Wonder Pens

As a former middle school teacher, Liz Chan has always had a thing for stationary. After ordering writing accessories online for a number of years she built up a large collection of specialty pens and inks.

During a trip to New York, Liz’s husband Jon Chan bought her a special fountain pen and it struck them that there wasn’t really a retail space for specialty pens in Toronto. The couple decided to remedy the gap in the market; launching their Wonder Pens business online at first and then opening a bricks-and-mortar store about six months later in July 2013.

Situated along a tree-lined stretch of Dundas West, the intimate stationary boutique is a welcome addition the neighbourhood. The tight-knit community of artists and writers is very supportive of the shop. In addition to its local fans, Wonder Pens also attracts fountain pen collectors and stationary aficionados from across the GTA.

Alongside the diverse selection of hard-to-find specialty pens, Wonder Pens carries coloured ink in cartridges and bottles, and a variety of paper products including notebooks and agendas “Paper is an important thing to consider when you’re buying a nice pen,” explains Jon. “It’s good to get fountain pen friendly paper that doesn’t absorb the ink too much.”