The Pen Addict Podcast: Episode 671 - The Paper Rug Pull

I’ll miss you, Mitsubishi Bank Paper.

I’ve been lucky enough to know Blake from Blake’s Broadcast and The Paper Mind for many years, and it was great to get him on the show for the first time. We talk YouTube stationery reviews, the challenge of making notebooks, and his recent fountain pen brand tier rankings video. Come join us!

Show Notes & Download Links

This episode of The Pen Addict is sponsored by:

Enigma Stationery: Unique items, top brands and hard-to-find imports. Get a free gift and free US shipping on orders of $50 or more.

Penedex: The penultimate app to track and catalog your pens, inks, and what you've got ink'd up. Download now.

Mt. Fo’rest Shop Visit

(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!.)

Mt. Fo’rest officially launched their brick and mortar store in Pasadena, California in early May of this year, and hosted a grand opening event in mid-June. I wasn’t going to be in town for that but I was going to be in SoCal the weekend after, so I absolutely had to check it out.

The entrance to the Mt. Fo’rest shop is not on the street-side, it’s in the back, where there are also limited parking spots.

Note the store hours - glad I didn’t plan to visit on Sunday! You can check the website beforehand for current store hours.

The store is bright and roomy with lots of natural light coming from the street-facing windows.

A wall full of stickers and accessories - my kind of place!

Check out this map of Pasadena highlights, drawn by Jeff, who does most/all of Mt. Fo’rest’s artwork!

It was hard to resist these adorable washi cutters! You wrap their limbs around a roll of washi tape and rip the tape across their bums (giggle, that’s what it looks like to me and yes, I’m 12, lol.)

Are you #TeamCat (left) or #TeamDog? I think these stamps from the Portland Stamp Company are both awesome, but I’m on #TeamDog!

Love the variety of paper offerings, from Tomoe River notebooks, to pads and looseleaf Iroful, Yu-Sari, Yamamoto, and more.

Gel & ball pens, refills, pencils, notebooks as well as desk accessories like trays and organizers.

Check out this cupboard of cuteness! Figurines and accessories from Mofusand, mystery boxes, as well as pouches by [Anchal][0], a non-profit that empowers marginalized women in India.

Traveler’s Company notebooks and refills.

Kakimori ink bottles and samples.

Kakimori dip pens, nibs, brush liners/markers, fountain pens, rollerballs. I love how their ink swatches, which Jeff made using an artist paint-sprayer.

In addition to stationery, Mt. Fo’rest also had accessories like totes, trays, keychains, etc.

Renny Liu (right), along with husband, Jeff (left), and team member, Diana, were super cheery and helpful.

Renny showed us this art from Jeff, which was the original concept art from their brainstorming days! So cool!

I was good and only got two washi tapes (one of which I gave to a friend, so there’s only one in this picture), and this cute tote bag!

It is a lovely little shop with a nice variety of stationery products and is worth the visit. Mt. Fo’rest is located at 55 W. Del Mar Blvd., Pasadena, CA 91105. The shop is open 10:30am - 5pm Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and 12pm - 5pm on Saturday, but check the website to make sure. You can email them at hello@temporarylocation.com or call (909) 616-905. Mt. Fo’rest is also on Instagram as mt.fo.rest.

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Pelikan Pelikano Magic Ocean Fountain 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 Bluesky. And her latest book, The Atropine Tree, is now available!)

Pelikan is a brand that does a good job meeting the needs of pen addicts at every experience level. The Pelikano has a reliable reputation as Pelikan's student pen--perfect for schoolkids, beginners, or gifts for the fountain pen curious. And now, perfect for mermaids.

The Pelikano Magic Ocean Fountain Pen is made from molded resin. The body is in a pearlescent blue with a fish-scale texture all over. The body tapers toward the end and has an open ink window in the side. The cap snaps to close, though it's a tough snap. Very secure. The cap is silvery metal with a unique clip design that hugs the lower cap and wraps over the top. The clip is functional, but it's extremely tight against the cap and isn't very flexible. It serves more as a roll-stop than a clip. The top finial does have the classic Pelikan logo.

Under the cap, there is a pink rubberized grip section. The grip section is molded to direct your hands to a "proper" grip of the pen (since this is intended for student use,) and the pen is available in both right-handed and left-handed variations. There is a textured target pattern that sits against your finger when you're holding it as intended. It is comfortable for me to hold and write with, as I use a traditional grip, but if you have a more individual way of holding your pen, this might be very annoying.

The nib is a plain stainless steel medium nib, though it writes a very bold line that I would consider more of a broad writer. But it is very smooth and has the perfect balance of wetness in its flow. Because of the light plastic construction, the guided grip, and the smooth writing, I can see why this pen is perfect for those learning handwriting. It's a very comfortable writing experience.

The pen takes standard international cartridges or converters, and it comes with one cartridge of blue ink.

This special edition Pelikano is currently available from Goldspot Pens for $25.60. That's a great deal for a very decent writer with a bit of fantasy flair. I like it now, but if twelve-year-old Sarah received this pen, she'd have absolutely lost her mind. It would have been precious. So I know exactly who I am gifting this to. As soon as I write a scary mermaid story with it.

(Goldspot provided this product at a discount to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)

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Enjoy reading The Pen Addict? Then consider becoming a member to receive additional weekly content, giveaways, and discounts in The Pen Addict shop. Plus, you support me and the site directly, for which I am very grateful.

Membership starts at just $5/month, with a discounted annual option available. To find out more about membership click here and join us!