Your cart
Close Alternative Icon

Blog

Stationery Store Day 2023

Stationery Store Day 2023

Are you ready for Stationery Store Day tomorrow?! We are! Here are the exciting in-store specials we have planned for Saturday, August 5th:

✏️ Free stationery-themed letterpress print (no purchase necessary)

Stationery Themed Letterpress Print for Stationery Store Day at Inkwell

✏️ Stationery Goodie Bag (valued at more than $65!)  with purchase over $40* 

💌 BIG thanks to the amazing makers that contributed to these outstanding hauls! Visit the link above for a shout out! 💌 

Goody Bag for Stationery Store Day at Inkwell

✏️ Stationery Store Day tote bag + treats inside with purchase over $75*

Stationery Store Day Tote Bag with treats

*In-store only. Total before tax. While quantities last.

💌  Online orders on 8/5/23 will receive a free stationery-themed print!

Stationery Store Day HRM Paper Trail

We’ve teamed up with our paper pals - Duly Noted StationeryPaper Hearts Halifax and The Trainyard! Make a day of it and visit all 4 of our businesses on the paper trail, for awesome papery stickery freebies, sales and special activities!

And if you're elsewhere in the country (or the world!), visit one of the 100's of participating shops and spread the paper love.

Continue reading

Restoring a Golding Pearl No. 11 Improved Press

Before and After Golding Pearl #11 Improved Letterpress

Before, and after.

The above photos clearly show the restoration work done to our Golding Pearl No. 11 Improved Press serial #1918 built c. 1920 in Massachusetts, USA.

When I decided to open Inkwell, one of my goals was to have at least one working floor model letterpress in the shop. Finding an old piece of equipment such as this, in working order can be a costly and time consuming quest. So with some patience and hard work we can now introduce our working floor model press that we affectionately named Isabella aka "Pretty Izzy".

Restoring a Golding Pearl No. 11 Improved Press

We first found Isabella for sale on the letterpress classifieds at Briar Press. She was located in Connecticut. After negotiations with the owner, we agreed on a purchase price and pick-up date. This happened in December 2010, just as winter was beginning in Atlantic Canada and the New England states. Not an ideal time to plan a road trip, but with a clear forecast, and borrowed new van (thanks Mom & Dad!) my partner Daniel and I began the 2800 km (roundtrip) journey.

Restoring a Golding Pearl No. 11 Improved Press

Weather was fantastic during our travels and we found our way around easily. We disassembled Isabella (would we remember how it all goes back together!?) and with the help of some local movers to do the heavy lifting, loaded Isabella into the van for her journey to Canada.

As you can see she was a colourful beast. Previous owners had really botched her surfaces with poorly applied paint. She was pretty beat up, but still in working order, so we were excited to have her and knew her potential.

Restoring a Golding Pearl No. 11 Improved Press

The next few months were spent stripping and sanding her various cast iron parts. Working in an un-heated garage during a Canadian winter makes cast iron VERY cold to work with.

Restoring a Golding Pearl No. 11 Improved Press

Work continued into the spring when weather allowed for more outdoor work, including painting and varnishing. So many parts, so many screws and bolts collected. Fingers were crossed through the whole process that we'd know how she went together.

Restoring a Golding Pearl No. 11 Improved Press

Parts we painted, gears were oiled and everything fit together. Every part has its own specific function which made assembly quite easy. Everything fit into place nicely.

Restoring a Golding Pearl No. 11 Improved Press

Here she is today. Our 90 year old black beauty - Isabella. On a warm Saturday in August we ran our first prints on her. With very little adjustment she was printing great. It was us, as press operators that needed more work. We ran about 100 Inkwell Boutique business cards and cleaned her up.

Stop by soon and see her in person!

Originally posted: Tuesday, August 9, 2011
Continue reading

Stationery Store Day 2022

Stationery Store Day 2022

Saturday, August 6th is the first ever Stationery Store Day - it's not to be missed! Inkwell is excited to be a participating location!

We've got exciting in-store specials planned:

✏️ Free stationery themed letterpress print (no purchase necessary)

✏️ Stationery Goodie Bag (valued at more than $65!) with purchases over $40*

✏️ Stationery Store Day shopping bag with purchases over $75*
*In-store only. Total before tax. While quantities last.

💌 All online orders on 8/6/22 will receive the free stationery themed print! 

Our paper pals, Paper Hearts Halifax and Duly Noted are also participating! Stationery addicts, be sure to make a day of it and visit all 3 stores for treats and specials!

And if you're elsewhere in the country (or the world!), visit one of over 100 participating shops and spread the paper love.

Continue reading

Call for Makers!

Consignment Call

We're seeking to consign handmade products for our retail and online stores!

Do you have work you'd like to see featured at Inkwell? Or maybe you know a maker who produces great handmade items?

The talent of the local and international maker community is infinite. We believe representation matters and those who identify as BIPoC, LGBTQ+, Disabled and any minority groups are encouraged to apply!

Know a maker who might be interested in working with us? Please share, and we look forward to seeing what you've been making!

Apply today!

Continue reading

10th Anniversary!

10th Anniversary
This week marks 10 years of business for Inkwell!

Thank you to the wonderful customers who shop at Inkwell. I'm so proud and thankful to still be here and couldn't have done it without your incredible support over the years - through all the highs and lows!

Over the last decade, we've had 2 different locations, countless open houses and book signings, printing demos and letterpress keepsakes, collaborations, crafting workshops, an in-house/wholesale product line, awards, accolades, and features on TV, in books, magazines and newspapers. We've gone from a one page website to a full e-commerce site with thousands of products.

During this time, we've made countless friendships, worked alongside the best employees and makers. I can't wait to see what the next 10 years will bring!

Thank You for 10 years of support!
We've seen you, our customers, through the celebrations and sorrows that life brings and our community has seen us through the joys and challenges that shop ownership presents.

I hope you feel every purchase is a transfer of the enthusiasm I feel for everything we offer in Inkwell. I hope that some of the love that each maker puts into the handmade items we sell brightens your day, whether it's something for yourself or a gift for someone else.

Ten years in business is a major milestone and we'll celebrate in person when it's safe to do so.

Thank you all for your continued support and for allowing me to live my dream.


💞  Andrea

Continue reading

Gift Certificate Printing Video

We recently reprinted more of our gift certificates! You can purchase one as a gift for a friend or for yourself to use in our downtown Halifax shop once things settle down.

Continue reading

Uppercase Print/Maker book Feature

We are through the roof ecstatic to see an 8-page spread of our handmade creations showcased in this new book Print/Maker by Uppercase Magazine! We are truly humbled to be included alongside so many talented peers, friends and artists we've carried over the years!

The book contains 48 profiles, 368 pages and over 660 images from all sorts of printmaking mediums like silkscreen, letterpress, risograph, linocut and more by artists from all around the globe!

Available now in our Halifax shop!

Uppercase Print/Maker book Inkwell Originals Inkwell Boutique

Continue reading