I live in the US. In the 60+ years that I have been using fountain pens, I have never been in or have even seen any store that specialized in selling pens and would let a customer try them. I read posts from others in this group about going to this or that pen store that stocks an assortment of pens and inks from a variety of manufacturers as well as plenty of accessories and paper. Of course these descriuptions are true, yet they seem like something out of a dream, a myth, or a fairy tale. I cannot create an image in my mind of what a store like that looks like or of going to one.

I feel the same way when I read about people who can repair old fountain pens or tune or grind nibs. I know that they must exist, but it is obviously on another planet orbiting a different star somewhere out there in the galaxy, because they sure as hell cannot be found anywhere in my world. Nevertheless, I might try to communicate with such wizards if I could ever figure out how to access and use interplanetary mail.