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shopping
around
by Maria A. Picon
PEN WORLD International
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If
your ideal pen shop includes pens from all your favorite
brands, displays of private collections and ephemera,
and a quiet and relaxed atmosphere in which to try
out a variety of pens and find just the right one,
then stop at Berliner Pen.
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Since
opening in 1994, Berliner Pen has been a full service
pen store that is, in the words of its proprietors,
"devoted to the collector and owned by collectors."
That devotion is rooted in the fact that business partners
Geoffrey Berliner and Bernard Isaacowitz are both accomplished
collectors, users and lovers of fountain pens.
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 Berliner
has also been restoring pens since 1988. He serves on
the board of directors of the Pen Collectors of America
and writes for its journal, The PENnant, in addition
to authoring a long-running "Restoration" column for
PWI. He began collecting over ten years ago while
a graduate student in religion and philosophy at Harvard.
He found pens made during the 70 or 80 years between
the Victorian Era and the Machine Age to be historically
interesting as well as beautiful and well made. "Vintage
pens evoke the past," says Berliner. "They involve a
standard of craftsmanship, quality and materials that
perhaps doesn't exist today." Berliner's personal collection
reflects his love of vintage instruments and includes
an extensive collection of early Waterman and early
Parker pens. He has also focused on early Maki-e, Parker
51's, vintage Omas and current Omas limited editions.
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joined Berliner Pen as a partner in 1995, bringing a strong
business background from a career in hospital administration.
He has been collecting for about four years now, ever
since receiving a book on collectible pens from his wife
and purchasing his first pen - an Astoria No.2 black hard
rubber safety - at a flea market for $3. His flea market
habit proved fateful when he met Berliner there. These
days, his collection includes more than 100 early Waterman
and early Parker pens.
The
shop has recently celebrated the grand opening of its
new location on Broadway, between 21st and 22nd Streets
in New York's Flatiron district. The expanded
shop has 500 square feet of retail space - nearly twice
that of the original location. The increased space has
allowed the owners ot display portions of their personal
collections - which include over 1,000 pieces combined
- in a special "museum" section of the shop. In addition,
the museum occasionally features vintage pen repair
tools and other ephemera.
The
shop's interior is designed to be just as pleasing as
the pens it showcases. Pen-related advertisements and
artifacts line the walls. Vintage cases are always stocked
with an array of vintage pens, vintage accessories and
books. A variety of high-quality contemporary pens and
limited editions from Omas, Parker, Waterman, Shaeffer,
Pelikan and Aurora are also offered.
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