Sunday, April 30, 2017

A Hidden Treasure for the Pen Lover

Hello all. I have been traveling for work lately and also for some personal obligations but in doing so, I made a wondrous find. I love all forms of analog based expression and I also love it when I get to meet others with the same passions, especially when they run a store with tons of goodies.

Welcome to The Tokyo Pen Shop

www.tokyopenshop.com

The Tokyo Pen Store is a very successful online retailer that sells Japanese based pens, paper, pencils, markers, erasers, notebooks and so much more. I have purchased some Traveler Notebook items from here in the past and I was amazed when I saw the return address was here in Iowa. Through some emails with one of the owners, I learned that they have a physical brick/mortar style shop in Fairfield Iowa. I was traveling in the vicinity of Fairfield and made the trip. Welcome to the Tokyo Pen Shop Store in person!


This store is very lovely and filled with a pen addicts' medication. I also was fortunate to meet Frank and Kimberly, the owners of this business and all I can say is these two are wonderful people.

Kimberly is the creative one with the passion for all things Japanese which is much like me with all things German. Frank is the engineer and handles the behind the scenes aspects like the website, servers, photography etc. Tokyo Pen Shop also runs a YouTube channel where the focus is on Japanese pens, stationery and the like.

If you are a fountain pen user, like I am, they have a small selection of pens and a full selection of Pilot Iroshizuku inks. If you love pens and all things analog, then this is paradise in Iowa. This is the first store I have been in where they have a giant spinner full of Leuchtturm notebooks. After browsing the store, I found a little of everything and Kimberly is a wealth of knowledge as this is her passion.

And what happens when pen nerds meet? Time passes quickly. Frank, Kimberly and I spoke at some length and I learned a lot about Japanese based importing for the US based retailer and other pen related topics were covered. I loved my time at this store and I will most definitely be back for more stuff. Please come in and visit if you find yourself in Iowa and please visit their online store when you need to find the right pen or stationery for a great price all while supporting local businesses.

I do not represent the Tokyo Pen Shop nor am I being compensated in any way. This is based off of my experience with Tokyo Pen Shop and my opinion.

2 comments:

  1. What a gem of a store! I study Japanese (leisurely) so this is right up my alley! Thanks for sharing.

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  2. You are welcome! Great people to work with and order from.

    ReplyDelete