From a few forgotten fountain pens to a community that continues to inspire us. As EndlessPens celebrates its eighth anniversary this November, I've found myself looking back at how it all started.
It's funny how life works. Sometimes the things that end up changing your life begin with something as simple as a fountain pen that nobody wanted.
It All Started With My Father's Pens
My father was a stationery dealer back in the 1980s and an importer of Pelikan fountain pens. Over the years, he had accumulated quite a collection, including inventory that simply wasn't selling in his local market. Some of these pens had been sitting around for years.
Then when I moved to the United States in 2013 after getting married, I brought a few of those pens with me. My wife suggested I try selling them on eBay or Amazon. I figured, why not? I listed a few on eBay using the auction format, not really knowing what to expect. One particular pen, which my father had valued at around $80 and was considering getting rid of, ended up selling to a buyer in China for $350. I couldn't believe it.
The pen was a Pelikan M750. Eventually, the buyer in China asked how many pens I had from that series and offered to purchase the entire collection. Fortunately, my father had quite a few of those, along with the M760. I immediately called him and asked him to ship me everything he had.
That unexpected transaction turned into a business relationship that lasted from 2015 through 2020, during which we traded not only vintage pens and old stock but newer models as well. At the same time, I continued selling through eBay and Amazon, slowly building relationships with buyers around the world. I hadn't set out to build a fountain pen retail company. I was simply discovering that these forgotten pens had a whole world of people who appreciated them.
The Day Amazon Shut Us Down
By 2018, I had become increasingly frustrated with the costs and restrictions of selling through large marketplaces. Then Amazon suspended our account because we were selling vintage pens. Just like that, a significant part of our business disappeared overnight, with no meaningful way to appeal the decision. It was a frightening experience, but looking back, it was probably one of the best things that could have happened to us. I made myself a promise that I would never again allow another company to have that much control over our business. With the help of a partner in Korea, we decided to build our own website. And in November 2018, EndlessPens was born.
Our First Black Friday, and the Reddit Post That Changed Everything
Our first office was a spare bedroom in our house. I bought some metal shelving, stocked a limited selection of pens, and started working on building the business. Then came our first Black Friday.
Someone on Reddit had started a discussion questioning whether EndlessPens was a scam. To be fair, we were a brand new website offering prices that seemed almost too good to be true. Rather than getting upset, I decided to let our service speak for itself. I followed the discussion, and whenever I could identify someone who had placed an order, I would slip a complimentary pen or bottle of ink into their package, along with a handwritten thank you note. I also made sure their orders went out as quickly as possible.
After those customers received their packages, they returned to Reddit to share their experiences. Suddenly, the orders started pouring in. It was incredible. And absolutely terrifying. Our website didn't even have a proper shipping integration. Every single shipping label had to be created manually on the USPS website. I had one printer. I'd print each label on regular paper, cut it out with scissors, tape it to the package, and move on to the next order.
Between November and December, we received more than 700 orders. Seven hundred orders! And I was fulfilling them almost entirely by myself. My wife was busy taking care of our young baby, and I was doing everything I could to keep up.
I still remember Christmas Eve, December 24, 2018. I was so overwhelmed that I walked outside our house and broke down crying. I told my wife I couldn't keep doing this. The stress, the orders, the endless packing, it had all become too much. It wasn't exactly the glamorous entrepreneurial lifestyle people imagine. But that moment also made us realize something important.
If we wanted EndlessPens to grow, I couldn't do everything alone.
When Our House Became a Warehouse
Shortly afterward, we hired our very first employee, Savannah.
And as the business grew, so did our inventory. And our house began a rather unfortunate transformation.
First, one bedroom became an office. Then another bedroom became storage. Then another room filled with shelves. Eventually, almost every available room had become part of EndlessPens. Our living room became the fulfillment area.
My wife and I would wake up every morning surrounded by fountain pens, boxes, packing materials, and shelves of inventory. There were pens everywhere. And while it was exciting to see the business growing, living inside a warehouse wasn't particularly good for our family life.
By 2020, we knew something had to change. We finally moved into our first proper warehouse, a modest 1,000 square foot space. We had one employee, a growing customer base, and plenty of ambition.
And then COVID happened. Like so many businesses, we were worried about what the pandemic would mean. Shipping became unpredictable, supply chains were disrupted, and we had to navigate challenges we'd never encountered before. But through it all, our customers continued supporting us. The business grew, and in 2022, we moved into a larger warehouse.
Today, our team has grown to 10 people.
Sometimes I look around our warehouse and think back to that little printer, those scissors, and the mountain of orders in our spare bedroom. We've come a long way.
Why We Started, and What We Still Believe
From the beginning, EndlessPens had a simple philosophy: Luxury fine writing instruments should be accessible to more people.
We wanted to make it possible for someone to purchase that grail pen they'd been dreaming about without feeling that it was completely out of reach. We believed that offering exceptional value didn't have to mean compromising on service or the customer experience. That approach wasn't always popular. Our pricing and business model challenged some of the traditional ways the industry operated. We faced criticism from other retailers, distributors, and even manufacturers.
There were moments when our intentions were questioned and our reputation was challenged. But we knew why we were doing it. We wanted to give customers better access to the pens they loved. And the most rewarding part was seeing how many people believed in that vision.
Over time, we built something that mattered far more than sales figures. We built a community. A community of collectors, enthusiasts, artists, creators, and people who simply appreciate the joy of putting pen to paper.
Then Came HATCH
By 2022, that community had become such an important part of EndlessPens that we wanted to do something more. We didn't just want to sell products. We wanted to help people create them. This is how HATCH was born.
We believe that creativity shouldn't be limited to established brands and manufacturers. There are incredibly talented people in the fountain pen community with ideas, artistic abilities, and designs that deserve to be brought to life. So, we created a platform that could help make that possible.
Over the years, we've explored collaborations, exclusive designs, special editions, and creative projects that have pushed us beyond traditional retail. Some ideas worked beautifully. Others taught us valuable lessons. But the excitement of creating something new has never gone away.
Eight Years Haven't Been Without Challenges
I wouldn't be telling the full story if I made it sound like everything had been easy. It hasn't. We've made mistakes, faced setbacks, and had to adapt more times than I can count.
COVID brought enormous shipping and logistical challenges. And in 2025, the tariffs imposed on imported products became one of the biggest financial challenges we've faced.
We made the decision not to immediately pass those additional costs on to our customers, which meant absorbing substantial losses ourselves. It wasn't an easy decision, and it certainly wasn't easy on the business. But through all of these challenges, we've continued to believe in what we started eight years ago. There have been difficult days. There have been moments of uncertainty. And there have been countless moments that reminded us why we kept going.
The Next Chapter: EndlessPens and HATCH
As we look toward 2027, we're preparing for an exciting new chapter. EndlessPens and HATCH will be moving forward as two distinct platforms, each with its own purpose and community.
EndlessPens will continue doing what it was created to do: bringing exceptional writing instruments and accessories to customers at the best possible value.
HATCH will focus on creativity and collaboration: giving artists, designers, and members of the writing community an opportunity to develop, showcase, and sell their own creations.
We want HATCH to become a place where an idea doesn't have to remain just an idea. A place where creativity can turn into something tangible.
We have some exciting launches planned for both platforms in 2027, and I genuinely can't wait to share them with you!
To Everyone Who Has Been Part of These Eight Years, Thank You.
When I think about EndlessPens today, I don't just think about the pens we've sold or the warehouses we've occupied. I think about the customers who took a chance on a little website back in 2018. The people on Reddit who gave us an opportunity to prove ourselves. The customers who have returned year after year. The suppliers and partners who believed in us. The team members, past and present, who helped turn a small operation in our home into the business it is today. And of course, my wife, who suggested I sell a few of my father's pens online all those years ago, probably without realizing what she was getting us into.
To everyone who has supported EndlessPens, encouraged us, challenged us, or simply placed an order, thank you. You helped build this business.
Eight years ago, I was sitting in a spare bedroom, cutting shipping labels with scissors and wondering how I was going to get through Christmas.
Today, I'm looking forward to the next chapter of something I never imagined would grow this far.
And to think, it all started with a pen my father was about to throw away.
Here's to eight years of EndlessPens, and to everything still to come.
Wishing everyone happy holidays and a great start to 2027!
With gratitude,
Kev
Founder, EndlessPens & HATCH
P.O Box: 89713
Tampa, FL, 33689
By Some Folks at EndlessPens
