Fountain Pens in The Netherlands
Hi. My name is Anabelle. And you have found yourself on my blog reading about fountain pens in the Netherlands. Maybe you recently read an article about my work in the NRC or AD newspapers and got curious, or maybe you like fountain pens and are visiting the Netherlands for a while. Either way, I am here to give you a little introduction into the Dutch pen world.
Chapter 1: Pen Shops
We are very lucky to have a good amount of pen shops in our tiny country, and most of them carry far more than 12-year-old me could have ever dared dream of. First of all, if you ever want to find pen shops in an area that you are in: https://ineedapenstore.com/ is a very nifty tool. Just type in your location and you’ll see whatever is around.
Here are a few physical stores to visit:
Appelboom Pennen in Laren - I’ve been here countless times due to my employment there
Akkerman Den Haag, located in the lovely Passage. They have their very own inks, too!
Fontoplumo in Delft - They have their own exclusive Sailor inks! And a dog!
Akkerman Amsterdam - not related to the above Akkerman
De Groen in Wassennaar
De Vulpenwereld in Groningen
A special shout-out to my favourite shop across the border and perhaps my favourite pen shop anywhere:
Sakura Pen Gallery in Diest, Belgium. Especially if you appreciate japanese writing instruments, this is the place to visit. (And there is good reason to appreciate Japanese fountain pens.)
Popular online stores include:
Dutch Pen Show 2019. Credit: pencilcaseblog
Chapter 2: The Dutch Pen Show
You might have heard of them before, but there are pen shows all over the world. Especially in the US, you could be on the road all year trying to make it to every single one. Here in the Netherlands we also have one:
The Dutch Pen Show
It is held (at least the first few ones were) at the Van Der Valk Hotel Utrecht.
The 2025 show will be the first to run for two days instead of one. This lends itself to what pen people refer to as “pen show after dark”, where you can meet vendors and pen enthusiasts once the main hall closes. People hang out at the bar, typically still with pen cases in hand, and the chatter continues until way after dark.
Shows attract both local and international vendors and are a fantastic opportunity to meet like-minded people, so if you are at all curious, check out the Dutch Pen Show website and stay op to date with their social media:
https://www.instagram.com/dutchpenshow/
https://www.facebook.com/Dutchpenshow/
Chapter 3: Commmunity
Beyond a job, a reasonably sized pen collection and ink stains all over my apartment I don’t care to address until my landlady mentions it, fountain pens have also given me this. A community. Some of my very closest friends that, in my normal life, I would have never had the opportunity to meet, came into my life through this shared appreciation for the tactile, analogue writing tool. From hairdressers in Arizona to chemical engineers in Eindhoven to doctors and astronauts and primary school teachers and retirees and students.
There are facebook groups, discord servers, twitch streamer communities and online fourms. A good opportunity to meet such fellow enthusiasts locally is the Netherlands Pen Club. The pen club connects on discord and holds (roughly) monthly in-person events, often including excursions to pen shops, work shops, presentations or just casual gatherings to sit and talk and share.
https://www.instagram.com/netherlandspenclub/
It's the people behind the pens. Their relatable ability to get lost in the medium, appreciate craftsmanship, and value their own time with their own thoughts has made me feel so comfortable to live and work in this world. Pen people are good people.
And there is a good chance they will swap ink samples with you, too.
