the 110th Street IRT station. They have a fair amount of pens, and have begun carrying ink. It is really an artist's supply store, so they have a great selection of paper, notebooks, pencils, brushes.

[corniche]

Art Brown's was about twice as big, so we lost a lot when they had to close in 2013.

Oh, wow. Has it been THAT long! It feels like last month.

 

 

- Sean

[inkstainedruth]

Montgomery Stationery is fake. When I was starting out around 2012 or so, I used to see their ads on EBAY and found out I was only living a couple blocks away from the store. Turned out to be a front with not a single pen, a bunch of pedestrain office supplies in a dingy shop that was so disorganized and horribly dirty. I asked them about pens and they said " They are in the basement. We can get them for you." I walked out.

 

Yikes. Good to know.

I'd been tempted to stick my nose in there on some trip to NYC just to waste their time... and THEN tell them what I thought of my one (and only!) eBay experience with them....

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[kazoolaw]

Oh, wow. Has it been THAT long! It feels like last month.

 

 

- Sean

 

Did it close again after re-opening in 2017?

https://blog.rhodiapads.com/2013/08/09/art-brown-international-pen-shop-closes-in-new-york-city/#:~:text=I'm%20glad%20to%20announce,%3A%2F%2Fwww.artbrown.com.

 

This is from a 2017 post:

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/250074-art-browns-has-closed/page-3?do=findComment&comment=3957529

Edited October 8, 2020 by gary

[inkstainedruth]

I know that they moved to a new location when they first reopened. I think part of the reason it closed to begin with was because of the rents (they were on IIRC 45th St., half a block off 5th Avenue -- so right in the heart of Midtown Manhattan). Someone told me that Mrs. Brown had initially retired, but then started working at FPH.

I remember being in the old store when it was still open -- I was trying to find a modern ink to match what had come out of an old Esterbrook SJ I'd bought, and reconstituted the dried out ink in it when I went to clean and test it. It was a very nice blue black but of course I had no clue what had been in the pen, or if it was even still on the market. I took a writing sample to both FPH and Art Brown's. At FPH I was allowed to dip test some inks (except for MB). I couldn't do that at Art Brown's but I was looking at their swab book, and the guy I was originally talking to sent me to her for additional assistance. I ended up getting two inks which were close: Noodler's Manhattan Blue and Diamine Denim (the Noodler's was a slightly better color match, and the Diamine had slightly better shading), thanks to her, and I like both of them.

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

 

ETA: I have not been to the "new" Art Brown's. I looked at their website a few years ago, and they seemed to mostly be a luggage shop. I think they carried Delta pens, but not much else.

Edited October 8, 2020 by inkstainedruth

[N1003U]

I know that they moved to a new location when they first reopened. I think part of the reason it closed to begin with was because of the rents (they were on IIRC 45th St., half a block off 5th Avenue -- so right in the heart of Midtown Manhattan). Someone told me that Mrs. Brown had initially retired, but then started working at FPH.

I remember being in the old store when it was still open -- I was trying to find a modern ink to match what had come out of an old Esterbrook SJ I'd bought, and reconstituted the dried out ink in it when I went to clean and test it. It was a very nice blue black but of course I had no clue what had been in the pen, or if it was even still on the market. I took a writing sample to both FPH and Art Brown's. At FPH I was allowed to dip test some inks (except for MB). I couldn't do that at Art Brown's but I was looking at their swab book, and the guy I was originally talking to sent me to her for additional assistance. I ended up getting two inks which were close: Noodler's Manhattan Blue and Diamine Denim (the Noodler's was a slightly better color match, and the Diamine had slightly better shading), thanks to her, and I like both of them.

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

 

ETA: I have not been to the "new" Art Brown's. I looked at their website a few years ago, and they seemed to mostly be a luggage shop. I think they carried Delta pens, but not much else.

 

Art Brown was for years on 46th St., just west of 5th Av. They had a really friendly and knowledgeable (for the most part) staff and a good stock of pens, ink, and paper. They certainly fed my Pelikan habit well, and they carried items from Acme, which I enjoy (I always liked the concept of matching accessories--pens, business card case, cufflinks, key rings, money clips, ties, etc.). They also had a nice stock of inks, papers, and graphic art supplies.

 

Great store with a long tradition. That Art Brown was only a few blocks from my office was a definite plus for me, if occasionally hard on the wallet. It is to me a real shame that they were unable to continue.

 

Around the end of the 2000s, they started to be impacted from on-line trade (at least that is what some of the staff folks there were telling me), and I suspect the owners did not react well to that threat (either because they couldn't or chose not to make the serious technological jump to on-line fulfillment). Sometime in 2010 or maybe 2011, Art Brown moved to a new storefront on 45th street (one block south), which had a bright glass front, and they upgraded their product displays, etc., to make the interior a lot more retail-friendly, but the refurbished store (which was attractive, IMHO) apparently could not stop the inevitable decline in foot traffic. I left Manhattan in 2012, and the store was gone the next time I tried to find it (reported somewhere above that they closed in 2013).

 

The last two pens I bought from them was an M1005 Demonstrator and an M215 with rectangles in early 2012.

 

I think FPH is the only serious pen store (at least what I consider "serious") left in NYC. There are others who carry pens (yea, the Lamy store is there too, but that's of course just Lamy), but nothing on the scale of FPH.

 

Sad for this pen fan that even in NYC (where anything that can be bought with money--legal, illegal, or otherwise--is available for sale) fountain pen retailers are scarce, but I suppose times change and life goes on. Just not enough pen fans in one place anymore, not even in a city of 10 million.

[gerigo]

N1003U, thanks for your story. As a Manhattan residence, I find it very sad that there is only FPH left as an independent pen retail store.

 

As I have reflected above, I was lucky enough to experience Art Brown and Joon just before everything went South. I also heard stories about cause of the demise of Art Brown. It is not a great story and perhaps left for gossip time during a pen meet or show. But such is the demise of retail in general in the US. Take over by the online giants, apathy from traditional retail with no appetite for innovation, no clear understanding of what customers want. This has slowly destroyed brick and mortar retail in the US.

I have been lucky enough to travel to Asia quite a bit, and find the fountain pen/ stationery scene to be on the rise. The stores are extremely interesting, and a lot of them focus not just on selling you stuff. They are gathering spots for the community. Hopefully this spirit will be brought to the US by the next generation of stores like Goods for the study, Yoseka and Niconeco.

[Marcwithac]

While B&M retail is on the decline for many product categories, it is surprising that there are so few fountain pen shops in New York. OK, I get it - New York City rents are prohibitively high, so unless you own your location (which I think is the case with FPH) it's hard to be profitable. But fountain pen use is a tactile experience. Those of us who prefer to write with fountain pens, in many cases exclusively, care a great deal about the weight of a pen, how it fits in the hand, its balance, how the cap is removed (e.g., how many turns in the case of a screw-on cap), and, of course, how it writes. I have bought the majority of my pens online, but I still prefer the experience of test-driving a pen in a shop with a knowledgeable salesperson, at least when I have the opportunity to do so.

 

By the way, when I first began collecting and using fountain pens almost 30 years ago, not only were there more brick and mortar shops in the Big Apple, but there were also more repair places. In addition to FPH, Geoff Berliner had a repair shop somewhere in the low 20s and there was another place on West 57th Street. As the Bunkers used to sing, those were the days.

[KingsCountyWriter]

NYC retail was dying and thanks to COVID-19, it's dead. So many shops around the city, from flagships to mom & pops, have shuttered, with little chance of opening their doors. FPH has been the constant for decades, but they have never been a favorite of mine as I often have found them unapproachable as a consumer. Way too much attitude on numerous occasions.

 

I think it's amazing that Yoseka has found a way to expand in spite of the pandemic. I'm looking forward to their expansion to Brooklyn. I have yet to visit niconekko zakkaya, but as they only carry Kaweco online, it will be awhile before I visit them. Hopefully, as a result of so many stores closing, someone might feel that it's a great time to open a store that caters to the fountain pen interest. There's a cute little store in lower Manhattan that's dedicated to pencils, CW Pencils. I believe this is their second location, and if they can figure out how to do it, and stay open for as long as they have, maybe someone else can open a similar store that is all about fountain pens!