The Pen Corner has written its final chapter
Dublin lost a piece of history last May with the closure of the beloved stationary shop, The Pen Corner – last month its replacement begun the work of moving in.
Famous for its fountain pens, the family-owned business ran since 1927 on the junction of College Green and Trinity Street. The beloved shop on the corner where our parents and grandparents got their first “grown up” pens was forced to close its doors permanently.
They closure of the shop was a result of a loss of business during Covid-19, paired with a dependance on technology that has wiped out handwritten notes and letters, and with it the demand for stationery.
On February 7th it became known publicly via Instagram that work on the iconic corner store was in progress for it to be replaced by the Dublin vintage shop chain, Tola Vintage.
The beloved vintage shop has respectfully kept the outside of the historic building untouched, including the original pen shop sign out front, much to the approval of those who hoped that at least the iconic shopfront sign would be kept the same. While the interior has been restored and modernised, much of the character and charm of the little shop on the corner has been retained.
While the mindful redesign of the shop allows it to maintain its character and culture to earn the respect of the people of Dublin, several people still took to twitter and other social media platforms to express their opinions on these beloved businesses being lost.
People expressed grief over the loss of The Pen Corner and some of Dublin’s other oldest businesses that have since closed.
Among these named businesses include McCullough Pigott music shop, which had been a big part of Dublins music scene since opening in 1823, which announced on 20 February that it was to close its doors after 200 years in business.
This pattern of the beloved businesses of Dublin being forced to close their doors raises the question- Is Dublin losing its culture?
“It upsets me to walk down Grafton Street and College Green daily and see Circle K shops or another soulless Starbucks,” Doug Leddin said on Twitter following the closing of the shop.
Many agreed, but it appears that the old Pen Corner being occupied by Tola Vintage has put a positive spin on the loss.
“No better humans than you to have such a presence in the city of Dublin,” small business ‘Charlotteslove’ commented on the new location announcement on Instagram from Tola Vintage.
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