(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!.)
One of the many things I love about living in California, and specifically the Bay Area, is the proximity to the beach. And while there are hundreds of miles of beaches up and down the California coast, one of my favorites happens to be at Carmel-by-the-Sea.
The GoodYear blimp was overhead for the nearby ProAm at the world famous Pebble Beach golf course.
Just 10 miles south of Monterey and about 100 miles south of San Francisco, Carmel is a cute little town that is a little bit Rodeo Drive meets beach town. It has a variety of local shops, restaurants, art galleries and more, all along 5-6 blocks of the main thoroughfare. And one of those shops is The Pleasure of Writing, IG: thepleasureofwriting
The Pleasure of Writing, formerly Bittner Pens, is a treasure trove of pens and all things stationery. The Pleasure of Writing was founded in 1991 by Detlef Bittner and recently celebrated its 30th anniversary in 2021. Detlef sold the business last year to Helmut Fritz, who originally wanted to retire and travel the world but then Covid hit and travel was off limits. Being a Carmel resident, Helmut had visited the store on many occasions and found out Detlef was looking to retire from the pen business and felt this was a good way to spend his time and energy.
The shop is tucked away in a little alcove at the corner of Ocean Avenue and San Carlos Street, and a yellow sign above the shop reads Bittner The Pleasure of Writing (though I’m sure they are working on getting a new sign made).
Silly me, I took a selfie and forgot to take a picture of the front of the shop without me in it, lol!
Inside, what greets you is a cozy space that’s filled with pen, ink and paper goodness! And in my case, I was lucky enough to be greeted by Helmut himself!
A friendly Helmut greeted me with a smile!
Maybe the first thing that catches your eye is the Montblanc display, I mean, that’s the first thing I saw before I saw Helmut! Or maybe it’s the walls of stunning, well-lit pen displays. Or the notebooks and stationery…
Some of these have me drooling, like that MB Aviator Doue…
Many things have stayed the same since the change of ownership. One thing that is new is that The Pleasure of Writing is now an authorized Montblanc retailer. Helmut told me that they are the only independent Montblanc shop on the west coast (that aren’t online only or Montblanc boutiques). Prior to this, the Montblancs that were sold here were from consignment or otherwise previously owned. Now, they have added Montblanc to their inventory which is great news; it is less great if you are an international shopper as Montblanc does not allow them to ship out of the US, and if you’re a US shopper but want to buy them online, per Montblanc’s regulations, they are not allowed to sell the pens online (though you can see pictures, read descriptions on the website and then reach out to them to place an order).
There are several displays of pens throughout the store and the staff are always happy to open them up to show them to you. Wendy, who has been working at the store for years, was also there when I stopped by. Here are some of the stunning pens she showed me during my visit.
Fancy Pelikan== Pelikan Seven Treasures and M1000 White Ray.
The new Ammiraglio pens in four US-exclusive colors from Montegrappa.
I’ve never seen a Dragon Phoenix Visconti before!
One of the urushi Lamy Dialog 3.
The Lingua Pacifica David Oscarson collection was exclusively made for The Pleasure of Writing.
The store has a decent selection of inks, but one of the things that really stand out is their variety of high quality paper products. From stunning Paperblanks notebooks to Italian stationery, to notecards by Crane and G. Lalo, as well as Leuchtturm, Nebula Notebooks, Clairefontaine and more, The Pleasure of Writing makes sure there is no shortage of great paper to write on!
Enough inks to tide you over, but it’s the paper that is the eye candy here!
These Italian letter sets are fountain pen friendly AND gorgeous!
Wall of notebooks, letter sets and note cards.
So if you’re ever in the area, or even a couple hours away, do yourself a favor and visit The Pleasure of Writing. And if you still have time after looking at all the wonderful stuff in the shop, make sure you walk down the hill and enjoy the dog-friendly beach too. Oh, and if you’re in the Los Angeles area this weekend, you can find them at the LA Pen Show too!
Gratuitous beach picture with our doggo...or is that a gratuitous dog picture at the beach?
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