This is the new location that Jon and Liz moved to earlier this summer. The entrance is a bit hidden and there is no sign showing 250. The walkway/alleyway right next to 260 Carlaw. (see the pictures I posted). The door/shop faces south. There is Green P street parking along Carlaw.
The new location is very spacious and a lovely space that has a lot of room to walk around in compared to the old shop which was tiny. It looks like there is a table set up which could be where calligraphy lessons might be held in the back of the showroom.
Wonderpens is a stationary Nerd's Paradise, even in a digital age I keep going back to paper and pens. There is a nice selection of fountain pens that are cheaper (price wise) to midrange ($50-100). Fountain pens of course can be much more expensive, but Wonderpens is a great cost efficient place to get your first fountain pen and see if you like it and want to dabble further or not. They carry the Chinese brand Jinhao which makes attractive metal body pens that start at $7 which is cheaper than you can get from eBay most of the time. I love this because I don't feel sad if I lose one of these. There's a nice selection of Noodles Flex pens.
There's a nice selection of different brands of ink and their are ink chips to show how the ink actually looks on paper.
There's a nice selection of paper (notebooks and letter paper) of different weights and sizes. They do carry Midori Travelers Notebooks, accessories and refills and the price is not jacked up because we are in Canada and the lowest locally that I have found. They also carry Field Notes including limited editions.
Jon and Liz are friendly and answer questions that you may have about products they carry. If you read their blog and check out their instagram you will see Liz talks about product releases or her impressions using some of the products because she is a fellow stationary nerd too. I like that they carry a lot of products/brands no other Canadian stores/businesses don't because I don't have to order them online from the US.
I read an old review that some people think Jon and Liz are not friendly or that they felt like they ignore their customers. I don't agree at all. They greet you when you enter and are always willing to answer any questions you may have. I like that they are easy going and give you space to shop. They don't pressure you to buy anything like other small shops (of various goods) sometimes might. I used to pop by the old location every now and then, sometimes with a large haul because I am a Stationary hoarder, other times with nothing at all and I have always been treated with consistent and friendly demeanour from Jon or Liz.
I like supporting this local business because their prices are reasonable and they carry great products. It's also apparent that they have an actual love of stationary which shows.
This is my favourite pen and stationary store and I love recommending it to friends like it was recommended to me by a coworker last year.