L.A.’s Fountain Pen Shop
By Bob Tefft

Reproduced with permission from Pen World
Winter 1988-89, Vol.2, No. 2, pages 12-15

The original shop in 1926

The central core of Los Angeles* is not a place where one would go looking for history or elegance. It is a jumble of sheer steel and tinted glass, land of the “power lunch,” home of the “leveraged buy-out.” Along the pavement, merchants hawk eve­rything from electronics to narcotics, in a dozen different languages, and the Reverend Barney takes an occasional sip from his bottle of Tokay as he carries on his boisterous and non-stop conversation with God. This is a city lurching out of its adolescence and careening simultaneously toward splen­dor and depravity, and amidst the buses and jackhammers, the gentle scratch oft a gold nib seems hardly more than the distant echo of some long-vanished civilization.

Yet here, incongruously hidden among the trappings of our modern throw-­away culture, are the remarkable Fountain Pen Shop, and its owners, Mr. Fred Krinke. Though its location on the eighth floor of an aging office building in the heart of the city, the Fountain Pen Shop stands apart. Passing through the door transports the collector out 1988 and into a wonderful realm where the Golden Age of pens is still very much alive. Here, the furor over the radical filling mechanism of the Vacumatic pens is as palpable as the excite­ment over the Centennial Duofold. The walls still rings with the stir created the 51's hooded nib, and the impact of Sheaffer’s introductions of its “streamlined” styles can still be felt. The collector is confronted with an isolated Waterman here and an Eversharp there, but with the entire history of the American fountain pen and intact and vital. Here, past and present blend into such a seamless continuum that, after an hour or so, one would not be surprised to see George S. Parker himself appear, withdrawing an Aztec from his coat and asking, "Fred, the nib on this has gotten a bit scratchy - can you smooth it up for me?”

During the years that followed World War I, Los Angeles was becoming a major metropolitan area as well as the home of the burgeoning movie industry. Though the fountain pen was the major writing instrument of the day, customers in California had to send their pens east for repairs and wait one or two months for their return. Seeing a need and an opportunity, John Froehlich and Fred Heinzman left their jobs with Mabie-Todd Company in New York, and in 1922 opened the Angelus Pen Hospital at the corner of Sixth and Spring Streets. Mr. Froehlich had previously been a shop foreman for Swan, overseeing the grinding and repair of gold nibs, and Mr. Heinzman had been factory supervisor, so both were very knowledgeable in the construction and repair of fountain pens. Mabie-Todd, al­though sorry to lose two valued employees, supported the new venture by providing a supply of parts. In short order, the shop became a franchised dealer and repair shop for Parker, Sheaffer, Waterman, Wahl and Cross, as well. The only aspect of the opera­tion which proved notably unsuccessful was the name. After a year or so of receiving too many phone calls inquiring after sick relatives, the firm was renamed The Fountain Pen Shop.

During she 1920's and 30's. business flourished, and the shop's clientele included such celebrated personalities as Irene Dunne, Rudy Valle, and Rudolph Valentino. The store's centerpiece was an enormous display case, which exhibited thousands of the large, colorful plastic pens of the period. The counter was manned by several enthusiastic salesmen, who attired in vest, tie, and starched white shirt were always ready to assist the customer with his selection or to discuss the merits of a particu­lar brand or model. To one side, but in full view, were the repairmen’s benches, piled high with parts, jigs, pliers, shellac, and the ever-lit Bunsen burner. A simple "tune-up," consisting of disassembling and inspecting a pen, changing the ink sac, and adjusting and smoothing the nib, could be performed in minutes while the client looked on. Custom­ers greatly appreciated being able to have their favorite pen put right almost without it leaving their hands. The Fountain Pen Shop also operated a pick-up and delivery service, collecting pens from larger office buildings and businesses, and those which had been left for repair at stationery stores, druggists, and jewelers, and other locations across the city. The instruments would be refurbished and returned on the following morning. Initially, this service was provided by bicycle, but it proved so popular that an automobile was soon needed.

Because of its location near the County and Federal Courthouses, the shop did a good deal of business with the small army of court reporters who transcribed, in hand-written shorthand, all of the proceed­ings. These customers preferred a long, thin pen, which was held very lightly in the hand to reduce fatigue, and favored eye dropper­ fillers because they offered greater ink ca­pacity than a self-filling pen of comparable size. The court reporter would begin the workday with a large handful of pens, all filled and ready to write. As each was emp­tied it would be set aside, and another imme­diately taken up in its place. Naturally, with so many pens in constant use, the need for repairs was frequent, a situation which Mr. Froehlich and Mr. Heinzman found altogether agreeable. For a time, The Fountain Pen Shop even manufactured and sold a simple black hard rubber pen especially for use in the courtroom. This was, appropriately enough, named "The Reporter," and one of them remains on display in the shop to this day.

The Depression was less difficult for The Fountain Pen Shop than for many other businesses. A working fountain pen was an absolute necessity, both for businesses and for the average man. While the economic downturn did result in a dwin­dling in the sale of new pens, this simply meant an increase in the number of repair orders. The repair service, however, was most severely taxed during World War II, when the production of new pens was dras­tically limited because of the diversion of critical materials and manufacturing facili­ties to the war effort. Even pen parts were in short supply, and often had to be manufac­tured in the shop. During this period, the business employed up to eight repairmen, working ten to twelve hours a day, six days a week, to keep pace with the demand.

Although The Fountain Shop has survived the past sixty-six years in fine style, the old building at Sixth and Spring has not. The original home of the business was demolished in 1957, prompting a move to the present location. Happily, the wisdom and foresight of the owners resulted in the preservation of a treasure of old catalogs, display pieces, and pen parts which could easily have been discarded. Today, the shop is the only full-service fountain pen store between San Francisco and the Mexican border, a geographic area with a population of some 15 million souls.

Mr. Fred Krinke, the present owner, is the grandson of founder John Froehlich. Fred began working at the shop in 1945 and became proprietor on the retirement of his father, Fred Krinke, Sr. In response to the question of how he first became interested in fountain pens, he responds that "It was either work or starve," but this answer hardly indicates the degree of commitment or the amount of effort that Fred has devoted to furthering the cause of pen collecting in Southern Cali­fornia. Several years ago, when the Pen Fancier's Club was attempting to establish a nationwide network of local chapters, Fred was the president of the Los Angeles club. Although that effort gradually withered, Fred's interest did not, and since the inception, in 1986, of the Southern California Pen Collectors' Club, he has been the organization's unofficial godfather. Fred has volunteered his time to teach several Pen Repair Seminars, an especially generous gesture in light of the fact that he is teaching us to do repairs that might otherwise add to his business. He has donated to the SCPCC Reference Library over a hundred pen company catalogs, and has trusted us even with the irreplaceable originals to ensure the best possible copy quality. Currently, Fred is serving on the club's Board of Directors, helping to plan and direct the club's future activities. He has shared with us his huge stock of pen parts and his great fund of knowledge, both historical and practical, and spends hours and hours identifying old pens, giving advice, and simply talking with the many collectors who regularly drop by his shop. Most important, he has been a real friend and a support to organized pen col­lecting in this area.

For lovers of vintage writing equip­ment, a trip to Fred's shop is pure pleasure -- an experience to be eagerly awaited and savored in anticipation, and more than a few casual neophytes have been converted to full-fledged, raging collectors by a single visit. Though I have made the pilgrimage many times over the past few years, my reaction upon stepping through the front door is still a small, involuntary gasp. Confronted with literally thousands of pens, both new and antique, the mind needs a minute or two to collect itself. To the left, next to the doorway, is a floor display case filled with six dozen or so Sheaffer pens. All are large Lifetime models, and virtually every style and color combination from the 20s and 30s is represented. 

After a moment or two, one begins to realize that there are no darkened barrels or ink-stained caps in this case -- all of these pens are mint! Just beyond stands another floor display case, this one filled to overflowing with all variety of gold and silver overlay pens. Some of the more unusual items include a Sterling filigree Swan trench pen (complete with a supply of ink pellets) and a rather large Parker click-filler with gold-filled filigree. To the right, nearly covering an entire wall, stands a glass-fronted bookcase that is completely filled with vin­tage fountain pens. The ornate and unique pieces in this display are guaranteed to quicken the pulse of any collector, no matter how advanced or how worldly. One might notice the Parker 46 eyedropper, with its beautiful pearl-covered barrel and ornate gold-filled taper cap, a Wahl-Eversharp Coronet with red Pyralin inserts, a Parker Spanish Galleon 75, and a Swan model 48 in red hard rubber. My own favorites are the Watermans -- a Sterling straight holder model 404 in the Golph pattern, a rare Sterling "Tree Trunk" pen, a model 18 PSF, and a magnificent red and black mottled pump filler in the number 18 size. Also fascinating are the many transparent "demonstrators," designed to allow dealers to show potential customers the mechanics of the pens inner workings as a selling point. 

Piled atop the bookcase, and reaching almost to the ceiling, are store displays for Parker Vacumatics and Challengers. These, of course, are still filled with the proper assortment of pens, all mint and unsold. Beyond the bookcase, along the right wall of the shop, are two additional pen display cases, one filled with a full collection of all of the Parker Duofold Seniors, as well as an interesting display of some twenty or so imitators of the "Big Red". The other case holds especially old or unique items, including dip pens and early sliding mechanical pencils. Several of the pens in this display were the personal writing instru­ments of celebrities or important historical figures. Land baron E. J. "Lucky" Baldwin (for whom the community of Baldwin Hills is named) wrote with a Pelican pen and pencil set. The personal writing instrument of Leland Stanford, Jr., president of Union Pacific Railroad and benefactor of the well­-known university, was a Waterman Sterling model 442 Safety Pen in the hand-engraved vine pattern.

These fabulous old pens are part of Fred's private collection, and are not, despite much begging and pleading on my part, for sale (Fred is generous, but he's not nuts). Luckily, the far end of the shop is filled with a complete and impressive selection of all of the major modern lines, including Parker, Waterman, Sheaffer, Dupont, Dunhill, Cross, Omas, Yafa, Mont Blanc, and Pelican. Not only do these modern, quality pens add a sense of completeness to the collection of vintage writing instruments, but their sale and service also perform the important func­tion of enabling Fred and his family to put food on the table. Antique pen enthusiasts who have not been into a full-service writing instruments shop in a while might be amazed at the beauty and fine workmanship of some of these newer items. The Parker Centennial Duofold, the Waterman L'Opera series, the Pelican Toledo, and the Sheaffer Imperials are certainly on a par, in terms of materials and workmanship, with their predecessors, and the top of the line models, such as the solid gold Parker Premier or the gold Diplo­mat, are absolutely dazzling.

In addition to sales, the Fountain Pen Shop continues to run a complete repair service. The workbenches are no longer in full view of the customers, but are just as cluttered as ever. Pens are brought in to be fixed from all over Southern California, and are received by mail from throughout the U.S. and overseas. Restoration of vintage pens is especially challenging, as parts are difficult to locate, and the damages wrought by time and neglect may be extensive. With the resurging appreciation of both antique and modern fountain pens, the volume of repair work has increased to the point that Fred has found it necessary to again take on a full-time repairman to help him keep pace.

Perhaps the best descriptions of the Fountain Pen Shop, however, come from those who have been associated with the shop since its early days. Mr. Al Dahlstrom, owner of Dahlstrom's Stationers, and a competitor during most of the past sixty-six years, recalls the founders of the Angelus Pen Hospital with obvious respect and affection. "Lee" Shaefer, who worked at the Fountain Pen Shop during the 20s and 30s, remembers how the owners and the employees would gather almost every Sunday for outdoor games and picnics, and recalls that "we were just like a family in those days." Campbell Holmes, a customer of the Foun­tain Pen Shop since 1929, has written that the store was "an adventure (which) would delight the heart of any pen fancier."

I can only add, "It still is!"

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* In April 1999, The Fountain Pen Shop moved to its present location in Monrovia, California.

Also check out the article about The Fountain Pen Shop in Monrovia Weekly.

© 2000-2004, The Fountain Pen Shop, Inc.