Truphae Brick & Mortar Grand Opening
By Chris Henline
Those who know me know that I'm quite the dreamer - but never in my wildest dreams would I have imagined a Truphae storefront in downtown Greenville, SC, fully stocked with the finest of fountain pens and ink. Complimented by the huge support of brand distributors and our faithful customers, our leap to brick and mortar turned into one of the most epic weekends I’ve ever had!
How did we end up here!?
As a long-time proponent for online retail, I was a die-hard believer that the Internet was the only place for Truphae.
As a bit of an introvert, this just made sense to me! We began Truphae in 2016, working solely out of our apartment, fulfilling orders from our kitchen table. I always wanted to focus on being easy to deal with, and on trying to provide as good of customer services as I could.
Thankfully, I believe this helped to grow our business tremendously over the course of 3 years – to the point that we were no longer able to house our inventory.
Something had to give - you can only live for so long with pen boxes in your bathroom, kitchen and dining room!
With the closing of several fountain pen retailers in our areas of Greenville, Charlotte, Atlanta, and more, it felt like there was a need for a place where people could come test out any pen they please. It would be a great way for us to finally meet the people that we electronically corresponded with for so long.
I could know people by their face instead of their Instagram username now! So what began as a storage issue and a lack of workspace blossomed into so much more.
September 21st, 2019
Launching the thINK Initiative
If you’re like me, you’re a bit peeved that kids are no longer taught to write in cursive.
In a world overloaded with technology, it feels like they’re barely taught to write at all! However, there is a huge shift happening in the fountain pen demographic.
In an industry that the general populous would view as a washed-up has-been, we’re seeing Millennials grow more and more fond of fine writing instruments. I think it's a reprieve from the technology that's shoved in our faces at every waking moment.
We want to do our part in fostering this creativity, so we are launching the thINK Initiative!
For every purchase made in-store (big or small!), or on our website, we will donate a beginner fountain pen to a creative writing program, art institute or school.
We have begun taking applications to receive these fountain pens, so if you know anyone that works closely with young people in this capacity, please feel free to reach out and we will work on getting some free fountain pens to you!
What’s next?
If you thought this was the end of the festivities planned for our brick and mortar location, think again! We plan to do brand events every few weekends, with some already in the works.
We plan to host events with David Oscarson, LAMY, Pilot, and Visconti within the next 4 months. We also plan to work with a local calligrapher to offer periodical lettering classes through her Sip & Script affiliation. Be sure to subscribe to our newsletter to find out when these events will be held.
In conclusion, we want to extend a heartfelt thank you to our amazing supporters and customers – you are all like friends to us, and I hope that we can repay this amazing fountain pen community through our continued involvement in bringing unique experiences to both our online and in-store supporters.
Thank you all! See below for more photos!
Hello, I just bought a Pelikan M200, Star Ruby Red Fountain Pen on the bay. I never knew about Thuphae, before I rec’d my pen a few minutes ago along with a Nice letter from Raegan @ Truphae. I am now going to start focusing my purchases here, Because they care so much! I am the President of the New Mexico Pen Collector’s Club, and 11-23-19 is our next meeting. You can bet I am going to promote , promote, promote!
Chris, great to meet you and your family. Having visited a number of pen stores over the years I was impressed with what you guys have done. You have a diverse pen and ink inventory, top quality and ancillary products. We are fortunate to have you and your business in Greenville. Thanks very much for your time to introduce me to all your products, services and current industry product knowledge.
Sounds like your store opening was a big success. Wish I could have been there. Oh well . . . Just for my incredible box. Thanks for putting the vials of ink in a baggy. One of them had a slight leak. I’m glad also that you put more ink in the tubes. Once I was able to clean them off, my fingers were, I must say, very colorful. I’ve been looking for a way to store the tubes but so far my boxes are either to high or too short. You need to look into a solution.
Glad that you have opened a store. All success and prosperity to you and to TRUPHAE!
Well Chris, it was a big fun day for my wife and I. We drove in from Aiken and met some really interesting pen experts. Thanks for hosting a great grand opening. I’ve never been to a dedicated pen store, and new firsts in life are always fun.
We purchased a new Waldmann while there and it’s a real beauty! Happy to have it, and we hope the best for your new store, and what a location. You’re right there in the midst of all those downtown executives who need nice pens. Carry on. See you next time we’re in the neighborhood.
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