About

When CW Pencil Enterprise first went online in November 2014, this is what the first blog post said:

“You've found a tiny niche in the universe where graphite wins over pens, pages, typewriters, computers, smartphones and just about anything else. I am Caroline Weaver and I have made this. With this website, I propose that you consider digging the sharpener out of the bottom of your stationery drawer and put the perfect sharp point of a new pencil to paper. You don't have to get carried away just yet, but you probably will. The smell of the wood, the sound of the lead as it scrawls, the tiny imprinted letters on the barrel--you will fall in love and you'll probably be surprised or excited but that's the intention.”

That special little niche closed its doors, virtually and physically, in November 2021, after 7 years that were jam-packed with analog magic. During our tenure on the Lower East Side in NYC, we sold over 1 million pencils, made thousands of personalized recommendations, developed over 2 dozen of our own products, started a wonderful book club, hosted countless workshops and events, matched hundreds of pen pals and did our very best to spread joy in our community. On paper, we were a pencil specialty shop, but as anyone who visited us knows, it was so much more.

What was learned in the process is that one must never underestimate the power of a perfect tool, and that perhaps not all good things are made to last forever, whether it be a wood-cased pencil or a well-loved shop.

We invite you to explore the stationery and office supply shops in your own community to find your next favorite writing tool, and to peruse our archive of images and information on our Instagram or in the Blog Archive on this website. Thank you for so many beautiful years of story telling, creativity and community <3

Keep up with Caroline

While I loved my job as Chief Pencil Lady more than I can express, I am happy to be moving on to my next chapter. In 2022, I’m starting a big new project and am also begin clients for retail and product consulting. If you’re interested in hiring me to help you get set up with your own retail business, or for my sourcing and product development expertise, please get in touch! Additionally, I’ll be continuing our Orchard Street Reading Society book club and some of the community building initiatives we’d fostered in the shop. Follow me on Instagram @ladygraphite or click the link below for my new website.