Phidon Story: Sarah Fitzgerald

Sarah’s latest goodies from Phidon: Pelikan Star Ruby pen and ink, an Appointed notebook, and a Midori pen case. This was a 20 year service award from her employer.

I've had a stationery fetish for most of my 40 years, but I've only more recently discovered the joy of writing with and collecting fountain pens. Of all places, my introduction to fountain pens came from a YouTuber I follow, but living in a the "big city" of North Bay, Ontario, didn't provide me with easy access to getting my hands on one. Nowadays you can buy anything online, but I was not confident enough to risk buying on my own without some guidance. So, since I travel "south" to the Kitchener area fairly regularly, I google-searched for stores to visit.

Phidon Pens, located right next door to Kitchener in Cambridge, was the first pen store I ever visited. I was in heaven by being surrounded by pens and inks of all sorts. I'm not sure why, but I didn't expect to see so many splendid notebooks and journal options too. And the pen selection, for me, was honestly overwhelming. Thankfully, Mano was there to guide me through my first fountain pen selection. Not having a huge budget, I settled on a Retro Pop Grey Pilot Metropolitan with fine nib. I also bought a bottle of ink and a new notebook. Mano kindly took the time to explain how to fill and care for my new pen.

All in all, this experience at Phidon Pens was my favourite, but I have been back several times over the years and continue to receive fantastic service. My collection has grown to 5 fountain pens in a variety of brands, nib sizes and ink colours. Even throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, Phidon Pens has continued to serve pen lovers well with their online store and personal phone and email service. I look forward to my next visit in the near future.

It’s always lovely to see Sarah from the “big city” of North Bay in the “big city” of Cambridge! We hope you’ll get to meet her soon. This blog post was written as part of the Phidon Stories series. If you’d like to share your own story of falling in love with stationery, your favourite pen, or your favourite experience in the store, please send us an email at phidonpens@bellnet.ca.