Celebrating One Year of Phidon's Online Store

On our one year webstore anniversary, our staff members are sharing their thoughts on the transition online from previously being a solely brick-and-mortar store. Every member of the Phidon team wants to thank you for your support over the last year, and we look forward to growing with you into the future.

Baldeep and Mano Duggal on the steps of our store in Cambridge.

Mano Duggal

Its been just over a year since we closed the store; March 16, 2020, is etched into my mind. I was so overwhelmed at the prospect of closing the store, but we pivoted to an online shop within weeks — and it’s what saved us. I am honoured to work with wonderful people who have guided me with the best advice to get me through this year.

I am so lucky to have had the good fortune of meeting so many wonderful people who have walked through our front door, and the relationships we have built mean so much to me. We’re trying to build new relationships online while we pack the online orders thoughtfully, write our thank you notes and hope to connect virtually. I am so touched with all the beautiful notes, letters, and emails we have received from so many of you. Your support is what has kept me going every day.

My heart is so full of so much gratitude for the year gone by. Thank you all, we are forever grateful for your support.

Elsa Tang

We went from 0 to 60 almost overnight to launch the online shop.

I still remember being so worried about how we would be able to recreate the wonderful in-store experience of curious exploration and one-on-one interactions. After all, those interactions are what makes Phidon so special for many of our walk-in customers. Right from the beginning, we knew we didn’t just want to be a gateway to buy stationery because we value community engagement so much.

We learned so much this past year about how to continue those conversations with our customers, even remotely, and spark new interactions with those from much farther away. Every question and comment we receive, through our emails, our Instagram DMs, and even in our physical mailbox, reminds us that there are so many ways to maintain those personal relationships and bring a little bit of stationery joy into everyone’s lives, no matter where they may be. I think through our online shop, we became much closer to so many more people from around the country.

The 2021 Safari special edition colours, Terra Red and Savannah Green, were the first special edition Safaris to launch on our online shop!

Madeline McInnis

There was always the promise of escaping the academic headspace of my Master’s — one I loved, but one that was completely exhausting — when I talked with customers on my regular store days at Phidon in 2019. Some of my favourite parts of graduate school (and now working full-time at the university) were the quiet moments of teaching, and those moments were exactly what I found Tuesdays and Fridays at Phidon: from teaching an artist about waterproof inks to demonstrating the difference between a cartridge and a converter for a fountain pen newbie, these were little knowledges that I could share in-store until March 16, 2020.

Like so many others, my entire routine was uprooted and repotted firmly in my home-office — and I think, a year later, it was all the better for it. Though I miss seeing the smiling faces of the regulars (hi, folks!) and guiding new friends through our little brick-and-mortar, the shift online has given me so many more opportunities to share those quiet moments of teaching with a far wider community. From my new pot at my desk in Waterloo, I can reach and teach all across the world through the newsletters and blog posts I’ve been able to curate on my favourite subjects. Branching out to reach you, dear reader, wherever you are, is something that couldn’t have happened without this shift.

Thank you for joining us on our little corner of the internet. Thank you for caring about what we have to say and the stories we have to share. I promise, now and always, we’re listening to your stories too. More than just pens, that’s what we want to give you at Phidon — memories and stories that can grow with you for years to come.

Cate Thompson

Although I only joined the Phidon team last November, I quickly learned that the online platform of Phidon Pens is so carefully curated to give you almost the same shopping experience as you would have exploring our store in-person. Phidon’s digital anniversary commemorates the challenges of adjusting to a new life amidst the pandemic while also acknowledging the success of our website and online business.

We are so grateful that our website can function in conjunction with our brick-and-mortar store.

When I wrap an order and print a shipping label, I am not just sending a parcel to a customer: I am sharing my love for fountain pens and stationery. I am connecting to others across the globe who have seen our photos and videos, read our blog posts, and have chosen to support small businesses like ours. I have truly enjoyed being able to interact with people I wouldn’t have met had we not been faced with these challenges. I am grateful to be able to continue this journey online and to connect with this wonderful community, no matter the distance.

Arman Duggal

It was a difficult year, to say the least. However, we’re so grateful to still be around, serving the pen and stationery community in Cambridge and beyond. Before the pandemic, Phidon solely operated as a brick-and-mortar business, with the idea of an e-commerce model purely a consideration. When we had to close the shop about a year ago, our team quickly scrambled to get a work-in-progress online shop up and running. I say work-in-progress because, one year later, it still is.

We’re constantly looking for new ways to improve the online experience for our customers, as it’s our goal to shift our in-store customer experience online. It’s been a challenging year, likewise for thousands of small businesses across the globe, yet this challenge created a massive growth opportunity for us, allowing us to reach so many new customers and demographics.

A massive thank you to everyone who has continued to support us over the past year, and of course, we’re looking forward to hopefully soon meeting all of our new customers who have yet to step foot into our store! We’re eternally grateful for all of you who share our love of pens, inks, and stationery!