The Writing Desk
When was your website launched? Our passion for all things pen and stationery related, together with our frustration at not being able to buy coloured ink led us to think that there must be a business opportunity for us. We had seen J Herbin ink in France and we were determined to make it available in the UK, which we did.
We were keen to stock Conway Stewart pens as the company had recently been re-born so Conway Stewart was one of our first pen brands. Therefore, when we launched towards the end of 2000, we had what was one of the first on-line pen shops in the UK and probably the first to offer a range of fountain pen inks.
Initially we had only 2 or 3 new pen brands (including Conway Stewart) and a similar number of ink brands but having J Herbin inks in our catalogue already meant that we had a much greater offering than our competitors (of which there were very few). In addition to new pens, we had a good selection of vintage pens but this represents only a small part of our 
business now. Over the years we have expanded in a very steady and controlled way and we now have a wide range of very carefully selected pens, inks, refills, stationery and writing accessories.
We pride ourselves in being fountain pen specialists. We believe that a fountain pen is a specialist writing instrument and we are happy to help our customers choose the pen that is right for them. When a customer buys a premium quality pen like a Conway Stewart they want to ensure that it will write perfectly as soon as it is filled with ink. Therefore we thoroughly test each one and make any adjustments necessary to meet the customer's requirements.
We have kept to our roots and maintain the largest selection of fountain pen ink in the UK including brands like Rohrer and Klingner, Noodler's and Private Reserve that we import directly and are not widely distributed.
How many staff do you have? Just the two of us and that's the way we like it! However, our children often help with checking deliveries and they even came to a pen show with us recently!
Are the owners/staff at The Writing Desk passionate pen collectors? We are most definitely passionate about pens and we wouldn't do what we do if we weren't. In fact, it was an unrestored 
vintage Conway Stewart Dinkie that Anna was given by a Great Aunt that started our interest in vintage pens. Although we had both used fountain pens since we were at school, this pen opened us to the world of vintage pens, pen restoration and collection.
Of the two of us, Martin is the bigger “collector” although I don't really describe myself as such. Amongst my favourite pens is a Conway Stewart Duro that was a 40th birthday gift from Anna.
Martin is also on the Council of the Writing Equipment Society as Membership Secretary. The WES is one of the leading clubs for collectors of pens and other writing equipment and publishes the world-renowned Journal. Conway Stewart is a Corporate Member of the Society.
How much do you depend on the internet for sales?Almost 100%. Although we do not have a traditional shop we do have customers call by appointment to view and collect pens. As well as our office, we have a small showroom set up that enables customers to sit in comfort and try out pens.
Has the internet changed the way you deal with customers /email communication rather than customers walking in? It hasn't changed the way we deal with customers as The Writing Desk exists because of the internet. However, we are aware of how different the experience of buying a pen on-line is as compared with walking into a shop we therefore try to give that same experience by giving good advice via e-mail or telephone and backing that up with first-class customer service.
Any other facts/stories you wish to share? Did we mention that we are celebrating our 10th anniversary this year? To mark this important milestone, we are giving away a Conway Stewart Belliver limited edition fountain pen, serial number 10. More details of how to win this pen can be read in our forthcoming July e-newsletter or on our page on Facebook.
The Writing Desk
Suffolk, England