Hello, Goodbye: The Final Day of the Pear Tree Pen Company

The message I’ve been putting off writing can wait no longer. Tonight at midnight, The Pear Tree Pen Company as we know it will no longer exist. I apologize in advance for waxing nostalgic. I had promised myself I wouldn’t go down that road, and that I would remain upbeat. Yet, today I have an unavoidable sense of melancholy, so I hope you will permit me this one final indulgence. These past 6 years have been a wonderful experience – often exhilarating, sometimes frustrating, yet always rewarding. Many of you are not just my customers – I’m proud that I’ve gotten to know a good deal of you well enough that I consider you friends. Whether we’ve spoken on the telephone, exchanged emails or even shared a drink somewhere along the way, it has been a privilege to get to know you. I think it was this sense of community and friendship that set the Pear Tree Pen Company apart from many of the other, often impersonal, online retailers out there. We always striven to deliver personal service, whether you were a Michigan or Iowa neighbor, or from a strange, far-off and distant land (like New Jersey). We may not have always met our very high standards, but I think we hit the mark far more often than we missed it. And I have plenty of hand-written cards, letters and personal drawings from thoughtful customers across the globe that bear witness to the relationships we tried to foster. I will treasure those always. Anyway, as I said, today is the last day the Pear Tree Pen Company will be open for business on the Internet (for pen sales, at least – I still have a couple of watches I’d like to sell). I wanted to remind everyone of clearance sale. I’ve slashed prices on just about everything and removed the “buy 3” restriction. So today’s deal is take 15% off of the lowest marked price on anything in the “Special Deals” section of the website. Yesterday, we found a whole bunch of Pilot Iroshizuku ink, and we posted that on the site, but I don’t expect it last very long. There are a lots of other deals to be had, too: we’ve got R & K ink for under $10 a bottle, Waterman bottled ink for only $7.95, Rhodia pads for under $2 and even have some Sailor pens for less than a buck! And that's before the automatic coupon kicks in!
Of course, there’s more. Visit the Special Deals page of our site to check it out. But you have to be fast – the stuff is going quickly and the sale ends tonight at Midnight central time. Once again, thanks you to everyone who has written, phoned, posted on Facebook, Twitter, Fountain Pen Network, PenTrace, or any of the several pen fora I have visited over the years. Your words of encouragement have been universally supportive of the decision I’ve made and I am very grateful to you for that. I may no longer be in business, but I will be a member of this community forever.

Kindest regards,

James Partridge

Only 2 Days Left in the Clearance Sale

As the end of September approaches, so does the last days of The Pear Tree Pen Company. It's no surprise that your response to our massive clearance sale has been tremendous - there are some pretty amazing bargains to be found. And, with only a couple of days left in the month, I've marked down most items even further. Do take a peek.

With the addition of these items and the further markdowns, you now get 1/3 off the lowest marked price on any item in stock - as long as you buy any 3 items in the clearance section. There aren't many things left, but those that remain are one heck of a good value right now. Thanks to everyone who has supported the Pear Tree Pen Company over the years, and in the last week. It's been a good run, as they say.

Thanks for stopping by.

James

Pulling Up Roots - Autumn at the Pear Tree Pen Company

Almost six years ago, the Pear Tree Pen Company sprouted out of my love of fountain pens and grew to become a relatively successful online purveyor of writing instruments, inks and accessories. During that time, we’ve become a leader and an innovator, not only in the use of social media to communicate with like-minded individuals, but also in the sale and development of new products like the original ink sampler.

While my business grew, the demands of my full-time “day job” multiplied, as did the size of my family. For a while, I was able to juggle these competing priorities and still maintain a small semblance of what passed for a life. In the interim, my children grew, (my oldest child just hit the big 1-0) and the responsibilities of my primary occupation have increased dramatically. So I recently decided it was time to re-examine my priorities. And when I did, I realized that being an online retailer no longer fits into my vision of what I want my life to be. So I have decided to retire from the pen business and close the virtual doors of the Pear Tree Pen Company.

Effective immediately, I am working to liquidate the entire inventory of the Pear Tree Pen Company. I have set up a special section of the PTP Co. website, called "Special Deals". From that page, I am offering substantial savings on different items. The deal, essentially, is this: Receive 1/3 off when you purchase 3 or more items in that section. Right now, I’ve added nearly the entire inventory of fountain pen inks to the section, and more items will be added soon. No coupon code is necessary to get your savings; the discount will be applied when you check out.

This sale will go on only until October 1, 2011. After that, the website will no longer accept orders, so if there’s something you want, this is the time to get it. And if you want something that is in stock but not on the Special Deals page, let me know. I’ll probably make you a deal. I want to put as much stuff in your hands (and get it off my shelves) as I can.

Whatever doesn’t sell between now and October 1 will be available at some upcoming pen shows, including the Michigan Pen Show on October 14 and 15 in Troy, Michigan, and the Ohio Pen Show in Columbus, Ohio on November 3-6.

I have enjoyed being a member of the pen community over the years and will continue to buy, trade and use fountain pens – but it’s time to get back to my roots and do it as a hobby, rather than as a vocation.

Thank you to all who have patronized and supported the Pear Tree Pen Company in one way or another over the past 6 years. It has been an honor to serve you.

And thanks for stopping by.

The Rainbow Connection

One of our customers, a talented artist named Gentian Osman, sent us some scans of ink colors she created using Platinum's new mixable ink, "Mix-Free". The 9 inks in the set are designed to be mixed together, enabling one to create a unique and personal color, or even to reproduce an old favorite. Of course, the inks themselves are vibrant and quite well-behaved and are capable of standing on their own without being mixed.

To create each of these colors, Gentian mixed one of the colors in the set, Leafy Green, with one the set's other colors. As you can see, she produced some amazing results, and I'm especially blown away by the shading that comes through in the Aqua Blue/Leafy Green combination. Of course, this is but a smattering of what's possible with these incredible new inks.

Of course, you don't need to be an artist to get a similar outcome. Anyone can create spectacular colors with Platinum's Mix-Free Ink. All you need is some creativity and a willingness to experiment. And, to make it easier to access your inner child, The Pear Tree Pen Company offers an economical alternative to the full kit: A "jumbo" sampler set of all 9 inks, & all the accessories needed to mix and store your creation: A trio of our exclusive glass vials (with eyedropper caps!), a Write-Fill Kit, and a full-sized empty ink bottle in which to store your newly created shade. Not to mention a couple of PTP ink blotters tossed in for good measure.

Give it a go - I think you'll be surprised at the beautiful and unique shades within you.

Thanks for stopping by!

Introducing Platinum "Mix-Free" Inks

The Pear Tree Pen Company is excited to announce the arrival of a new line of fountain pen inks, "Mix-Free" from Platinum Pens. This product represents a huge step forward in ink customizing and will allow users to explore more color variations than ever imagined.

In the past mixing inks was a risky endeavor too often leading to clogged pens or unappealing colors. Even combining colors from the same manufacturer was no guarantee a muddy mess would not result. Platinum Pens has released the perfect solution with inks designed to work together. Using the included color chart for guidance, anyone can create a unique, one-of-a-kind
color or a whole ink collection.

Has your favorite color been discontinued? Now you can replicate that special hue. Want to match a color in nature? This kit will make that possible. Do you fancy a unique signature color? Mix Free will let you combine colors to get that exact shade. This is one time getting carried away is encouraged.

The kit comes with nine colors including Aqua Blue, Aurora Blue, Cyclamen Pink, Earth Brown, Flame Red, Leaf Green, Silky Purple, Smoke Black, and Sunny Yellow. The straight-from-the-bottle colors have a clear and saturated look. By combining equal parts of only two colors, plus the original colors, that's an instant ink collection of over 40 different shades. Simply altering the 1:1 ratio expands the potential combinations into a virtually unlimited number of hues. Each bottle is 60 cc so that is a total of 540 cc or over 18 ounces of ink.

The set also contains a bottle of “reducer” that de-intensifies the color saturation but does not affect the ink's properties. This dilution liquid will step down the color and even make pastel colors an option.

Included are two syringes and a storage bottle along with the color chart that will guide your quest for the perfect shade.

Mix-Free sets retail for $189 but we are introducing them at only $149.95. Individual bottles will become available soon at $20 each. Purchasing the set is a great deal. Once you have used up favorite colors, they can easily be replaced with individual bottles.

Whether you are an artist with a distinct vision of color, someone who likes to show your unique character, or somewhere in between, this is the most promising line of inks ever.

Thanks for stopping by.