Eeek, it has been WAY to long since I’ve posted. Work has been especially crazy; we just had our largest fundraiser yesterday and as you can image planning for it consumed most of my time for the last few weeks. This weekend was completely consumed with work between planning for the event and running errands for the event.
However, likely to no one’s surprise, I managed to sneak into a store that carried Filofaxes on Saturday afternoon!
I was up in a northern Chicago suburb dropping off one of our event honorees when I realized I remembered seeing on the Filofax website that a store in the area had a “gold account” standing. Now, the last gold account store I went to wasn’t very impressive, and the “bronze account” store that I had visited had nothing more than a few weekly inserts and lavender paper. Not too promising.
So I called in advance to be sure that this place really did carry the beloved Filo. The saleslady confirmed their presence, so I headed over. I was surprised to find a decent collection of personals, pockets, and minis. No A5 Filos on the shelves, but I wasn’t really interested in any of them anyway. Here are a few bits of insight I gained from this visit:
- The Cuban ink, one of the Filos I have considered upgrading to, lived up to my expectations. The leather is beautiful, and it looks professional. However, I don’t think it would ever lie flat, and I don’t think I could deal with that.
- They had one Amazona in almond- it was beautiful! I loved the layout, but felt that the color would be too hmmm, lush for my every day use. Maybe someday when I can afford to have a “going out” filo!
- I found out I am really not a fan of the Finsbury at all.
- The Adelphi was way better than I had thought. It never really caught my eye online, but they had it in black, magenta, and a purple which I don’t know the name of. They were still too expensive for how much I liked them, but the purple had a pretty obvious scratch/cut in the cover that I might have used to haggle price with the manager had she not been helping select Bat Mitzvah invitations with another customer.
- The leather on the pocket Eton was so unbelievably soft, but with the $180 price tag on a scuffed and scratched model, I put it down faster than I could blink.
- I thought I had found a pocket Malden, only to find that it was a version called Belmont. I’d never heard of it before, but it was quite appealing.
- Speaking of Malden, there wasn’t a single darn one in the store! Mind you, this is number one on the list of Filos I want to upgrade to and I would LOVE to see one in the flesh before making that decision. At this point I just don’t know if it’ll happen 🙁
Overall, this little Saturday break was just what I needed– even if I didn’t make a purchase. Who knows, maybe I’ll wander back in one day when the manager isn’t so busy and test my negotiating skills. Looks like the hunt is still on for a Malden sighting unless I miraculously find my way to London in the near future!
J, I really love my Damson (the purple) Adelphi. It is a shame it had a big scratch.
I know! I really liked it WAY more than I thought. Who knows, maybe if I am back up there at some point I'll see if she'd let it go for $15 or $20 bucks….
It has been too long – I love your posts! As for the Malden – you can always meet us in NY. 😉 Even if the shops don't have it, I have one and I'd let you peruse it to your heart's content.
Kanalt- thanks for the compliment! I feel like I've dropped off the face of the planet these last few weeks 🙁
I'd love to meet you in NY, I just don't think my budget can handle it this year. I don't know what I'll do when I finally get to see a Malden in person!!!
There are pics of a pocket Belmont (in black) on Flickr, and I have to say, it looks very very nice indeed!
The Cuban is wonderful, I have the slimline which lays flat (as most slimlines do). Maybe look up some Personal Cubans on Flickr and ask the owner if it ever lays flat?
Oh, and 15-20$ off for an obvious scratch? I would go for 50% off! You could always raise the price a bit. Don't forget that the seller has A) a substantial margin on the product as it is and B) do you really think there will be many buyers who would settle for a damaged one?
So C) if you get it, get it as cheap as possible!
Jotje- I know that a few people have had problems with the Cuban Zip lying flat… I don't fully know about the personal. I'll do some more digging, although the Malden still has my eye the most!
I meant I'd offer her $15 or $20 for the binder, not the discount. This cut was definitely obvious- I doubt she'll be able to sell it to anyone else anyway! There is no way I'd pay more than $25 for it, but it might be worth a shot!
If we had a decent Filofax retailer here to meet by here in Chicago, you would be more than welcome to flip through my personal Malden. 🙂 Have to see whom else is in the area from Philofaxy. I can't afford to go to NYC, either.
I saw some interesting Filos being offered this summer through an online store called Pens and Leather, and I have ordered from them once. Not to add to your shopping quandary…
J and Sandra – I, too, have ordered from Pens and Leather. They're great, as the binders are always offered at a discount. I tend to buy binders from them rather than Filofax for that reason (except the Malden since it took them 6 months to get it). However, just a warning, their return policy might entail a restocking fee. I believe you have to email them for a return code and then they may charge you the fee on top of having to pay to ship it back. So I've always made sure that I want the binder before buying from them to avoid all of that.
Sandra- where are you around Chicago? Hmmmm, maybe we will have a Midwest meet up someday?!?! I'd LOVE to make NY, I just don't see it happening this time around 🙁
I have heard of Pens and Leather- never looked too much into them, although now I'll have to! I will definitely make sure to avoid returns, thanks Kanalt!