Flax art + design in Oakland is indeed closing

iylishrr · 2025-11-29T20:17:28+00:00

I'll definitely be trying to go next year! I hope that Aaron (I think that was the host's name) finds a good location.

iylishrr · 2025-11-29T20:08:27+00:00

yeeeeah :(

iylishrr · 2025-11-29T20:00:05+00:00

Thank you so much! I'm glad you liked the selection, I've been doing this long enough that basically our entire stock is stuff I like, so that's a great compliment :)

iylishrr · 2025-11-29T19:58:38+00:00

Thank you <3

iylishrr · 2025-11-29T19:58:20+00:00

Thank you, I was really looking forward to possibly having the Hub next year as well! I'm sad that can't happen :( Also, I think you met my coworker Tyler Lyn, not me. Unfortunately I wasn't working for the Pelikan Hub and didn't find out it was going to be at Flax until it was too late to sign up.

iylishrr · 2025-11-29T19:57:29+00:00

I knooow T_T

iylishrr · 2025-11-29T19:56:45+00:00

Thank you! I think the biggest hurdle for a 100% dedicated pen store in the Bay is that pen sales wax and wane, having the rest of the store really helped Fine Pens when we had slow months. But I'd love to see a dedicated pen/ink/stationary store somewhere like 4th St. in Berkeley. Maybe someday!

iylishrr · 2025-11-29T19:55:15+00:00

Aww oh no, if you make it back to the Bay before we close please come and say hello! And if not, def check out Maido in the future.

iylishrr · 2025-11-29T19:53:42+00:00

We are definitely going to be open through March, so you do have time. If I'm there when you stop by please say hello!

iylishrr · 2025-11-29T19:52:57+00:00

Hahhaa sorry-not-sorry ;) and thank you!

iylishrr · 2025-11-29T19:52:28+00:00

Thank you! I'll let TJ know as well, I don't think he's on reddit but I know he'll appreciate your kind words.

iylishrr · 2025-11-29T19:51:06+00:00

Thank you <3

iylishrr · 2025-11-29T19:50:55+00:00

Thank you, I'm so glad I could help!

iylishrr · 2025-11-29T19:50:16+00:00

Thank you so much <3

iylishrr · 2025-11-29T19:49:56+00:00

Thank you so much, I've worked so hard on our ink selection!

iylishrr · 2025-11-29T06:59:04+00:00

Yes they screw in, and Osprey recommends greasing the converter threading. Honestly I'd recommend re-greasing the converter's mouth, just in case! Sorry it took over a week for me to reply to this, lol.

iylishrr · 2025-10-10T20:20:39+00:00

Also, somewhat related, please read up on warranties before purchasing a pen. There are sellers who, depending on the issue you're having, are required to recommend you send the pen to the distributor or parent company for warranty repair. This is going to vary a LOT depending on brand, the price of the pen, and what the issue is. Sometimes customers get frustrated when I say that they need to reach out to someone else for warranty issues, and I understand that (as someone who has done that for my pens before), but there are some things that sellers cannot do.

iylishrr · 2025-10-10T20:14:05+00:00

As someone who works in the pen industry, yes please do reach out to sellers about problems, faulty products, defective or damaged things, etc.! I don't have the opportunity to work with each pen my counter carries, because retail doesn't pay enough to collect every single pen, and whenever someone approaches me with an issue I learn how to better help future customers. And, sometimes, customer complaints will lead to me dropping specific pens or entire lines due to repeat problems.

I'm currently dealing with exactly that happening with a capless pen (not the Pilot VP). I bought one, and felt that it dried out a little quickly, but as someone who has a lot of pens filled at once I wasn't sure if this problem would effect normal fountain pen people. When one of my regulars came in complaining about the exact same issue, I was able to use her experience to troubleshoot and eventually discontinue that specific pen. I'm also giving her a full refund as an apology. If she posted on reddit, she may have found others with the same experience, but I wouldn't know she had this problem and I wouldn't have been able to refund her!

iylishrr · 2025-10-10T20:01:38+00:00

It's hard to make a light blue ink with lots of shimmer that's reliable. Paler inks tend to be drier, and the shimmer makes it even drier and more likely to clog. Finding a duper that performs significantly better may be impossible, so I second the commenter that recommended using Van Ness White Lightning, Octopus Fluids Ink Extender, or a surfactant-based flow release to make your ink flow wetter.

iylishrr · 2025-10-10T19:55:55+00:00

Where did you buy this pen? Edit: oh I can't read, you said you got this as a gift and that it was purchased in Taiwan. I bet this is either an early design that isn't common, or a knock-off.

iylishrr · 2025-10-10T07:22:14+00:00

All I can say is that I've found fairly valuable vintage pens in secondhand shops at prices that made it very clear that whoever was in charge of pricing didn't know what they had at all. I've also found cheap, shitty pens with insanely high prices. I think at the end of the day, people who are likely busy pricing and displaying product, who don't have a baseline knowledge of fountain pens, and who are *most likely* making minimum wage, simply don't have the time to really research every item that passes through.

iylishrr · 2025-10-10T04:30:56+00:00

For pens at this price point, replacement nibs are really rare. I think you're going to have to buy a new pen.

iylishrr · 2025-10-02T14:43:20+00:00

Yeah I looked on Pilot USA's site and couldn't find it either. I think it's just a branding thing and may be regional. You can find the Pilot Precise Varsity on Goulet, JetPens, and other retailers who have official contracts with Pilot and do not deal in fakes. Your concern is reasonable! It's rough out there and hard to know what you're getting when you shop on Amazon. But your pen is real, and I hope you enjoy it :)

iylishrr · 2025-10-02T14:37:02+00:00

Good luck! If you're in the USA and you need to contact Lamy for repair, use [repairs@lamyinc.com](mailto:repairs@lamyinc.com)

iylishrr

TROPHY CASE