There is a magical wonderland of a place that you may or may not have heard of, in the heart of New York City. Miz Happenstance and I were lucky enough to get in on the action when we visited NYC two weeks (or so) ago.
CW Pencil Enterprise is a place which, I’m convinced, could only exist in NYC (or Tokyo.) Upon entering the lovely little store, one is immediately transported to a time when the smell of pencil shavings meant practicing one’s cursive writing and hand-crank pencil sharpeners were a staple in every classroom.
Temptation is all around: beautifully arranged glasses filled with all manner pencils line the shelves…
And a lovely cork board displays available models (why yes, they do have the famed Palamino Blackwing!)…
There is also a wonderful selection of journals, erasers, and pencil sharpeners from companies far and wide. Japan, Switzerland, Germany, the UK, Argentina…pencils from across the globe are yours for the purchasing!
The icing on the cake? CW Pencil Enterprise can customize pencils for you! Starting at two dollars per, there is a range of colors to choose from (see the above photo.) And guess what? No minimum order! So whether you want to order one for yourself or one hundred for the holiday season — CW can help you out. The extremely helpful staff is generous with their pencil knowledge, but beware: mechanical pencils have no place here!
Sharpen, sharpen, sharpen —
–JH
CW Pencil Enterprise feature in the New York Times
a fun interview with Caroline Weaver (CW Pencil Enterprise owner) via Pencil Revolution
how are pencils made? the History Channel shows us!
Everyday should be a Red Letter Day... 