Holiday Greetings to All!

Karen and I would like to thank you all for being so supportive of Scottsdale Pen during our first year. It is ironic that we opened our store December 1st, 2oo7, what is now being called the beginning of the recession. However, even against that challenging backdrop, we're pleased to say that our year was very successful and the holiday shopping season was busy. We couldn't have done it without you!

With your continued support we anticipate an exciting 2009. In the meantime, we wish you and yours a happy, healthy, and prosperous New Year.

Factory Authorized Sale in Progress

For the holiday season the kind folks at Sanford have authorized a 20% off sale on all Parker and Waterman pens. This is a wonderful opportunity to stock up on some great pens for you and yours at reduced prices.

The holiday season is off to a great start. Hot stocking stuffers include pens from Lamy and Retro 51, while people looking for "impact" gifts have been gravitating towards the Visconti Black Divina, the Waterman Exception, and the Cross Apogee in rose gold.

We cannot publish prices on our "in-store" specials, but you'll find some incredible bargains if you come into the store. The sun is shining, the weather is great, so come on in and have some fun!

Thanksgiving Update

With all you hear about "Black Friday" I figured I'd update you on happenings in our little slice of retail heaven. In a word, "busy". Overall, we had a very busy week with Saturday being the big day. Interestingly enough, we did almost equal sales volume on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday. We had a strong November to mark the one-year anniversary of Scottsdale Pen.

But we were busy for other reasons last week, too. Our son came in from NAU for the holiday weekend, while our daughter threw a large party on Saturday night to celebrate her 17th birthday. And, we're breaking in a new puppy, too. Yep, we had our hands full last week.

If you're in the area please stop in. We're offering special in-store savings on many items. Prices are too low to publish!

Trunk Show Report

Our 1st Annual Fall Trunk Show and Sale, held November 14-15, is one for the history books now and we couldn't be happier with the results. Our thanks to Tess from Acme, Kathryn from Cross, Ryan from Michel Perchin/Faber-Castell, and BC from too many brands to list, for your generous gift of time and expertise in helping to make our event a success. Thanks go out also to people behind the scenes who sent in stock to boost our store including Danean from Aurora/Omas, Jeanette from Parker/Waterman, Dana from Krone, Cathy with Caran d'Ache, Lamy, and Yard-O-Led, and Rick from William Henry.


Of course the biggest thank you goes out to you, our wonderful customers, who took time out from your busy lives to attend our little event. Scottsdale Pen would only be a theory without you. Have an amazing Thanksgiving and keep on writing!

Fall Update

I can't believe how much time has passed since my last blog. Just to follow up, we did not bring in much in the way of vintage pens yet. There are some collections floating around nearby, so let me know if there is something you seek and we'll see if we can help.

Our vacation in early August was a one week trip to Seattle for a family wedding. The weather was just right, meaning the temperatures were mostly between 70 and 80, a perfect break for us desert dwellers. We had sunshine and we had rain, we had wonderful meals with family that we see too seldom, and did some incredible kite flying with my cousin and her husband.

Back here at the store we had a good summer and have officially firmed up November 14-15 for our 1st Annual Fall Trunk Show. We are expecting reps from Acme, Cross, Faber-Castell, and Michel Perchin. Other manufacturers have agreed to send in some special items for the show. I believe we're going have a calligrapher here at the same time- that's going to be a real treat as she is a very talented artist.

We are back to normal hours, which means we're open seven days a week. Since we're active with our daughter's high school marching band we are usually not open late on Friday nights yet, but that will change soon enough.

We are adding new items as we can. We've just received some of the Waterman Perspective and Waterman Expert City Line, and put in a display of high quality ink pots and pen holders from El Casco of Spain. From Monteverde see the Artista Wild Stripes and the Jewelria woods, while from Pelikan be awed by the limited Yellow Toledo. From Montblanc we have an amazing selection of sold out limited editions, while from Visconti some new colors in the Van Gogh line have brightened our showcase.

What's Hot Besides the Weather?

We're into that time of year in Scottsdale when we dream of the winter season ahead. That seems far away right now, but we're in the early stages of planning trunk shows later this year and into 2009. Special events always ramp up the excitement factor and we're always up for a good time!

We're also in the early stages of bringing in consignment goods from pen collectors. We will be showing vintage pens dating back to the 1920's along with more modern pens that may no longer be in production or are from limited edition collections. Recently, famed vintage pen expert and author George Fischler stopped in to say hello. With some luck he will be assisting us in determining fair market value for some of our older items.

During the summer months Scottsdale Pen will not be open in the evenings and closed on Mondays. We will also be out on vacation from July 29 through August 4.

New Shop Dog, New Brands

This past month has been a busy one. Perhaps the first big event was the arrival of Emma, who has become the shop dog. A diminutive four pounds, she's a six-year old "Tea Cup" Yorkie that loves lots of attention and doesn't care who that attention comes from. Emma had belonged to the groomer next door at Oh My Dog but decided to adopt us. After a couple of weeks of staying here and going home with the groomer all parties finally agreed that Emma belonged with us full-time. She joins a 12 year-old Jack Russell and a 6 year-old Mini Australian Shepherd as part of our family.

Besides a new dog, we also added new brands including On Line from Germany, Platinum of Japan, Yafa, and Yoropen to our growing blend of writing instruments. Our long awaited Via Veneto Torsion models arrived from Delta, and they are stunning, as did the wide-bodied Monteverde Mega Ballpoints. And if you haven't looked at Cross lately, check out the Sauvage collection with their sexy profiles and safari themed textures.

Gem of the Southwest

If you are able to pick up the latest issue of Stylus magazine, April/May 2008, you'll find a nice article about Scottsdale Pen beginning on page 68. It turned out that the writer, Stephen Herman, is a frequent visitor to the Phoenix area and he popped in on us within the first month we were open. We couldn't be more thrilled to have such a nice spread done so soon!

So far our experience in the pen community has been very gratifying. Before we even opened we visited Pasquale at Pen's International in Phoenix and he encouraged us to pursue our dream. Fred from Bromfield Pen Shop in Massachusetts visited a few weeks back while he was out here on vacation, Anthony from Penworks about 20 miles to the north of us visited shortly after we opened, and Pam from A Pen Lover's Paradise in Virginia called to congratulate us when she saw the article. The folks over at Art Brown and Fountain Pen Hospital in New York City have also been very supportive. Actually, the folks at Art Brown's told us about the article before we even knew it was out. We're glad to be here and invite you to stop by anytime. You're gonna' love it here!

You make a living at that?

For our entire adult lives we've been asked the question, "Do you make a living doing that?" To give you some context for that, we've been licensed Indian traders, purveyors of custom knives, have owned a fine jewelry store, and now own Scottsdale Pen. This year marks our 28th year of self-employment pursuing the resale of beautiful objects. It is perhaps because I am left-handed that I gravitate towards the artistic side of life, marvelling at art and architecture in the myriad forms those take. I can't help myself in this regard, and my life-long partner in crime, my "first" wife Karen, has graciously attached herself to this willy-nilly sleighride I've taken her on. We love beautiful things and are always excited when we're able to satisfy or stimulate similar interests and longings in others. You hear people say that you should pursue your passions and we're great believers in that. I'll never be "The Richest Man in Babylon" (to borrow from a book title), but I'll be able to look back and say I've been true to myself and did the things I wanted to do regardless of how they turned out or if other people can ever understand why.

Superbowl and Scottsdale Pen

At first you might not think there would be a connection between a pen shop and the Superbowl, but in our case we were at ground zero for the ESPN broadcast booth, set up some 75 yards from our door during the week leading up to the big game. Celebrity parties were scheduled at venues surrounding our location as were several charity events. Some of the names connected with these events included John Travolta, Carmen Electra, P. Diddy, 50 Cent, Snoop Dogg, Kid Rock, and Paris Hilton. Of course, during the many broadcasts from ESPN numerous big name football stars both past and present sat in including Emmett Smith, Matt Leinhart, Jerry Rice, Donovan McNabb, and Mike Ditka. The Goodyear blimp circled over our shopping district for several days adding to the general air of excitement and anticipation. One evening, Bill Clinton appeared at an event at a restaurant directly across the street from us.

Through the kindness of the folks at Parker/Waterman, Scottsdale Pen was able to participate in two of the main charity events by giving away 100 Waterman Expert rollerball pens. We don't have an official list of who of the who's who received our gifts, but we were thrilled to have been able to be part of the festivities. And what a fun Superbowl it turned out to be, too!

Welcome to the Scottsdale Pen Blog

Welcome to the Scottsdale Pen blog.

Scottsdale Pen at The Mix opened December 1, 2007 in the heart of Scottsdale's most concentrated shopping/dining district near the intersections of Camelback and Scottsdale Roads. With the combined attractions of the mall, the Waterfront, and The Mix at Southbridge Scottsdale Pen is at the epicenter of what's new and exciting in food, fun, and fashion.

We are Jay and Karen Sadow, area residents since 1980. Our goal is to enthusiastically encourage you to write. We're not picky about what you write with as long as you do so. There is nothing more personal than a handwritten thank you note or a hand-signed birthday card or holiday card. Don't you just hate getting Christmas cards that are pre-printed? Or have a label slapped on them?

We represent about 20 different pen manufacturers along with well-known brands of stationery, ink and refills, and leather accessories.