Nikaido

On my visit to the store I had the pleasure of meeting store owners Joseph & Sara Cocker. They have operated Nikaido since 1988 and with careful attention have selected an range of quality tableware, tea, stationary, inks and pens. I was impressed with the range of pens.

The store is located in a beautiful old brick building on Moncton Street in the historic village of Steveston. I remember growing up in Richmond, that at one time Steveston had its own post office and was a separate entity. Now, the historic fishing village is part of the City of Richmond. Steveston is very popular destination to enjoy walking along the docks, buying fresh fish right of the boats, and a range of restaurants. For pen enthusiasts, Nikaido should not be missed.

My visit was in November 2021, and I had to wait outside to maintain the allowable number of customers in the store. But waiting gave me the opportunity to watch Joseph and Sara help customers at the counter which is right next to the door. Watching fom outside I can't hear the conversation but I could see the care and attention provided in showing a range of pens, the process of narrowing down the selection, and the look of satisfaction on the customer's face as she selected a pen that met her expectations. Sarah was helping others with cards and papers. Attentive to the customer and handling the products with care and attention - reflecting the value perceived by the customer. This is a store that is customer-first.

My wait was not too long and I was in! As Joseph and Sara were with customers I took the opportunity to look around the store. There is a very good selection of intersting cards and paper products. The good selection of Leuchtturm 1917 notebooks certainly attacked me! Such good quality books. I found myself buying a book to use for a Travel Journal for my next trip! Always be prepared.

The pens are all located near the register and there is a good selection. To name just some of the brands the store carries Cross, Faber-Castell, Kaweco, Lamy, Parker, Pilot, Visconti, Twsbi, Platinum and Rotring. Their website lists all the brands. As I looked through the pens, and talked to Joseph and Sara about their lines they carry, there a good selection at various price points. Joseph mentioned they customer base ranges from those who use high end and those using lower-price point pens. As a good pen store should, there were pens inked and ready to try and I was impressed with the range of pens I tried.

Jerry has just recently started working at Nikaido. As he told me, working in a pen store is dream! Ukm, I may be applying for a job there next!

This is just one of the display cases of pens at Nikaido.

A great selection of paper. This is a key part of any good pen store. Afterall, part of the experience of writing with your pen of choice to use a good quality of paper. The paper is an important part of the writing experience.