I happened upon this little shop while walking along Orchard St. one Saturday morning. I had just finished eating a bagel, in case you were wondering. I’m reminded of that bagel every week or so when I receive Davidovich Bakery’s newsletter. In a first attempt at going paperless I gave my email address to the cashier in lieu of a receipt and now I’m on their mailing list. Man, it was a good bagel.

The pencil on the storefront of CW Pencil Enterprise called on me to cross the street, walk up the steps and into the shop. Upon entering I was hit by a wave of joy and sensory overload. Not to the point of tears, that would be weird, but I recognized very quickly I was in a happy place. Who doesn’t love a high quality, colourfully quirky pencil every now and then? Notebooks. Japanese stickers. Erasers. Pencil sharpeners.

I could lose track of time in a place like this. I’d likely spend double the estimated time I told my husband I would take and when questioned about it I wouldn’t have an answer as to why, other than to say, well, it was an experience. He would shake his head, unable to relate. Luckily I was on my own that day.

I bought ten Eye Ball No Smoking Pencils. What a find!

I had initially come to Orchard St. for the art, but would return for the pencils.

***

A man stole my Japanese cigarette pencils as I was sitting on a bench at the World Trade Centre. One minute I was applying a bandaid to the back of my foot, a ‘stage 4’ blister, and the next my beautifully wrapped pencils were gone.

I assumed it was a man. A woman wouldn’t knowingly steal another woman’s pencils unless she desperately needed them. A mother who couldn’t otherwise afford to put pencils on the table — how could I fault her for that? These are hard times after all and the children, wait a second, do the children even use pencils these days?

I walked back to Orchard Street and replaced the pencils, notebooks and stickers I had bought. The folks at CW Pencil Enterprise gave me a generous discount for my troubles.

Months later, while sitting on a flight one of the flight attendants approached me and asked, “What are you doing?”

“Writing in my notebook.” I replied. The notebook I had purchased twice at CW Pencil Enterprise.

“You don’t see that very often. That’s cute.” She said with a smile and walked away.

Doesn’t anyone use stationery anymore? I guess everything is digital, or is going digital, these days. I’ve resisted full digitization successfully for years. I’m not living off the grid by any means, but I’m somewhat, albeit not very, selective when it comes to my digital footprint. Happening upon the little shop on Orchard Street confirmed for me that there are others out there like me. I will make a note of that so when technology, or the robots rather, rise against us I will have some fellow compatriots to join me in the resistance. I have said too much. I’m kidding, obviously. 

Stay great!

Kate