Knight’s Writing Moves To Ottawa!

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In mid-2020 we decided that it was time to make the move to Ottawa to be closer to family. The implications of this were quite dramatic because not only did it mean moving houses and our lives to another city, but also our business. 

Ling and I have been running Cool Chess Canada since 2010 and Knight’s Writing Company since 2015 and so we didn’t just have to move furniture, we also had to figure a way to move stock, packaging material, boxes (oh lots of boxes) and our office and workspace. 

Well. We’re here now! And Ottawa already feels like home!

I mentioned to various people that we intended to close Cool Chess Canada in order to concentrate on growing the fountain pen business.

Chess sales were amazing during Christmas thanks to The Queen’s Gambit and stock was reduced significantly. That helped with the move!

COVID-19 has had a huge impact on the chess business and ordering stock and bringing it into Canada over the last year has been impossible.

Our decision to slowly close down Cool Chess was confirmed for us. Serendipity for Knight’s Writing.

So what does a move to Ottawa and the closing of one online store mean for us? Well, for one thing we’re hoping to grow in a number of different directions.

We would love to increase the number of brands we carry and have more focus on social media. We’ve been too thinly spread to do a great job of interacting with our customers.

We REALLY need to change that.

We’ve had a lot of ideas. More FB and IG posts, more blog articles, maybe videos and podcasts. Our customers and our relationship with them has always been the most important part of the equation for us and we need to do better.

Our relationship with manufacturers and distributors also enables us to move into the ballpoint, roller ball and pencil market. We haven’t done this before but it feels like the time is right.

We will likely create another website for this rather than add them to Knight’s Writing where fountain pens are King. We will be sure to tell you more about this soon.

Many customers have asked if we will finally open a brick-and-mortar store. The answer is… not yet, but we have been talking about how we might be able to make this happen, whether we should make this happen, and when we should make this happen.

Above all else, we feel excited about the rest of this year and being close to Ottawa. It’s a breath of fresh air that we hope will be reflected at Knight’s Writing Company.

We still want to hear from you...

Let us know what pens and inks you want us to stock. What paper and notebooks we are missing. What other products would you like us to carry.

Let us know what social media platforms you prefer and how you would like to hear from us.

If you need help with an inky problem let us know and we can share the answer with others.

And keep an eye on Knight’s Writing Company and our Facebook Page for updates as we head into Spring and we finally settle down in our new home…

12 thoughts on “Knight’s Writing Moves To Ottawa!”

  1. I am so glad I found your online company. It has started me on my fountain pen and writing journey.

    Keep doing what you are doing, you have a fantastic business and are so approachable and knowledgeable.

    You obviously own the keys to your future success, keep going!.

    Looking forward to seeing your new and improved version of what is already a great shopping experience.

    Sincerely,
    Lyn Roche

  2. A bricks and mortar pen store in Ottawa would be fantastic if you ever decide to open one. There is so little chance to see pens here before you buy.

    Dave

  3. Welcome to Ottawa, Graeme, Ling, and Sammi!
    I don’t expect you to remember my phone call but you helped me arrange the gift of a black Waterman Hemisphere pen as a thank you for a friend. The gift was a success. I so appreciated your help and have been remiss in following up to let you know that it worked out very well indeed.
    I do want to speak with you regarding a small order. Does the company have a new telephone number?
    Again, congratulations and welcome to you all! 🙂

    Cheers,
    Holly Larocque

    • Hi Holly! I remember you VERY well and in fact I’ve been thinking of you recently as we are in DIRE need to update our Parker and Waterman catalogue of pens! We’re working on that as we speak!

      I’m pretty sure you actually did email me to let me know everything went well 🙂

      Same phone number – 416-705-5168. It’s difficult to pick up sometimes but leave a message if I don’t pick up and I’ll call you back.

  4. Welcome to Ottawa
    I had the privilege of meeting you at the Scriptus Pen Show in Toronto 2018. I purchased items from you there and from your online store. It will be great to have you in the capital. A brick and mortar store would be welcome.

    Stanley

    • Stanley, THANK YOU so much for your kind words! I think when we’re settled – which will be soon – we’re going to put a lot of energy into trying to be a much better resource for our customers!

  5. Welcome to Ottawa! A fine town… I recognize that a brick-and-mortar store is a huge and risky investment. Would it be possible to consider another alternative? Many of us need to hold a pen before buying it. We have 2 other pens shops here (Paper Papier and The Papery) and a few options at Staples and Indigo. Would it be possible to have a small corner in your warehouse where you would have pens as demos where we could set up an appointment to talk to you and try pens not available in Ottawa before buying them? Just a thought…

  6. Hello Graeme and Ling! Congratulations on your new move to Ottawa and all your new ideas! I have really enjoyed your line of products and Inks in the past and shall always, now, begin to order as you unpack!
    With many Best Wishes that help you totally enjoy your new home and direction of Knights Writing Company! Your site online has been very professional looking and you offer so many outstanding products like your J.Herbin Inks…..be ready to be sold out! Congratulations!

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