Store Tour: CW Pencil Enterprise

In preparation for my trip to New York earlier this month, I bookmarked a few shops I really wanted to visit in person. One of those places was CW Pencil Enterprise, which specializes in selling pencils and related stationery items in their cozy shop in Lower East Side. I had placed a custom pencil order beforehand and could hardly wait to pick it up in person that weekend, and I was so glad I carved out the time in my solo travel schedule to come to this fun place!

Once I made it to Orchard Street, I immediately spotted the shop’s bright yellow exterior peeking at me from a block away. As I got closer, the school desks placed outside and the giant no. 2 pencil on its windowsill made me smile.

Stepping in, I saw an amazing assortment of pencils from all over the world, their colorful barrels and sharpened tips greeting me. Alongside the pencils were other goodies like enamel pins, patches, notebooks and pencil pouches.

The handwritten labels on all of the pencil cups definitely stood out to me as a unique feature. Considering the endless number of pencils in the shop, I could only imagine how much effort it must have taken to write everything by hand. It felt genuine and truly analogue.

Some of the items were being presented in frames and other types of casing. I really enjoyed these thoughtful displays that made me look twice at each product, even the ones I own (like the Midori bullet pencil below).

True to its tagline (“purveyors of superior graphite”), the store also had separate areas dedicated to sharpeners and erasers - a must for any pencil lover. These products were carefully curated by functionality and design, which made looking through them that much more fun.

Another fun part of the store had a 50 cents pencil vending machine. I was told that they usually have vintage advertising pencils in it, but during the time of my visit, they were offering foil stamped pencils with various location names from the Color Factory New York City map. Near the machine were pencils being sold at a discount - they were either random, or had small faults on them (like the wrong brand or text being stamped onto the body), but were still usable.

Last but not least, the CW Sticker Emporium - a nook within the store where all kinds of stickers are sold - was a treat! I took my sweet time browsing every corner to find new and fun stickers to use in my journals.

If you’re in the area, I would highly recommend visiting to take a look at this bright spot of a store for yourself. If you’re unsure of what pencils to buy, there’s a whole testing station for you to scribble away (on a Baron Fig notebook, no less!). Most importantly, the staff members who work there were so kind in letting me take all the time I needed to browse and buy, and were very knowledgeable about all of the items.

With its welcoming atmosphere and eclectic selection of my favorite childhood writing instrument, CW Pencil Enterprise was one of the most memorable places I went to in New York as a stationery enthusiast. Feel free to check out their online shop as well as their popular Instagram account, and write on!