Friends, Louisvillians, Nib Nerds, lend me your ear!.....

A Louisville pen group is coming to a coffeehouse near you!  Check it out!

Yes, Virginia, there is a fountain pen store in Louisville, KY....

When I first heard that there is a store in Louisville that carries quality fountain pen products in Louisville, I was thrilled.  Someone had posted an FYI on the Fountain Pen Network bulletin board about a men's clothing store that carries a few brands of fountain pens and inks.

All I heard was that there is a fountain pen store that happens to also carry men's clothing and accessories -- that's how my mind works, folks.

While some local department and art supply stores carry some calligraphy pens and inks, I have not -- up until now -- found any local stores carrying fountain pens.  And since today is National Handwriting Day, I thought I would share the good news (and avoid procrastination).

I first visited them January 15 and again today.  On my first visit, I asked them earlier if I could take some photos for a blog post, but my camera was out of juice on my first visit.  And, of course, I can and will take any excuse to make a return visit for my stationery addiction.

About the Store
The store is called Edgar's and is located on the Southern Baptist seminary campus in the Honeycutt Building.  It has been open for slightly less than one year.  Their regular hours are 11pm -5:30 pm Monday through Friday and 12 pm - 3 pm on Saturdays.  On both visits, I found the staff friendly, helpful, and informative.  I was able to practice writing with some fountain pens before purchasing (something you can't do with mail-order/online fountain pen retailers).

Currently, the store carries some pens from the following brands: Lamy, Sailor, and Waterman.  (For those new to fountain pens, the Lamy Safari fountain pen is a great starter pen in terms of cost and quality; I used Lamy Safari fountain pens for about ten years before sampling other brands).  According to the associate on my January 23 visit, Edgar's might expand to include Pilot pens.  They also carry Private Reserve, Lamy, Waterman, and Sailor brands of inks -- in both bottles and cartridges.  Other products include converter cartridges and alternative-size nibs.  They will also do special product orders by request.

About Pairing with Paper
While Edgar's does not currently carry much in the way of FP-friendly paper, you can often find some of these FP-friendly papers (including Rhodia, Paperblanks, Miquelruis, and Moleskine brands) at local Target, Borders, and Barnes & Noble stores.

Disclaimer/Note
I did not receive compensation in any form for this blog entry from Edgar's or any other organization.  Simply put, I care about quality pen (and paper) products, and I want to share the news of this local retail source.  Happy Writing!

Do It Yourself

Up until recently, I had applied to and enrolled in an introductory graphic design class at a local design school. At the last minute, I decided to withdraw. Why? I decided to end my addiction to formal coursework ("my name is Hope, and I am a coursaholic"). I have a bachelor's in German and completed 66.66% of an MBA degree. I love being a lifelong learner, but I decided the hassle of paying tuition, turning in assignments on another's schedule, and commuting time (not to mention a toddler and future deployments) would reduce the enjoyment and feasibility of that format.

So why not teach myself? On my own schedule? By my own syllabi?

While I will not have the feedback of formal instructors, I will reach out to my friends, peers, and kindred spirits for guidance.

It's more fun this way anyhow. My two-year-old is just starting to get interested in drawing and coloring -- that beats a classroom any day of the week!