Hamilton Road Area Business Association

Peel Pen is a family business with the same roots as its owners John and Dolores Culmer. John and the business originated in Montreal, Quebec. His parents Yvette and Charles Culmer opened the original business - Culmer Pens in 1954. As family business’ goes, this was the training ground for John for 25 years. His mom, who was French, carried on in the business long after his dad passed away. She retired at 82 years of age. John’s brother Robert still runs the store in Montreal. His niece Tuerney has opened Little Culmer Pen in Toronto.

John and his wife Dolores opened Peel Pen in 1987 here in London on Dundas St. near Richmond. This was the site of the old Kresge Store, now the site of a mini mall. In 1991 John moved the store to its present location at Talbot Square.

"Why did you call your business Peel Pen Shop?" I asked. After fixing pens, Waterman and Parker that is, in California for 5 years his parents moved to Montreal and opened their business Culmer Pens on Peel St. which was the main street in Montreal.

The heart of the business is John’s love for the pen and all its history. I was invited to meet some of his pals in the PEN CLUB which is held every Saturday morning. There could be as few as 2 or 3 people there or as many as 20. There are no dues or rules to belong the club. It is a time to share their treasures and stories, and possibly trade.

I wrote my notes for this story using many different pens while learning the history of each one. You won’t believe it! I started with a $1000 ‘Waterman Edson’ fountain pen named after Louis Edson Waterman, who was an insurance salesman. He got tired of carrying a bottle of ink and stick pen in the mid 1880’s. There is a story that tells how he stole a sale by having a pen that worked right away while the first salesman struggled with his stick pen and bottle of ink. He had invented a capillary system which held the ink above the nib. Of course this $1000 pen was just gorgeous and ruined me for the rest of the morning. Nothing else seemed as smooth.

Members of the club shared the progression of the fountain pen. The nib itself changed from being made of gold to glass during the war. The actual pens can have different filling mechanisms. The P Bar (sac inside) invented by Sheaffer later became a cartridge. After the war, ball point pens became very popular.

If you are interested in antique pens be sure to visit John as he collects and sells the old ads that were used in magazines such as The Saturday Night Post and Life Magazine. In a glass case at the front of the store is a Service Writing Kit from the war. These kits were issued to the soldiers so that they would write home. The kit includes the original pen in a leather case, with a pad of paper with the RCAF insignia on the front, and bottles of ink. The pen was a Parker Vacumatic.

If you have an old ball point pen John can recycle it. As the refills are not made anymore, John can provide you with a refill conversion kit. Some of the old pens from the 50’s have been re-issued with modern filling mechanisms. Repairs to old and newer pens are an important part of the business too. Most of the pens sold today have warranties. He also engraves pens at the shop for a personalized gift. John’s own personal favourite was a Cross Morph ball point pen which has a barrel that changes its shape to fit your hand and encourages you to hold it properly. He also recommended a nice Sheaffer going for $10 to $12. The point is that none of these are throw away pens. The throw-away market is his main nemesis. There doesn’t seem to be the same pride of ownership in a pen because of the throwaway pen market.

Yes I did buy a pen before I left. I purchased the Morph because of the smoothness. I was impressed that John took the time to look at my handwriting. Because my lower case letters are small, he recommended a fine nib so that the loops would not be lost.

I feel his love for his product is the secret to his success. Is it possible for this business to be passed to future generations? John and Dolores can only hope that their 2 grandchildren Matthew and Joshua have ink in their veins too. §

President's Message by George Payne	Message from the Planning Committee by Mark Whitfield	Message from the Communications Committee by Penny Picton
Message from the Membership Committee by Dave Broostad	Duffy's Cove & Chris' Corner by Ingelbert Lievaart II	Peel Pen Shop by Penny Picton