The origin of this penshop is traced back to 1950 when Ivan Mason, longstanding employee and authorized service agent for the Parker Company established a pen repair outlet. Originally it had offered a fast, while you wait repair service for Parker pens, employing skilled mechanics at its workshop at Newbury Street, Barbican. But over the years the company expanded its services to most brands of fountain pens.
In the 1970s Peter Woolf and Roy Zeff took over the business and opened an elegant store at the Bush House Arcade in the Strand. This shop enjoyed the after glow of Parker Pen Company which at one time occupied all the retail outlets in the Arcade and had its headquarters. It is not surprising that many thought Penfriend was a Parker outlet.
Responding to the resurgence of the passion for pens, in the early nineties they established another outlet in Piccadilly at the Burlington Arcade, one of the most elegant and prestigious arcades in London which had been established in 1819.
In 2007, this unique shop was acquired by Amaya Cerdeirina and Luc Leclercq. Penfriend stocked both modern and vintage pens of all the leading brands. Both outlets remained unique penshops of the typical Old Curiosity Shop of British tradition.
In 2012 Bush House closed and a new retail outlet was opened at 17 Fleet Street.
In 2017 due to the pressures of London rents and rates both shops closed.
In June 2017 Penfriend has launched their new online retail store and complimented it with a new ‘by appointment service’.
At Penfriend we are experts at helping you find the pen that best suits your style. It’s a matter of finding a pen with a nib of the correct size, shape and flexibility. “Our focus is to make sure that our customers find the right instrument for their writing,” says Amaya Cerdeirina, the owner of the business. “We can achieve this through modern pens, vintage ones or even repairing an old friend when possible.”
Our focus is to make sure that our customers find the right instrument for their writing. We can achieve this through modern pens, vintage ones or even repairing an old friend when possible.