Saturday, October 18, 2014

Field Trip: P.W Akkerman Den Haag @sbrebrown

The P.W Akkerman store in Den Haag - the one chock full of pens and inks, including the P.W Akkerman inks we all know and love - was a store that obviously had to be visited. Personally, I went there with no expectation of purchasing any pens. I expected to just go and drool. Okay, I considered ONE bottle of ink. In the end, I did leave with a bottle of ink...
En route to Den Haag...had to entertain myself.
Field Trip P.W Akkerman Den Haag @sbrebrown
Field Trip P.W Akkerman Den Haag @sbrebrown
AH! There it is: hard to miss, and situated in a beautiful covered shopping area. It's alluring and delicious, even from the outside.
Field Trip P.W Akkerman Den Haag @sbrebrown
On the other side, there is a window display that has a wall of Akkerman inks - the older, larger bottles. It's been there awhile because the green boxes have started fading with light exposure. 
Field Trip P.W Akkerman Den Haag @sbrebrown
These were HUGE pens. WAY over sized, and on display outside the store in one of the windows.
Field Trip P.W Akkerman Den Haag @sbrebrown
Sigh. I really, really like these 90th anniversary Montblancs... (helloooo Montblanc... are you listening to meeee?)
Field Trip P.W Akkerman Den Haag @sbrebrown
Field Trip P.W Akkerman Den Haag @sbrebrown
The floor had this very fun light thing. Pen. Stuff. I don't know. I liked it.
Field Trip P.W Akkerman Den Haag @sbrebrown
Field Trip P.W Akkerman Den Haag @sbrebrown
Browsing.
Field Trip P.W Akkerman Den Haag @sbrebrown
A wall of Leuchtturm 1917 notebooks! There are also planners, Moleskine, Success products, and a whole pile of other things.
Field Trip P.W Akkerman Den Haag @sbrebrown
Field Trip P.W Akkerman Den Haag @sbrebrown
There's a huge swab chart on the wall above their inks, which basically just says "take one of each home". I love seeing the line up of pens back there.
Field Trip P.W Akkerman Den Haag @sbrebrown
It's a fascinating place, not just because of what you can purchase, but also because of the really cool decor. Vintage ink bottles. Lots of them. I want them all.
Field Trip P.W Akkerman Den Haag @sbrebrown
Field Trip P.W Akkerman Den Haag @sbrebrown
Field Trip P.W Akkerman Den Haag @sbrebrown
Rocker blotters, modern inks galore. Even the Montblanc Lavender Purple ink that is, rumour has it, discontinued? They also have the Sailor Jentle inks, and Caran d'Ache original inks.
Field Trip P.W Akkerman Den Haag @sbrebrown
Field Trip P.W Akkerman Den Haag @sbrebrown
Field Trip P.W Akkerman Den Haag @sbrebrown
RADEN.
Field Trip P.W Akkerman Den Haag @sbrebrown
Oh, these are gorgeous. You can probably guess which ones are my favourite...
Field Trip P.W Akkerman Den Haag @sbrebrown
Field Trip P.W Akkerman Den Haag @sbrebrown
The amazing thing about this place is it's full of pens I've never seen before (in person), or have read about, or want because they're no longer in production... in other words: leave your monies at home. 
Field Trip P.W Akkerman Den Haag @sbrebrown
I spy with my little eye a Pelikan Souverän M800 Brown Tortoiseshell, a Pelikan M1005 Special Edition Demosntrator...
WHAT DO YOUR EYEBALLS SPY?!
Field Trip P.W Akkerman Den Haag @sbrebrown
I know, I know it's just a ballpoint, but I still want that Pelikan Souverän M400 White Tortoise ballpoint to match  my fountain pen...
What's happening here? Well, someone spotted the Viscontis... including the Homo Sapiens... and the Opera Crystal, and some other goodies. They had to be observed. 
Field Trip P.W Akkerman Den Haag @sbrebrown
Field Trip P.W Akkerman Den Haag @sbrebrown
YESPLEASE.
Field Trip P.W Akkerman Den Haag @sbrebrown
While he was looking elsewhere, IT WAS SPOTTED. By me. "WHAT IS THAT PEN?" SHOWMESHOWMESHOWME.
This is it: The SBRE Brown Grail Pen - a Visconti Opera Master Demo. At first we just looked at it and touched it. Pet it lovingly. We both knew it was over when the gentleman said "it's a double broad". He asked if we wanted to try it. I said "don't let me try it. Don't let me try it. If I try it, we're leaving with it."
Field Trip P.W Akkerman Den Haag @sbrebrown
Field Trip P.W Akkerman Den Haag @sbrebrown
That's the end. We left with it. We were also able to pick an ink - obviously I picked P.W Akkerman Shocking Blue, and we were also given two adorable ink cloths. The pen was gift wrapped, which was torture because it couldn't be looked at until we got home. 
Field Trip: P.W Akkerman Den Haag @sbrebrown
Field Trip: P.W Akkerman Den Haag @sbrebrown
Field Trip: P.W Akkerman Den Haag @sbrebrown

26 comments:

Tanja said...

I'm only a tiny ball of green envy right now. Only a tiny one...

pajhurley said...

Azizah, what a wonderful journey - and destination.
Much as I would love to have a pen shop as beautiful and amazingly stocked as P.W. Akkerman close to where I live, I know that it would be extremely difficult to not spend a significant amount of my time and savings there.
Thanks so much documenting where Stephen acquired his grail pen.
(and I completely agree with your selection of Shocking Blue - that is my next purchase of Akkerman ink).

William Eagleburger said...

I spied the Pelikan 101N green tortoise.

Eva Yaa Asantewaa said...

You two are so adorable! And what a store!

SheilaM said...

Thanks for sharing your trip with us! And I have to say - you two look so happy it's positively contagious. I'm grinning back from 5000 miles away! And somehow I don't think that has much of anything to do with Akkerman or Viscontis. Or even Pelikans. (Though perhaps that last is debatable.)

NoFuture NoHope said...

ACH!!!

Parsifals said...

Looks fabulous. Hope you stopped for a broodtje met paling or had a herring enroute.

Silami said...

I visited PW Akkerman recently! (I'm from the north, Friesland) I was in Den Haag for something else, but couldn't resist going to the store. And as much as I had promised myself not to buy anything, I just was not able to leave the store with at least a Leuchtturm notebook and bottle of ink.

klalaf said...

Azizah, what a wonderful place! What is your favourite Graf von Faber-Castell pen of the year? 90th anniversary Montblanc nice, i think about getting the classic but never tried one bevor and i have a montblanc collection :(.

Matt Armstrong said...

Gah! The discontinued Caran d"Ache! Let's see...when can I make another trip to the Netherlands...

Pascal Leers said...

Ah, that's my country. You are very much welcome here.

Pascal Leers said...

This must be what fountain pen heaven looks like. I'm starting to save money now,and go there next summer.

Azizah Asgarali said...

Just a tiny one? I'm a huge one because I covet his grail pen.

Azizah Asgarali said...

It's dangerous. DEFINITELY. I want to go back immediately and "look for" a pen that I just may fall in love with. You know, casually. Just in case. Shocking Blue is exquisite, too - a perfect match for the pen!

Azizah Asgarali said...

Take all the monies :)

Azizah Asgarali said...

If there's any you really want, I can always pick them up and send them to you...

Azizah Asgarali said...

I have no idea - those are always out of my price range :)

Azizah Asgarali said...

That's a perfectly healthy and reasonable haul. You have some serious self control :) Which ink did you pick up?

Azizah Asgarali said...

HAHA! Oh no... I'm not THAT braving... one day maybe :)

Azizah Asgarali said...

*HUG* Thank you my dear! We are happy :) The Viscontis and Pelikans don't hurt.... and I wouldn't say no to them...

Azizah Asgarali said...

Thank you :) Isn't it amazing??

Azizah Asgarali said...

YES! I rather liked it - more than the red one.

Silami said...

I still wanted a brown ink, so I chose Akkerman Bekakt Haags. I'm not really an ink hoarder(yet), so I don't have any other browns to compare it to, but it's a nice warm dark brown that reminds me of coffee and chocolate, which is just what I was looking for!

Winnie Dolderer said...

Sounds like a perfect day! I just discovered the Fountain Pen Hospital in Manhattan (never went before) and went last week with the thought of picking up ink…..A Sailor and a Kaweco came home with me (both firsts for me) and a bottle of Azalea Iro! Fun day!

John Taylor said...

SO many pens, so little monies :-(. Well window shopping is better than nothing.

John Taylor said...

I wish when I was back in the Netherlands in the early 90's that I had a love for fountain pens back then! It is such a beautiful country you can help but miss it. Assizes you and Stephen look so happy together! I know it always makes me smile when I see you both doing a video together.

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