Inkt a haven for lovers of writing

Susanne and Pat Clay have opened specialist pen and ink store Inkt in Victoria Ave.

Whanganui has a new treasure trove for lovers of writing, drawing and calligraphy.

Pat and Susanne Clay have opened Inkt in the restored AE Kitchen heritage building at 17 Victoria Ave.

The shop specialises in quality pens, inks and related items. There are 200 different fountain pens, ranging in price from $6 to $1000, as well as rollerball pens, the biggest range of pens in a store in New Zealand. They can supply refills for every type of refillable pen available in New Zealand and Mr Clay does pen repairs. They do not sell disposable pens.

Inkt stocks about 300 fountain pen ink colours with products from Japan, France, Australia, Germany and the United Kingdom. The range includes scented inks, sparkly inks and inks for drawing and calligraphy.

They also stock 30 colours of sealing wax and other stationery items including blotters, nibs, notebooks, washi tape and accessories.

Mr Clay has run the business via a website for about seven years and the retail premises is a progression based on increasing demand.

"I've been using fountain pens since I was at school," Mr Clay said.

"They are much nicer to write with than ballpoint pens and a lot of people enjoy writing with them.

"I often have people phone and say they have a favourite pen but they can't find a refill for it. If they bring it into the shop, I can generally get a refill for them."

Mr Clay says a lot of younger people are now using fountain pens.

"If you have a ballpoint pen you can have blue or black or blue/black but with a fountain pen you can write with 'your' colour or change the colour of the ink depending on how you feel that day.

"It's like a retro throwback thing but it doesn't have to look old-fashioned. People are writing letters and taking time to think about what they're writing. It's a little more meaningful [than electronic communication]."

Mrs Clay compares the experience in the store with shoe shopping.

"We have women come into the shop and it's like buying new shoes," she said.

"They are looking at all the ink colours and flipping through the catalogue to find the colour they like. Very few people own just one fountain pen; it's a pen enthusiast type of thing. It's cool."

The shop is open Monday to Friday 8.30am to 5.30pm, Saturday 9am to 2pm and Sunday by appointment.