35 Years!

September 2022 marks 35 years of Laywine's. It is hard to imagine that when I first saw the shops in London selling nothing but organizers, and seeing customers queued up outside, that the result would be my life in retail. ⁠

I first heard about Filofax sitting on a beach in Thailand in 1985. In 1986, I bought a Lefax Westminster from their Camden Town shop. A few months after I opened the shop, I thought -- I love pens, maybe I should start selling pens! ⁠

Over the years, I've watched loose leaf organizers boom and then be outpaced by Palm Pilots, Blackberries, and smartphones. And yet, there are loyalists who come in every year for their agenda refills. ⁠

In the meanwhile, we have championed analogue communication and notetaking. Fountain pens have become our forte, our strongest category and our passion.

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Folks continue to find their way to pens, paper and ink from all corners, and though we will never go back to strictly analogue, our community will thrive and welcome new members. Here's to the next 35 years!⁠