Current Curiosities

[Reading] ​Object Lessons: Pencil by Carol Beggy

[Listening] "Dreams" The Cranberries 

[Watching] You've Got Mail


Today is the first Saturday in August, which means it's Stationery Store Day! Similar to Bookstore and Record Store Days, Stationery Store Day celebrates these often retro and niche shops and the folks engaged in analog writing and other paper crafts. 

To celebrate Stationery Store Day, here're a few of my favorites: 

• More Than Words, Moorhead, MN: Ever since Zandbroz in Downtown Fargo closed a year or two ago, the only real places to buy stationery are More Than Words, an adorable woman-owned bookshop, or Baker Garden & Gift, a nursery and gift shop in South Fargo. More Than Words offers a small sections of cards and notebooks and pen(cil)s, among other stationary oddities, intermingled with its collection of books. And while I do love Baker, especially during those subzero days of a Minnesota winter, I try to spend money only on the Moorhead side of the Red River.

• ​The Sketchy Artist, Northfield, MN: During the Pandemic when I lived in Northfield, The Sketchy Artist was my go-to for pens and pencils. This woman-owned shop sits across Division from Content Bookstore and Northfield Yarn and a block away from Little Joy Coffee - all favorites in this rural town filled with cows and colleges. 

 

• Wonder Fair, Lawrence, KS: Moderately twee and a little pretentious, Wonder Fair holds a special place in my heart. While wandering around the shop and checking out temporary art installations, I discovered Blacking 602s, which reignited my love of wood pencils. Wonder Fair, along with LFK's Ruff House Print Shop, became my go-to for letterpress cards (and personalized stationery).

• JetPens is my favorite online-only stationery shop and is my go-to for TWSBI fountain pens, bottled ink, and other stationery novelties. (See also Hightide DTLA)

• In Memoriam: CW Pencil Enterprise, owned and operated by Caroline Weaver for seven years out of an cute little NYC storefront, offered hard-to-find, vintage, and reliably basic pencils, among other stationary curiosities. After CWPE closed in 2021, Weaver launched The Locavore, a kind of curated community bulletin board that points readers toward NYC-based (analog) stores and events. 

Thank you very much for your time. If you have recommendations or curiosities, please fill out this nifty contact form.

Sending y’all supportive, well-caffeinated vibes,

Creighton 

Today’s Pen(cil): TWSBI Vac Mini with Sailor Manyo Sumire

Current Curiosities

[Reading] Heated Rivalry by Rachel Reid 

[Listening] Houseplant Houseparty Double LP

[Watching] Spider-Noir 


Today is National Ballpoint Pen Day! While I mostly write with demonstrator fountain pens, Sharpies, and occasionally wood pencils, I do marvel at the ingenuity and engineering of ballpoint pens.

Prior to the development of ballpoints, folks used messy fountain pens or dusty graphite pencils. (Offices must've been a mess! I mean, they still are, but in the contemporary sense of messy. Just kidding - kinda.) 

The first ballpoint patent was submitted on October 30, 1888, by American John J. Loud. Instead of using the capillary action of fountain pens, Loud's invention used a small ball bearing, drawing ink out of the reservoir as it rolled across the page. This first model was scratchy and unreliable and often clogged, but with curiosity and experimentation over the next fifty years from inventors around the world, the modern ballpoint pen came to prominence. 

Hungarian László Bíró, a newspaper editor who moved to Argentina to escape the Nazis (original recipe), made the next significant improvement to ballpoints by incorporating thicker newsprint ink instead of runny fountain pen ink. Bíró applied for a British patent on June 15, 1938. (Outside of the United States, you will still hear ballpoint called biros.)

World War II spurred the next round of innovations and patents. Marcel Bich began manufacturing Bíró's ballpoint pens under the name Bic (yes, that Bic) in partnership with a Spanish firm.  

Then, in a shrewd move, America firm Reynolds International Pen Company altered Bíró's design, bypassing his patent. In 1945, Reynolds launched its ballpoint at legendary department store Gimbels for $12.50 (over $200 today), kicking off a short-lived moment when ballpoints were luxury items. But by the mid 1950s, the market was oversaturated and prices plummeted.

Ballpoints became an everyday tool and their contemporary ubiquity underscores the importance of these little marvels, the significance of curiosity and ingenuity. So the next time you pick up a ballpoint, consider the rich history of this commonplace tool. 

My Favorite Ballpoint Pens 
​

• I love a clicky pen. So when I found Scout Leather Co.'s Metal Bic, I was thrilled. This pen repurposes the clip, tip, and refill of a Bic Clic Stic in a machined brass or copper body. 

 

• Similarly, I'm a huge fan of Baux Pen Co., which use the tip, cap, and refill of Bic Round Stics with customizable metal grip sections, bodies, and end caps.

 

• Bic even makes a metal and refillable version of their popular Bic Cristal.

Clearly, I love the ink (blue obvi) and writing experience of Bic pens, but want the extra weight of a metal body.

I'm curious, what is your favorite ballpoint pen? And what are you writing with it? Journaling? Drafting essays? Jotting down to-do lists? Doodling? ​Regardless how you use your ballpoint pens, happy writing and happy National Ballpoint Pen Day! 

Thank you very much for your time. If you have recommendations or curiosities, please fill out this nifty contact form.

Sending y’all supportive, well-caffeinated vibes,

Creighton 

Today’s Pen(cil): Caran d'Ache 849 [Ballpoint Pen]