Visiting Phidon for the First Time: A Comprehensive Guide
Accessibility is one of the core tenets that we want to constantly develop at Phidon Pens. As we reopen our doors for in-store browsing, we wanted to lay out everything you might be concerned about the first time you visit our physical location.
This information is provided so you can feel the most comfortable you possibly can when you visit Phidon Pens for the first time. If you have any other questions, comments, or concerns about your visit, please send us an email or feel free to message us on Facebook or Instagram.
This blog was first published on June 12, 2021 and was last updated on July 3, 2021. It will be updated with any changes to our store’s policies and procedures as they occur, so you can always be sure to find the most up-to-date information here.
Photo description: the front desk of our store, featuring a variety of stationery products, an Anglepoise lamp, and a bouquet of pink flowers.
Store Layout
We are a relatively small storefront, and all of your browsing will take place in one room. When you first walk in our door, there will be a bulletin board directly to your right with news clippings, old cards, and special memories about our Phidon journey. Directly in front of you, at the end of the aisle, is the cash register where you will go to check out. Directly to your left, you will find our Lamy display case where we keep a variety of Lamy products.
In the middle of the store and underneath the cash register, there are glass display cases that contain our pens. The pens are organised by brand, then by colour. There are a few models that are kept in glass cases behind the cash register. If you would like a closer look at any of the pens, just let us know!
We store our paper goods along both side walls. The paper is mainly organised by brand, then by size or colour. Our fountain pen inks are in the back left corner of the store, and it is once again organized by brand. You can also find a variety of inexpensive stationery in this back corner, such as erasers, pencils, and single-use pens and markers.
The back left corner is also immediately next to the door to our back room. The back room is where we run our in-person classes, fulfill online orders, and store additional stock. If you are looking for something that is in stock but not in the front of the store for viewing, we can grab it from the back for you. You may see one of our staff members going in and out of this door when you are in the store.
In our front window, you will find our display desk. The desk features some of our favourite products, as well as new releases, so you can envision how these products might work in your own workspace.
Finally, we have a few spinning display cases for notebooks and other small items. These move location from time to time, but they are usually located at the end of the middle display case or next to one of the side walls. These cases do make noise when they spin, especially when they are heavy — this is natural and usual!
Photo description: our storefront, a brick building with large windows, with the Phidon Pens sign over the front door.
In-Store Pickup
When picking up an order you have placed online, you can go directly to the cash register, straight ahead from the door. We label all orders for pickup with your order number and name, so it is convenient to have both ready. If you are picking up an order for someone else, we ask that the purchaser let us know ahead of time. We don’t want the package walking out with someone it doesn’t belong to!
This process usually only takes a minute or less. However, now that we are open for in-store browsing, please feel free to look around while you pick up your order!
Hours
Our hours are consistently changing due to current Covid restrictions. Please check our “contact us” page for the current hours of operation. We are currently open:
Tuesday – Thursday: 11am to 5:00pm
Friday: 11am to 5:30pm
Saturday: 10:30am to 4:00pm
Current COVID Restrictions
To keep in line with the rules set forward by the Ontario government for the reopening plan, we will currently only be allowing two people into the store at a time. This is a strict limit of two people, not two social groups, so we can ensure proper social distancing measures. Masks are required at all times in the store, and we ask that you please use the provided hand sanitizer before touching any items on display. If these requirements are a concern for you, we recommend using our online store for shipping or in-store pickup.
Because of this strict limit, there may occasionally be a line to enter the store. This will form on the sidewalk directly in front of our door, and we ask that you please stand at least six feet or two metres away from the person in front of you.
Payment options
With our current point-of-sale system, we are set up to take payment through cash, debit, Visa, Mastercard, and American Express. We also sell Phidon gift cards, which are redeemable both in store and online.
In our online store, we also take PayPal. If this is your preferred method of payment for in-store shopping, we can send you an invoice when you are done browsing and you can pay through PayPal on the spot.
Photo description: the front window of our shop, as seen from the outside. The Phidon pens logo is featured with a reflection of Cambridge City Hall from across the street.
Itemized reciepts are currently only available through text or email confirmation. Giving us your phone number or email address for receipt purposes does not make you automatically signed up for our newsletter — but you can opt in to see the latest news, events, sales, promotions, and products!
Our Location
Phidon Pens is located in Downtown Cambridge. If you’re up on your local history, you’ll know that we are part of “historic Galt,” which was one of the three towns that merged in the 20th Century to form Cambridge as we know it today.
Our mailing address is:
63 Dickson Street
Cambridge, ON
N1R 7A5
Canada
We are located approximately 10 minutes off of the 401, and it is very easy to get to us off the highway. If you are taking the 401 Westbound, from the Toronto or Ottawa areas, you can exit on Hespeler Road and follow it all the way down to the fork where it turns into Ainslie St. and Water St. Keep left to stay on Ainslie. At the third set of lights, turn left onto Dickson St., and we will be down the street on your right. We are located approximately an hour and fifteen minutes from Downtown Toronto.
If you are taking the 401 Eastbound, from the Windsor, London, or Woodstock areas, you can exit on Cedar Creek Rd. Follow this road straight until you cross the Grand River, then make a left onto Ainslie St. at the second set of lights. Follow Ainslie straight through the downtown core. At the second set of lights, turn right on Dickson St., and we will be down the street on your right. We are located approximately an hour and ten minutes from South London.
Cambridge is one of the tri-cities, consisting of Kitchener, Waterloo, and Cambridge. We are located approximately 30 minutes away from the Waterloo campuses of University of Waterloo and Wilfrid Laurier University. We are approximately 10 minutes away from the main Doon campus (Kitchener) of Conestoga College.
We are located right across the street from Cambridge City Hall, and the easiest landmark to spot to know that you are in the right place is the large “Cambridge” sign across the street from us. Be sure to take a photo with the Cambridge sign if you’re coming from outside the city!
Photo description: our storefront, featuring the front window and front door. The window has the Phidon logo and “fine pens, paper, leather: calamus, papyrus, atramentum” decals and the door has a “#galtlove” decal. The display desk can be seen through the window, and the window reflects Cambridge City Hall across the street.
Parking
Photo description: a view of our store from across the street. A no parking sign points left and a parking limit of 2 hours sign points right. The Cambridge sign is reflected in our window.
Like most downtown stores in Canada, there is minimal parking directly in front of our store. There are currently three street parking spots right outside our shop, and it is free to park in these spots for a few hours. However, since there are many other fabulous stores in the downtown core, these spots are usually already taken!
There are also a number of free city parking lots right in our backyard. We recommend using the marked spots in the Civic Square Lot (directly across the street and behind City Hall), the Main Street Lot (a short block away), or the Beverly Street Lot (just around the corner). There are some spaces that are reserved or paid parking spaces, so just be sure to keep your eyes open for signs indicating where you can and cannot park.
The parking lot in Market Square, a few doors down and across the street, is also an excellent option for free parking; however, it isn’t available for parking on Saturdays because, as the name suggests, it is used for the Cambridge Farmers’ Market!
Transit
Since we are conveniently located in the Downtown Core, it is also very easy to get to us by bus! Using the Grand River Transit, Waterloo Region’s public transport system, the closest bus stops to us are Wellington/Dickson on the 206 route and Ainslie/Dickson on the 51 route.
If you are taking another mode of public transportation or a rapid-transit bus, the closest stop to us is the Ainslie Bus Terminal. This terminal is approximately a seven minute walk away from our store. From the bus terminal, all you have to do is turn right on Ainslie St., cross Main St. and turn right on Dickson St.
Photo description: Baldeep and Mano Duggal, owners of the store, stand on the front steps of Phidon Pens, smiling for the camera. Through the window, the store is bathed in golden light.
Other Accessibility Concerns
Unfortunately, we are not wheelchair accessible at the present time. We have a few steps leading to the doorway, and the emergency exits at the back and side of the building do not provide enough room for a person using a wheelchair to turn around. If you have trouble with stairs but are able to turn in a relatively tight place, we are happy to open one of the other doors for you to access Phidon.
We have a classic hardwood floor which may become a bit slippery in the rain or snow. However, we have long running mats in all major corridors for traction. Dogs, including support dogs of any kind, are welcome in the store as long as they are kept on a leash or lead of some kind. Please just be mindful that we are a small space with delicate items!
Our store has a small, bluetooth-controlled music speaker. We sometimes have this speaker playing low-volume music, but our store is often very quiet. There are no strobing lights, and the store is kept at a medium-to-bright level of light.
If there is any way we can help you access Phidon pens, please let us know.
What You Can Find at Phidon
For an accurate and complete list of all of the brands we carry and in-stock products, be sure to check our online store. Here are some of our best selling, popular brands:
Photo description: a variety of stationery products are laid out on a table. The photo specifically features two colours of Delfonics carrying cases, an Apica Premium red notebook, a Faber Castell Ecco Pigment Fineliner, and a MacLellan Books hardcover notebook.