The Fountain Pen Shop
The Fountain Pen Shop was a historic fountain pen retailer, museum, and repair shop in Downtown Los Angeles, and later, Monrovia,[1][2] originally established in 1922.[3] The shop is considered to be the oldest pen shop in the United States operated continuously by the same family.[1][4] Its original location was at the intersection of Sixth and Spring Streets, with its second Downtown Los Angeles location near Pershing Square[3] and its Monrovia location at 2640 S. Myrtle Ave.[5]
History[edit]
The Fountain Pen Shop was founded by the grandfather of Fred Krinke and one partner. Krinke's father inherited the business in 1940, subsequently turning it over to Krinke in 1975.[3] Krinke, who was born in 1928,[4] had helped his father at the shop since World War II, during which time the business was backlogged with pen repair orders. Krinke began assisting at the shop in between his classes at Pasadena Junior College. After the war ended, Krinke was drafted for military service, serving in the Air Force. Upon his return, he decided to go into the pen business full-time.[3] In addition to his work at the shop, Krinke made appearances at the Los Angeles International Pen Show[6]--attending every year since its inception[7]--and the Southern California Pen Collectors Club, the latter of which he founded.[8] In 2019, Krinke passed away at the age of 91, leaving the fate of the 97-year-old business to be determined.[4]
References[edit]
- ^ a b "Fred Krinke, L.A.'s king of the fountain pen, dies at 91". Los Angeles Times. November 8, 2019.
- ^ "Fountain Pen Shop".
- ^ a b c d Weekly, Monrovia (April 19, 2016). "Business Profile: The Fountain Pen Shop Inc".
- ^ a b c Marble, Steve (2019-11-09). "Shopkeeper ran the go-to source for fountain pens". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on July 26, 2020. Retrieved 8 May 2023 – via PressReader.
- ^ "Fountain Pen Shop".
- ^ Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine: LA INTERNATIONAL PEN SHOW - "The Best of the Fests" with Ray Schiel. YouTube.
- ^ "Pen collectors going strong even as handwriting dwindles". Los Angeles Times. February 15, 2013.
- ^ Club, Southern California Pen Collectors. "Welcome to the Southern California Pen Collectors Club". Southern California Pen Collectors Club.