Near the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill is another of that city's treasures, Crazy Alan's Emporium. Think of it as a back-to-the-future experience. The arrival of Office Depot in 1986, followed by Staples in the same year and Office Max in 1988, were game-changers. For independent office supply stores in the retail trade, the big-box competition represented the arrival of the Grim Reaper, and many went out of business. The golden age of office supply stores was over.
By contrast, Crazy Alan's Emporium has survived and retains all the charm of pen shops that were a regular part of the retail landscape a few decades back. More importantly, it offers the latest in new products. The product line is plentiful and features vintage and modern pens, inks, writing paper, greeting cards, leather goods, office supplies, art supplies, and gift items. What separates it from big box stores is the deep dedication to customer needs to be matched with a genuine desire and ability to meet those needs. Staffers at Crazy Alan's work like crazy to make good on that vision.
Alan Cohen is the driving force behind the business and the only full-time employee. To his credit, he has cultivated a great culture for part-time employees who, in time, become dedicated associates.
A Connecticut native, Cohen came from a background of wholesale office supply, as his father operated just that kind of business in New Haven. From even before his high school days, he learned the basics of the business and later brought an entrepreneurial flair to increase sales.
Denne historien er fra February 2022-utgaven av PEN WORLD.
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Denne historien er fra February 2022-utgaven av PEN WORLD.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
Show Your Summer Style
The newest Visconti Homo Sapiens, Iris Garden, is a tribute to the beautiful irises that bloom each spring in Florence, Italy's Iris Garden.
Good Made Better Keeps Getting Better
SUZANNE C. LEE tests Dan Keller's wood and metal reading and writing accessories and finds her childhood dream desk come to fruition.
Layers of Talent: River City Pen Company
With his skills in design and eye for details, Rich Paul crafts pens that are as beautiful as they are functional.
Fathoming the Unfathomable
The new Kanilea Pen Co. Blue Moana fountain pen and Mau Loa cap band are inspired by the ocean's depths and universal interconnectivity.
Truphae: Flexibility Is Key
This young pen shop is writing a new chapter in retail pen sales by finding unique ways to foster community.
"Winter Counts:" Transforming Non-fiction into Fiction
Creative writing typically blends what we know and experience with what we invent and imagine.
Swivodex, Sailors, and the Plastic Revolution: An Overview of Dip-less Desk Sets, Part V
The end of World War II ushered in a new era, with plastics technology opening the way to better and less costly products of all sorts.
The Mystery of the Purloined Parkers
What do G-men, mobsters, and tampons have in common? The two most epic fountain pen heists in history.
The Other Articles of Impeachment
\"Hear ye! Hear ye! Hear ye! All persons are commanded to keep silent, on pain of imprisonment...\"
The Road to Recovery
A recent trip to Wajima, Japan, by TACCIA's Shu-Jen Lin shows tragedy in the present but hope for the future.
