Upstate store celebrating Fountain Pen Day

GREENVILLE, S.C. (FOX Carolina) - Every day you can find something fun to celebrate-- whether it’s National Ice Cream Day or National Disney Day. Friday, you can celebrate the 11th annual Fountain Pen Day.

The ink-credible day is celebrated the first Friday of November, after pen was put to paper and made it official back in 2012.

“Any time somebody tries a fountain pen they never want to go back to a ballpoint,” said Chris Henline, owner of fountain pen store Truphae.

Cary Yeager is affectionately known as Mr. Fountain Pen Day. The New Yorker quietly lobbied for the day for years, making it a reality over a decade ago.

“The idea is that you will bring your favorite fountain pen to work and reveal yourself to your coworkers as a fountain pen nerd,” Yeager explained.

The fountain pen was created back in the 1850s and unlike ballpoints, it uses 100% pure ink.

“A fountain pen does change the way you write,” Yeager said. “It’s just more fluid and flowing and the nib is a different size. It’s not just a round ball, it allows you to have more expression when you’re writing and show feeling.”

If you’re interested in fountain pens, you won’t have to go far to try your hand at one.

“We wanted to start a store here locally because we lived here and because it was a really great location between Charlotte and Atlanta,” Henline added.

Located in downtown Greenville near the Falls, you’ll find Truphae-- it’s Greek for luxury.

While the store is in the Upstate, their clients are worldwide.

“Every day it’s cool to think of a guy in Singapore waiting for a package to arrive from us,” Henline mentioned.

Fountain pens can start as affordable as $30 or cost you a pretty penny like $1 million. Truphae carries a $60,000 gold Game of Thrones pen.

“I view it a lot as like a collectable kind of thing,” Henline said. “If you look at comic bookstores or vinyl records anything like that, it’s got that same kind of clientele that’s found their niche.”

While the fountain pen used to only be popular with an older crowd, those in the industry say a lot of millenials are showing interest.

“During the last couple of years, it’s exploded because people are starting to want to write their own history,” Yeager explained.

Mr. Fountain Pen Day says in a digital world, people are wanting to find a little analog-- creating something more personal for others.

“If you write in a fountain pen, somebody that really knows you can see where your mood is-- whether you’re happy, whether you’re sad, or angry and it’s just in the stroke that you do,” Yeager said.

Truphae also offers a monthly subscription box ranging in price from $12- $100, selling to all 50 states and now nearly every country.

“It’s a pen that will last forever, but you do have to change the ink out,” Henline mentioned.

Henline says that can actually be the fun part.

“We have over a thousand colors of ink, so you can choose from any color you can imagine as well,” Henline said.

The owner says one man drove all the way from Chicago just to shop in person.

“You just have to try it. Come in and we will give you a tester and you will never write with a bic the same way,” Henline joked.

Introducing people to the fountain pen, one customer at a time.

If you want to grab a pen of your own, Truphae is offering discounts and free ink for Fountain Pen Day. To find more information, click here.

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