Lately, I’ve been writing with a black and gold fountain pen from Aurora. It came as part of the inventory expansion we did at Kennon Home Accessories to launch the pen business this winter, and I’ve got to say, I’ve never written with anything like it. Truth be told, despite it being only $325 retail, it feels far more durable and enjoyable than some of the $850 or $1,200 pens I own.

Aurora Talentum Classic Fountain Pen in Black with Gold Trim

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When I was a teenager sitting in high school French class, I recall relentlessly mocking my teacher for the idiocy of buying a $200 or $300 pen.  Fast forward to today, and not only do I have a massive pen collection, but I’ve fallen completely and totally in love with Michel Perchin pens to the point that when I have the retail store launch it’s full in-store pen department in the fourth quarter of this year, we are going to bring them in and sell them.

The average retail price for most of these works of art ranges somewhere between $3,000 and $5,000, depending upon the specific model, with many going for far more than that.  They are actually cored out of a rod of solid, pure silver and built using the finest materials available on earth.  When I look at them, my heart rate literally picks up and I feel this incredible urge to acquire.  It’s the exact same feeling as when I see a stock that is being given away (like when we put a massive portion of our assets into General Electric at $6 per share and U.S. Bancorp at $8.50 per share back in March, watching them skyrocket between 100% and 300% in less than 90 days).

Some of my friends think I’m nuts for being so passionate about pens.  What I find remarkable is that they see nothing unusual about their families smoking a pack of cigarettes per day, at an average cost of $7 per pack, or $2,555 per year.  Ten years from now, the smoking left them with no money and lung cancer and my pen is worth $10,000, not the $2,500 I paid for it.  They also wouldn’t see a problem with a woman spending the same amount on a diamond necklace.  Yet, for men, there is a double standard.

People really underestimate the cumulative cost of their capital allocation decisions.  My personality is such that I like having nice things.  During college, I bought two gold-rimmed coffee cups with saucers imported from England at a jewelry store in Princeton, NJ at a total cost of $500 to $600.  They were what I drank from in my dorm room as I studied opera scores, read stock reports, and played video games.  It’s a personality quirk.  I only like to buy things that hold value.

I can’t wait to sell these in our store.  This isn’t just business. I’m going to build a successful pen company that makes at least a few hundred thousand dollars a year in profit in the Midwest.  It’s small by other standards, but this is personal.  I love the product.  I mean, I really love the product.  Nothing else we sell gives me this kind of joy and so it’s a personal objective to make this happen.

Absolutely exquisite works of art ...

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