Name: Margaret Monod.
Business name: I am the joint owner of Pen to Paper, located at 170a the High Street (just across from Flint and Catlins).
What does your business do? Our main lines are pens and stationery, but we also sell cards and wrapping paper and can sort out things like headed paper and invitations.
How long have you been running the business? Pen to Paper itself was set up seven years ago in the North Laine district of Brighton. We were delighted to be able to open in Lewes eighteen months ago.
What was on the premises before? Immediately before us it was a teddy bear shop. I also know that forty years ago it was a dry cleaning business, because the gentleman that ran it back then, popped into the shop the other day. Apparently he had to scrub the floors down at the end of each day - thankfully something we don’t have to do.
Where do you get your stock from? Many of our pens and inks come from Italy and France, whilst our specialist papers are often from India and Thailand. However, we also try to source as many local products as we possibly can.
What’s the most expensive item you sell? That is the Pelikan 400 fountain pen which retails at £150.
And the cheapest? A magic slate for 10 pence.
And the most unusual? A pencil case made from recycled tyres and pencils made from old CD cases.
Is their anything that irritates you about the business? The length of time some of the stock takes to arrive. Leather notebooks from Italy often take three months to arrive, whilst Rubinato Inks can be delayed if the person who hand writes the labels is on holiday.
What is your favourite shop in Lewes? I love our neighbouring shop - Parterre, which stocks fantastic things for the garden, and I also like to wander around May's General Store.