Posts filed under Store Visit

Oblation Papers & Press Shop Visit

(Kimberly (she/her) took the express train down the fountain pen/stationery rabbit hole and doesn't want to be rescued. She can be found on Instagram @allthehobbies because there really are many, many hobbies!.)

As soon as I realized I was going to go to the Pacific Northwest Pen Show earlier this year, I made plans to visit the Oblation Papers & Press shop in Portland, even though the show wasn’t nearby. I had a limited amount of time at the shop, but I had heard so many wonderful things about it that I had to go check it out for myself!

*The Oblation Papers & Press shop welcomes you to take a seat and enjoy the clickety-clack of a typewriter.*

*There is a list of events on the outside of the store so you can see what’s coming up next!*

*I love their display of inks and of course, PENS!!*

*A closer look at one of the ink cabinets.*

*What a fun way to show off their inks! I’m also digging the card catalog cabinets below.*

*You can find dip pens, cartridges, rubber stamps and stamp pads too.*

*Wrapping paper, pretty ribbons, candles, and other gifts can be found in this section of the store, as well as pretty much everywhere you look.*

*Turn around and you’ll find more wrapping paper, cards, notebooks.*

*Midori paper sets, Zebra Mildliners, clips, keychains, erasers and all the fun things you’d expect from a stationery shop.*

*I love the variety of stickers that they have throughout the store. This was one of several places where you can find all sorts of stickers!*

*Look at this colorful display of stickers, notepads, cards, towels and more!*

*As a letter writer, I love checking out the wax seals and stamps.*

Oblation Papers & Press has a nice variety of stationery, pens/inks, cards and gifts, but I love the things that set them apart from most shops. For one, they love vintage typewriters and have them for sale at the store and online. The typewriters are serviced, cleaned/lubricated and ready to go.

*Look at these cool vintage typewriters that they have for sale.*

*Behind these glass doors are several letterpress machines, which are used to make customized stationery for all sorts of occasions like weddings, birth announcements, personalized stationery and more.*

I already had a bottle of their Oblation Olive (which is made for them by Papier Plume) but I was excited to see their other bottles, especially their newest release in time for the Northwest Pen Show, Sitka Spruce.

Since I was headed to the pen show that weekend, I kept my haul to a minimum. In addition to the Oblation Olive, which I already had, I picked up their other exclusives, Rose City Rose, Portland Rain and Sitka Spruce. I also couldn’t resist the Bridges of the World washi tape set.

I highly recommend the shop, especially if you have more than 20 minutes to spare because there are so many cool things to check out and look at while you’re there. Next time I hope to play with some typewriters and maybe see their letterpress machine in action, too.

Oblation Papers & Press is located in Portland's Pearl District at 516 NW12th Avenue, Portland OR 97209 and is about 20-25 minute drive from the Portland Airport, depending on traffic. Their store hours are Monday - Saturday from 11am - 6p, and Sunday from 12 - 5pm. They can also be reached by phone at 503-223-1093, by email info@oblationpapers.com and are also on Instagram as Oblation Papers & Press.

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Posted on October 18, 2024 by Kimberly Lau and filed under Store Visit.

M. Lovewell - A Quick Visit

During my trip to Southern California last weekend, I was able to stop by M Lovewell, a stationery store in Downtown Santa Ana, California. There is also another location in Orange, CA, which shares its space with a coffee shop. This writeup is for the DTSA location.

M. Lovewell opened its door in 2016 when two friends, Liz and Mel, fulfilled a dream to build a shop like the ones they’d visit when traveling to places like Portland, San Francisco, Boston and London.

*This is the view that greets you once you step inside!*

*Notebooks, clips, and pencils are nicely displayed for you to check out.*

The store is bright and airy, with tables full of products vying for your attention.

*More notebooks, paper pads, pouches, pen cases, steel boxes.*

Even though there were a lot of tables and products, it didn’t feel cluttered or overwhelming.

*I love seeing all the Hobonichi notebook covers in person.*

*I was tempted by the stamps as well as Shachihata stamp pads. They also had sketchbooks and some art supplies too.*

*I love me a good sticker wall, and this one had stamps too!*

*Oh no, not washi tape! So hard for me to resist!!*

*There were some glass displays with fountain pens. One of them might have jumped into my basket.*

*Wall of fountain pen ink, along with fountain pen friendly paper.*

*I love seeing binders filled with ink swatches.*

*Lots of standard pens, markers and pencils to try and buy.*

I avoided the front of the store when I walked in because that’s where I saw all the pens, lol. Instead, I made my way to the back room and found a treasure trove of art supplies, papers, and all kinds of books, and more!

*Events and workshops are listed on the wall behind the register and also* *online*.

*Space dedicated for workshops and other events!*

I love that they have an area in the back part of the shop where folks can take workshops and classes. Such a cute and inspiring place to learn and create, with lots of bright light and room to spread out!

I wasn’t able to get one of my notebooks monogrammed/personalized because the folks who usually do this were traveling in Japan during my visit. Guess I’ll have to come back!

*I couldn’t resist the 2024 Hobonichi HON (which was on sale, yay!), Midori foil transfer stickers and some MU acrylic stamps.*

*I couldn’t resist this cute* *mini fountain pen* *from a company called Papier! It was only $22!*

M. Lovewell is located at 305-103 E. 4th Street, Santa Ana, CA, and is open from Tuesday - Sunday from 12pm to 6pm. Their other location is at 115 N Orange Street, Orange, CO, and is open Tuesday - Sunday from 11am - 5pm.

Membership starts at just $5/month, with a discounted annual option available. To find out more about membership click here and join us!

Posted on July 5, 2024 by Kimberly Lau and filed under Store Visit.

DIY Kaweco Event at Flax Pen to Paper

I was so excited when Kaweco announced that they would be releasing a special DIY (Do It Yourself) Kaweco but it would only be available at in-store events. I kept seeing events popping up at vendors at times/places that I couldn’t attend so I thought I’d just have to hunt for a used one down the road. Thankfully, the stars and schedules aligned and I was able to make the trek to Flax Pen to Paper this past weekend and assemble my own Kaweco! Spoiler alert: this article contains pictures of the DIY process, so if you’re planning to get one done and you don’t wanna see what’s involved, scroll to the bottom and look at the haul instead 🙂

I love the signage for the DIY event as well as Custom Nib Studio and Saiko Stationery!

Ryan Finnegan of Saiko Stationery also did a pop-up at the store! I was good and didn’t buy any washi tape but I might have picked up some other stuff…

After the first rush of customers, I was able to start working on my DIY Kaweco! I’m so excited!

This big box is shipped to the vendors around the world who had signed up to participate in the DIY event.

The various pen parts are inside, including different nib units, grips, etc.

Here are the parts for my pen (not including the box and sticker.)

I put the inner cap onto the metal post thingy (yes, that’s the technical term and I’m sticking to it, lol) and then put the cap on top of that. The inner cap helps prevent evaporation.

Time for the finial to go on the cap!

Voila!

Time for the nib to go into the pen!

That was easy!

*All done! *

All of the steps were very easy to follow (especially since Ryan walked me through it!) and the machine was also very easy to use - no significant strength required! I did not keep any of the packaging as there was nothing highlighting that this was a DIY Kaweco, other than the silver engraving on the pen cap itself. It does not come with a converter.

Gena Salorino of Custom Nib Studio was on hand to work their magic on folks’ pens, including my newly created Kaweco!

Can you believe that, all this time, I only wrote on their sample pad and never in my notebook? Oops 😃 Glad I finally took my own advice!

Gena ground the broad Kaweco nib to a Cursive Italic and I inked it up with Robert Oster Napa.

In addition to the DIY Kaweco, I couldn’t escape the store without buying these goodies from Flax and Saiko Stationery.

I couldn’t choose between the different packs of stickers from Saiko Stationery, so I got several! Also love the wine “juice box” sticker from Flax and underneath is a Bellroy Lite Sacoche, the link is for Black, but mine is Clay.

I also bought some Uni-ball One P and F gel pens, a PLOTTER Bible-size Fastener Case, Midori metallic transfer stickers and some awesome cards.

I had a great time at the event! Aside from assembling my very own Kaweco, it was so fun meeting people and chatting with them while they shopped or tried Gena’s tester pens (highly recommend, even if you’re not getting anything done). Thank you to Flax Pen to Paper for hosting this event, to Ryan for helping me with the Kaweco (and bringing some super cute Saiko Stationery goods) and to Gena for making the nib extra special! I believe the Kaweco box of goodness will be making its way to the next stop soon (though I was unable to find a list on the Kaweco website), but if you have the opportunity to assemble a Kaweco at your local pen store, I highly recommend the experience!

(Disclaimer: All products and nib services were purchased by me at Flax Pen to Paper.)

Posted on June 28, 2024 by Kimberly Lau and filed under Kaweco, Fountain Pens, Store Visit.

Oblation Papers & Press Shop Visit

M. Lovewell - A Quick Visit

DIY Kaweco Event at Flax Pen to Paper

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