I  am looking forward to the DC pen show this coming weekend. It is the biggest fountain pen show in the world. If you love pens, pen memorabilia and inks, this is heaven on earth.

The first two days of the show are for weekend traders and retailers; but  August 14-15 – Saturday and Sunday, are open to consumers. The show is held at the Sheraton Tysons Corner in Vienna, Virginia.  More information here.

I collect antique inkwells, so I’m hoping to add one or two to my collection, plus a fountain pen or two, and some ink, and whatever I see that grabs my imagination. I will brave the sighs I’m going to get when I get home…but pen people understand.

A bottle of the new 1670 Herbin ink will be at the Pendemonium booth if you would like to stop by and test it.  Bob Johnson, who runs the show, asked me to bring some Herbin inks and Clairefontaine paper for the testing table and various other places.  I have packed some Rhodia and some Triomphe pads. 

I’ll also bring along some pens I feel don’t work properly or I’m afraid to use.  I know I can get some friendly, expert advice on what to do.

Hope to see you there or bump into you at one of the tables!

Fahrney’s Pens retail store hosts a different vendor the first Wednesday of the month.  This month, Rhodia & Clairefontaine will be the featured vendors.  I will be on hand with the area sales rep to meet customers and answer questions.  I’m bringing some products from Exaclair for people to test with their pens, including a bottle of Herbin’s new 1670 ink. 

Fahrney’s Vendor Day & Sale is scheduled for Wednesday, August 4th (tomorrow) from 10 AM to 5 PM.  They are offering an extra 10% off Rhodia and Clairefontaine’s everyday prices. Fahrney’s offers a wide selection of Rhodia and Clairefontaine pads and notebooks.

The store is located at 1317 F Street, N.W., Washington, DC 2002.  Tel. – 202-628-9525. They are located two blocks from the Metro Center.

Farhney’s is a storied name for fountain pens.  In 1929 Earl Fahrney founded Fahrney’s Pens as a fountain pen repair shop.  The business thrived. He slowly expanded and decided to sell new writing intruments, including the “revolutionary” ballpoint pen.  The tagline “The Write Place” was acquired when Mr. Fahrney moved the business in 1950 to the historic Willard Hotel on F Street.

In 1961 Mr. Fahrney hired Odell Chappell who was the store’s first female employee. “The Pen Lady” as she became known, is now retired but remembered for her tireless dedication to Fahrney’s and her customers.

In 1972 Mr. Fahrney sold Fahrney’s Pens to Jon and Corinne Sullivan. The Sullivans shared his passion for fountain pens, and deep commitment to customers and employees. Their son, Chris, has taken over day-to-day operations. 80 years after its founding Fahrney’s remains a family-owned business.

Visit the website here.  I hope to see you tomorrow!

Rhodia makes one pad with yellow paper. It is 8 1/4 x 12 1/2″, ruled with margin.  It is not the most popular pad we make, but the sales are consistently high enough to keep it in the mix.

Since I write with fountain pens, white paper enhances the color of inks (Diamine, Sailor, Herbin) I use and makes the experience of writing more vibrant. But for some interior reason, when I need to take “serious notes” I prefer a yellow pad.  I have thought about why this might be and have concluded I associate white more with creativity; and yellow with memory.

Which color pad do you like to use?

Rhodia and Clairefontaine notebooks may soon be available in stationery, art supply and university bookstores in Israel. Selected products from each brand will be shown this coming weekend to prospective retailers at a back-to-school show.

Two weeks ago I spent a day doing site visits in Jerusalem with Yaffa and Nathan Sror of Kolbosrad, Ltd., an importer and distributor of quality stationery, office and art supplies in Israel. They discovered Rhodia at the Frankfurt paper show this past January and felt our notebooks could be a good compliment to their other lines.

Yaffa and Nathan were wonderful hosts and guides. I felt as if I had known them for years–people with generous hearts like they do have that gift.

One of the stores they took me to visit was Jerusalem Pens, located in the old German Colony neighborhood. It carries a wide selection of notebooks,  journals and writing instruments, including some pens of their own design.  Both the store and the neighbor are special.

A little to my surprise, a photo of Pope Benedict XVI writing with a fountain pen greeted me when I walked into their beautiful showroom. The owner, Mr. David Elispur, told me the pope is a customer, and came by for a visit when he traveled to Israel. 

Jerusalem Pens is worth a trip if you visit the city. Hopefully, one of these days you can spot Rhodia there, too.

Several months ago we received a rash of email from people asking if they could buy Rhodia in bulk from us (Exaclair).  Since Exaclair operates B-2-B, I tried to come up with a solution.  I called some of our best Rhodia retailers including Alko Office Supply, Goulet Pens, and Vickerey, and asked if they would sell to consumers in bulk.  They all said they would be delighted to do so!  In fact, most if not all retailers will offer a discount in product price and/or shipping for bulk sales.  Our best Rhodia customers online can be found here.

Some people are not shy about asking for a price break and assume everyone does as well.  I haven’t…I’m shy. If I didn’t see this option indicated I assumed it didn’t exist. It would not occur to me to bring it up. Researching this issue I found most retailers are very happy to get bulk orders but don’t generally advertise them. 

So, if you want to buy a certain notepad in bulk, the first thing to do is call ahead on product availability: is it in stock or when can they have it for you.  After that, ask what shipping and/or product discount the retailer is willing to provide.

“Bulk sales” means more than 2 or 3 pads.  Several retailers already provide sales in multiples, including Jet Pens, Fahrney’s and Goulet Pens.  “Bulk” means by case pack, which is how products are shipped from France.  Case packs can be packed in five, 10 or even 20. 

Anyway, bulk buying is available.  It will save you money, and keep a steady supply of notebooks at hand. 

Please let us know if you encounter any problems with bulk purchases; or, if there are retailer(s) you would like to single out for exception service.

The 2010 Clairefontaine-Rhodia catalog can be viewed online here.

You can also view the catalog on the English version of their website here.

We would appreciate knowing what Clairefontaine and Rhodia products appeal to you.  I can’t promise that we will import them all–we have limited warehouse space and currently import and carry many references–but if enough Clairefontaine and Rhodia fans express interest in a particular product or line, I will see about showing it at the upcoming National Stationery Show in New York in May.

Thank you all very much for your support and good ideas.

Several times a week I get requests from retailers, editors and writers looking for specific product photos.  I direct them all to check Exaclair’s web archive of images:  Exaclairretailers.com.  Product photos from all our brands can be easily accessed for use or to view.  Many of them are available in hi res. If the person cannot find the photo they want, or needs additional assistance, I am happy to help.

Photos of all the Rhodia products we currently import and distribute in the U.S. are shown.  No password is needed to access the archive: please browse!  However, a password is needed to see our retailer catalog online.

Our 2011 Quo Vadis catalog and our 2010 Exaclair catalog will be available in January.

You are welcome to visit Exaclairretailers here.

December is the busiest month of the year at Exaclair, the U.S. distributor of Rhodia. 

As many of you know, we also import J. Herbin inks, Clairefontaine notebooks, G. Lalo social stationery and other brands from our French parent companies.  The Quo Vadis planners and notebooks we distribute are designed in France, but made our our plant in upstate New York.  All of our notebook and planner products are made with Clairefontaine paper from the Vosges mill in France.  Our sketchbook and fine arts papers are made at the Schut Mill in the Netherlands owned by Clairefontaine. You can read more about our mills here.

Every part of Exaclair is going full throttle to process orders, ship products, finalize the 2010 catalogs; get all the review samples and raffle winners on their way via USPS, field hundreds of calls and email messages about products and where to find them in the US or elsewhere.

We are all ready for “a long winter’s nap” by the time Christmas Eve finally arrives and things calm down.  The week between Christmas and New Year’s is the sweetest of the year: quiet, peaceful, and a time for unharried reflection.

We have some good things coming in 2010, including two new notebooks from Rhodia. The Rhodia Weekly Notebook line, introduced this year, sold out two printings. Next year we plan to expand the line and production.

Also on tap for 2010 is a blank journal with 90g paper.

2010 will mark the 340th anniversary of the founding of J. Herbin.  That is a company rich in history–J. Herbin produced its first sealing wax in 1670 when Louis XIV, the Sun King, was 32 years old. The first pen ink was produced by Herbin in 1700.  “Perle Noire”–still the name of our black fountain pen ink–was produced a few years later. When I look at a bottle on the shelf, I try to comprehend that ink of the same name was used 300 years ago. In this age where nothing seems to stay or last for very long, that says something to me.

I would like to introduce Clairefontaine paper to new communities of people who like notebooks as creative tools, or who enjoy the simple pleasure of writing, whether in the quiet of a studio, lab, living room or even out on a trail.   When you are ready to leave the virtual world behind for a little while, a notebook is a perfect companion.

This description of our notebooks by Russell Hemsworth, owner and paper buyer for Nota Bene in Montreal is very apt: “Someone suggested I could call it intellectual stationery,” he said, but prefers to categorize it as “stationery for creative minds.”

In the last week we have received emails from two people asking us if they could buy writing pads in bulk.  Here’s a quote from one of them:

“Hello. I am employed as a judicial law clerk in the federal judiciary.  As such, I spend my day researching the law while writing and typing notes. I use fountain pens for all of my research notes. The paper provided by my employer is not well suited to this purpose.  I have, therefore, decided to contact your firm for suggestions…Presently I am using approximately 50 – 60 pages of 8.5 x 11 paper a week. I am looking for pads  similar in size with excellent paper.”

Of course, we would be happy to suggest Rhodia or Clairefontaine!

These emails are not isolated inquiries–we seem to be getting more of them, largely from people who cannot buy Rhodia in an area store and want to stock up.

Here’s my question: would you take the opportunity to buy Rhodia pads in bulk? If so, how many would you order?

I would like to gather information from Rhodia customers before we approach some retailers around the country to see if they would be willing to implement bulk purchases with a break on price and/or shipping charges.

Thank you for any ideas and suggetions you can give us.

Rhodia notepads not only come in different sizes and shapes outside, but also in different “line markings” inside, known as rulings. (I’ll update this post with the missing info on some rulings when I get them.)

Quadrillé 5mm x 5mm Graph (petits carreaux)
Available in non-punched Bloc Rhodia pads No. 08, 11, 12, 13, 14, 16, 18, 19 white pad and No. 38. And in punched Bloc Rhodia pads No. 17, 20, 24 and 120.

Lined + margin
Available in non-punched Bloc Rhodia pads No. 18, 19 white & yellow. And in punched Bloc Rhodia pads No. 119 white & yellow.

Lined 7mm and 8mm

Blank
Available in non-punched Bloc Rhodia pads No. 16, 18 and 19 white.

Lined + margin columnar

5×5 graph columnar
Available in Classic wirebound and 4-color notebooks.

SÉYÈS C
Available in wirebound notebooks

SÉYÈS graph big (grands carreaux)
Available in A4 stapled notebooks and punched Bloc Rhodia pads No. 17, 20, 24 and 120 rainbow.

The stationers known as the “Papeteries Verilhac freres” was founded in Lyon in 1932 by two brothers, Henri and Robert Verilhac. They came from a family of paper merchants, with two brothers from the previous generation having set up a family business selling paper mainly to the southern part of France and the French overseas departments in North Africa.

From 1932 onwards, they concentrated on producing and selling stationery, exercise books, and, later on, the Rhodia notebook.

In September 1934, the company, originally located in Lyon, moved to Sechilienne near Grenoble in the Romanche Valley because of size, labor costs and its proximity to the paper factories.

In the 1950s, a production unit was set up in southern Algiers. This unit used paper produced locally, and supplied the substantial North African market.

Loss of the North African market in the 1960s forced the company to continue expansion in Northern France and internationally.

In 1968, catastrophic flooding in the Romanche valley destroyed 50% of the Sechilienne plant. The factory was rebuilt and extended, with premises erected on a new site in Vizille. In 1997, the company was bought by the Clairefontaine Group, production was transferred to Mulhouse (department number 68) and the new group Clairefontaine Rhodia was born.

The RHODIA trademark

The Rhodia trademark dates back to 1932 and points to the group’s Rhodian origins. It predates the other similar trademarks (such as Chimie). Legend has it that the two Rhodia fir trees symbolize the two founding brothers.

The RHODIA notebook

The Rhodia notebook, originally a sideline for Rhodia, was to become its leading light. It was designed to provide a high quality notebook for note taking and immediately overshadowed other notebooks of the period because of its quality materials and original design (its scored folding front cover). Over the course of time, it has come to symbolize a notebook of quality.

The orange cover dates back to the standard colors in use at the time of its creation, and remains unchanged to this day.

- – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - -
Used with permission from their website.
Text and images copyright (c) Clairefontaine-Rhodia.
All rights reserved.

Francis Ford Coppola at Cannes in 2001. By Rita Molnár.

One of the places we are sure to stop in Paris is a stationery store. They are so great there. Most of all, they have a great selection of Rhodia pads, the best writing pads in the world (in my opinion). I highly recommend them… they’re great for wine notes!”

Francis Ford Coppola has been making movies for more than 30 years, and wines at his Niebaum-Coppola Estate Winery (now known as the Rubicon estate) in the Napa Valley for almost 20.

Rhodia notebooks at the Copolla Winery gift store in Northern California

Paul Smith, the world-famous British fashion designer, is a Rhodia fanatic. Paul Smith clothes are sold either in his own Paul Smith shops or in selected shops across the world.

Paul Smith is global – the collection is wholesaled to thirty five countries and has fourteen shops in England. Paul Smith shops are found in London, Nottingham, Paris, Milan, New York, Hong Kong, Singapore, Taiwan, the Philippines, Korea, Kuwait, U.A.E. – and over two hundred throughout Japan. Paul remains fully involved in the Japanese business; designing the clothes, choosing the fabrics, approving the shop locations and overseeing every development within the company. Paul Smith also has impressive and diverse showrooms in London, Paris, Milan, New York and Tokyo.

Paul Smith continues to be an integral part of the company; he is both designer and chairman. Paul Smith is continually involved in every aspect of the business and as a result, Paul Smith Limited retains a personal touch often lost in companies of a similar size.

- From his website.

Rhodia has signed an agreement with Paul Smith to create and sell a line of Paul Smith Rhodia pads. It will include 4 different sizes. Prices will be 20 to 25% above traditional Rhodia pads prices. These products will be sold only in some special shops: Paul Smith boutiques and a selection of high standing stationery shops approved by the designer himself.

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