Omoi Zakka Shop Visit - Philadelphia, PA

(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!.)

Knowing that I was going to the Philadelphia Pen Show earlier this year, several friends suggested that I visit the nearby stationery shop Omoi Zakka, since it is only a couple miles away from the show hotel in the Old City neighborhood. Since it was a bit chilly in mid-January for this California girl to walk there (and back), I took a Lyft for the short trip instead.

Omoi Zakka, or Omoi for short (it rhymes with “oh boy”), is a stationery and lifestyle products shop that has been around since 2006. I highly recommend you check out their About Omoi page to find out more including a brief history of the shop.

This cute storefront just beckons you to go inside!

One step into their store and you will see that it is neither too big nor too small to house a wide variety of products ranging from pens, inks, papers, stickers, and other stationery goodies to bags, clocks, books and more.

What a wonderful sight to behold when you walk in the door!

Is anyone surprised that I spent the most time along this wall?

Some of the fun stickers and ephemera.

Some Sailor, Y-Studio and TWSBI in this case but there are more pens in the shop!

Kawecos and Kakunos with inks, paper and some pouches from The Superior Labor.

Ferris Wheel Press inks and Tomoe River paper pad as well as the Yamamoto Paper Collection.

Midori, anyone?

10th Anniversary Stalogy notebooks/pads.

MOAR paper!!!

A nice selection of Bellroy bags and accessories to carry all your pens and paper!

In addition to stationery goods, Omoi has a bunch of “lifestyle” products like books, home decor and more.

Lots of cool products along the right side of the store.

Candles, slippers, lamps and more!

I love the “not typical” selection of books that they had.

Tick tock!

I didn’t intend to stay very long since I was tired from my red-eye flight but I ended up spending over an hour discovering fun new things every time I revisited different parts of the store. As with many brick and mortar stores, you will be paying retail prices but being able to check out products not found in typical stationery stores as well as the quiet, laid back atmosphere makes it worthwhile.

I picked up the Traveler’s Company Diner set for a friend and also got two Omoi postcards as well as their zine, “Heavy”.

You can find Omoi Zakka at 41 S. 3rd Street, Philadelphia, PA (between Chestnut & Market Streets), (215) 454-6910, or online at OmoiOnline.com. The store is open Monday - Saturday from 11 am - 7:00 pm and Sunday from 12 pm to 5 pm (any last minute hours would be posted on their Instagram Stories.) Note: While there is no mask mandate currently, the staff continues to mask for their own as well as their customers’ safety. I appreciate that they also offer complimentary masks for anyone who needs one.

The Pen Addict Podcast: Episode 554 - Block Signature Signature

Sailor 1911S Jellyfish.

Blink and you might miss a new Sailor pen release. And you know what? I’m good with that. The volume of pens they must move to keep this pace up must be immense. We discuss the new Jellyfish series, Lamy’s more metered releases, and Kaweco, which falls somewhere in between.

Also, it’s Baltimore Pen Show time!

Show Notes & Download Links

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CW&T Pen Type-B Brass Pen Review

(Sarah Read is an author, editor, yarn artist, and pen/paper/ink addict. You can find more about her at her website and on Twitter. And check out her latest book, Out of Water, now available where books are sold!)

I have wanted to try CW&T Pen Type-B ever since I heard Brad annoy Myke with it on the podcast, many years ago. The POP it makes when you open it is endlessly satisfying, and the machined precision that causes it to float back into place when capped is absolutely magical. I'm unabashedly obsessed with this slightly ridiculous pen.

The version of the Pen Type-B that I have here is a stainless steel body with a brass tube cap that extends almost the full length of the body. Both are plain cylinders, except that the cap has one flattened side that keeps the pen from rolling away. There's no lettering, no grip section--just two metal tubes living together in perfect harmony. The brass cap is meant to take on character as it is used, though I've used it almost daily for weeks and it hasn't started to patina yet. It did take on some character where I dropped it in my driveway, but that's just a wee scratch, and the pen itself appears indestructible.

The precision tolerance of the machining is what creates the air-tight seal between the body and cap, resulting in that glorious POP when you open it, and the slow piston closure. If you open the pen partway, it will slowly sink back into the cap from the suction generated by the airtight seal. This trick only works if the pen is machined absolutely perfectly, and CW&T inspect every pen to make sure they are indeed perfect. The fidget factor here is off the charts. I had to attend two all-day professional training seminars last month, and I have a weekly 3-hour zoom class. This pen is responsible for keeping me in my seat, appearing somewhat sane (that's as good as it gets, for me. Fully sane is unattainable).

The pen body has no seams or interruptions. The access to the refill is through the back end of the pen, where there is a small bolt that unscrews. It's easy to do--I was able to unscrew it with my fingernail, though a coin or key would also work. When the small bolt is removed, the refill simply slides out.

The pen body can be used by itself for writing, or the cap-sleeve can be posted if you want a thicker, heavier pen. This isn't a light pen, as one can probably guess from the materials. It's 90 grams altogether. I haven't used it for long writing sessions, though I think I could if it were unposted, and I continuously reach for it to jot down quick notes or sign something.

The included refill is fantastic. It's the Pilot Hi-Tec C, and it comes with a black 0.3 mm insert. I love the ultra-fine point on this refill, and it writes like a dream. It's smooth and has a nice flow, with no scratching or skipping. The ink is dark enough to be visible even with fine writing. It's perfect for writing very small notes, or in the wee squares of a pocket calendar.

But what if you don't like the Pilot Hi-Tec C? There are a variety of spacer inserts available, from 2mm to 27mm, that allow this pen to take just about any refill you can imagine.

It's quite a feat for a pen to be so minimal and yet so EXTRA at the same time, and I am totally here for it. I'm about to sit down to my last 3-hour lecture of my grad school career, and I've got it right here on my desk, ready for notes--and fidgets.

(JetPens provided this product at no charge to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)

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