Pen Sense was established in July 1980, by Amarjeet and Gillian Panesar. Initially our aim was to offer a wide range of writing instruments along with the expertise necessary to sell them. The fact that some of our earliest customers still deal with us today is testament to our quality of service and attention to detail.

Key dates

• July 1980 : The shop was officially opened by the Nottinghamshire Country Cricket team, including Eddie Hemmings. Our focus was as a stationery store, selling all price ranges of writing instruments and associated items.
• 1984 : Visit from Mdm Francine Gomez, the chairwoman of Waterman SA, France.
• 1996 : Montblanc shop-in-shop — the first in the UK — opened. Re-fitted our store, and expanded on our range of high quality merchandise. Reducing the focus on lower-end and disposables.
• 2001 : Devoted more than half the store to a larger Montblanc shop-in-shop, to follow Montblanc's expanded range of personal goods, e.g. cufflinks and small leather items.
• 2002 : Transformed the store from a traditional stationers specialising in writing instruments to a luxury goods store, still with emphasis on writing instruments. Added Cartier and Dunhill leather goods.