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Anyone who has strolled along 17th Avenue S.W. over the past 40 years is familiar with the big sign over the door of No. 710 that simply says: Reid’s.

Many have gone through the doors to enter a shop with a huge inventory of greeting cards, party supplies, giftware and, at the back, an Aladdin’s cave of writing instruments, journals and stationery.

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Founded as Reid’s Stationery in 1984 by John and Moira Reid, the history goes back even further to the 1930s when Moira’s father, James Lewis, started Lewis Stationery.

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It was a family firm then and Reid’s certainly still is. Both John and Moira have passed away, but today the company is owned and operated by their children — Maureen, Lauchlan and Fiona who work in the store, and sister Shauna.

Covering 6,000 square feet, the store has morphed into much more than a place to find quality stationery. Maureen says the many challenges they have had to face over the years have meant keeping ahead of the trends of what people want. You “have to have a feel for what your customer base is looking for,” she says. “Sticking to what we do best, but offering new items as needs change.”

Greeting cards have become a huge part of its business, with many customers rushing to the front of the store to search through a vast selection. Further into the space is where small giftwares are on display, along with barware such as shot glasses, wine glasses and cocktail shakers. There are party supplies, including helium balloons, banners and wrapping paper. Even a section dedicated to men’s gifts, and another to kids’ toys and lots of puzzles.

Toward the rear of the store is where around 60 per cent of the business is done in writing instruments and quality stationery items, such as notebooks, thank-you and other note cards.

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Maureen says there was a period when the media was forecasting the end of writing but that only caused a hiccup. In answer to the year when a huge drop in the number of written Christmas cards was forewarned, the following year Reid’s sold a record number of boxed cards.

Cards need writing, and that’s where Reid’s shines as the largest pen and ink store in Western Canada.

The brands and styles are wide ranging. Reid’s website has 43 pages of fountain pens, ballpoints, rollerballs, inks in a variety of colours, mechanical pencils and even a selection of pencil sharpeners for those who still prefer the good old wooden ones.

A Japanese fountain pen is priced at $7, but a choice of superior writing instruments is available from the very popular Lamy Safari series retailing around $38, to classics from major manufacturers such as Montblanc, Faber-Castell and Caran d’Ache that surpass $1,000 in value.

Some of these are collectible, especially the limited editions from Montblanc paying homage to people such as John Lennon, Marilyn Monroe, Agatha Christie and Enzo Ferrari. They are limited not only in numbers but also quantity to retailers, so Reid’s may only get one or two of each new edition; which means they are often snapped up quickly. And naturally, their value increases over time.

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Despite the fact that schools are not teaching the magical feel of producing the handwritten word — versus the tapping of modern devices and use of emojis instead of words — writing instruments have never lost their appeal. The fountain pen market in 2022 reached US$956 million, and is expected to increase though more than 50 pen manufacturers in the world.

Good inks also need good paper. Reid’s carries a wide range of papers in single sheets, but the best sellers continue to be notebooks and journals.

There is competition from big box stores, but Reid’s is a “cool” store where the 10 staff are knowledgeable and passionate about the products they sell, and are happy to converse with customers.

Notes:

Stacy Yanchuk Oleksy has been appointed as CEO of Money Mentors, the Alberta-based, non-profit credit counselling agency. Previous to her new position, Oleksy served as CEO of Credit Counselling Canada, the national association for non-profit credit counselling agencies.

David Parker appears regularly in the Herald. Read his columns online at calgaryherald.com/business. He can be reached at 403-830-4622.

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