Fountain pens across San Diego County: shops, stationery and places to write by area

If you are looking for a fountain pen store in San Diego, central San Diego is where the real pen counters are. Warwick's in La Jolla says it has the best fountain pen selection in San Diego, and Strenger Studio in Old Town sells fountain pens and bottled ink. North County has fewer pen counters, so this guide also points you to notebooks, Japanese stationery and good places to sit and write.

We sorted the county into three areas: North County inland, North County coastal, and central San Diego and the coast. We checked every place in early October 2026 against its own website or an official listing. A lot of what we list comes from a chain's online catalog, so your local store may stock something different. Call before you drive over for one specific item.

For longer write ups on the main pen shops, see our guide to where to buy fountain pens in San Diego.

San Diego County pen stops at a glance

North County inland: Montblanc in Rancho Bernardo, Daiso in San Marcos and Vista, Hobby Lobby in San Marcos, plus a library in Escondido and a garden in Vista
North County coastal: Paper Source in Encinitas and Daiso in Oceanside, plus a library and a meditation garden in Encinitas
Central San Diego and the coast: Warwick's and the UC San Diego Bookstore in La Jolla, Strenger Studio in Old Town, Blick in Point Loma, Montblanc at Fashion Valley, Tokyo Central and Daiso in Kearny Mesa, plus the Central Library downtown and the Japanese Friendship Garden in Balboa Park

North County inland: Rancho Bernardo, San Marcos, Escondido and Vista

Honest truth first: we did not find a dedicated fountain pen shop in inland North County. There is one Montblanc seller and a few easy ways to try pens and paper. For bottled fountain pen ink, the sure options are Warwick's and Strenger Studio in central San Diego.

Unicorn Jewelry & Watch Boutique, Rancho Bernardo

A jeweler on Bernardo Center Drive whose pen section is all Montblanc. Its fountain pen list showed one Montblanc Meisterstück, around $705 as of October 2026. The rest of the pens are ballpoints, rollerballs and refills. Call ahead if you want to see the fountain pen in person.

Good for: a Montblanc without a trip to the mall.

Daiso, San Marcos and Vista

Daiso's store list includes Grand Plaza at 193 S. Las Posas Road in San Marcos and the Pavilion Shopping Center store at 1980 Hacienda Drive in Vista. Daiso's opening announcements for San Marcos and Vista both list stationery among what it sells.

Online, Daiso's stationery section has notebooks and memo pads, a Zebra pen series and stickers. Those categories cover the whole chain, and stock changes from store to store. It is not a fountain pen shop, but it is an easy place to pick up a few different notebooks and see how each paper handles your ink.

Good for: notebooks, memo pads and journaling extras like stickers.

Hobby Lobby, San Marcos

The Creekside Market Place store is at 553 Grand Avenue and is closed Sundays. Hobby Lobby's online calligraphy section lists Varsity fountain pens, from $3.49 to $8.99 as of October 2026, plus a glass dip pen and Speedball India ink. Those are listings for the whole chain, so check with the store.

One warning: India ink is for dip pens only. It is hard to clean and can clog a fountain pen, so never put it in one.

Good for: a cheap first fountain pen and dip pen experiments.

Escondido Public Library, Escondido

The main library at 239 S Kalmia Street reopened on August 3, 2026 after a renovation that added dedicated study rooms and community gathering spaces. The city's hours page lists hours for all seven days, so you can sit down with a notebook any day of the week.

Alta Vista Botanical Gardens, Vista

This garden at 1270 Vale Terrace Drive calls itself a quiet place to relax, picnic, recharge and enjoy nature. Benches around the gardens let you sit and enjoy the ocean view, which makes it a lovely spot to write or sketch outdoors. Admission is $5 for non-members. The homepage shows more than one set of hours, so check before you go.

North County coastal: Encinitas and Oceanside

This is the thinnest area for pens. We could not verify a fountain pen shop on the North County coast, and we have no stops in Carlsbad or Del Mar yet. For a real fountain pen selection and bottled ink, the nearest strong stop on our list is Warwick's in La Jolla, below.

Paper Source, Encinitas

Paper Source lists an Encinitas store at 1040 N. El Camino Real Drive, phone (760) 487-8997. The chain sells journals and notebooks, letter writing paper and writing instruments, and its online writing instruments collection includes a LAMY abc fountain pen. The store page does not say what this location stocks, so call before you go looking for a pen.

Good for: journals, notebooks and letter writing paper.

Daiso, Oceanside

Daiso's store list includes an Oceanside store at 2435 Vista Way, and it shows no Daiso in Carlsbad, Encinitas, Solana Beach or Del Mar. Its online stationery section lists a lined A5 spiral notebook, a semi B5 notebook with a 5mm grid and a brush pen. The Oceanside shelves may not match the website.

Good for: trying a lined notebook and a grid notebook side by side.

Encinitas Library, Encinitas

This San Diego County Library branch at 540 Cornish Drive lists hours every day of the week, and it has Wi-Fi and a Friends Bookstore on site. It is a handy place to sit and write.

Self-Realization Fellowship Meditation Gardens, Encinitas

The Meditation Gardens at 215 W. K Street have meditation nooks, koi ponds and ocean views. The temple describes them as a place to pray, study, meditate or just sit quietly, so a few quiet journal pages fit right in. The gardens are closed Mondays and when it rains.

Central San Diego and the coast: La Jolla to Balboa Park

This is where San Diego's fountain pen stores are. Our where to buy guide covers Warwick's, Strenger Studio, Montblanc and Blick in more depth, so the entries below stay short.

Warwick's, La Jolla

Start here for La Jolla stationery and pens. Warwick's says it has the best selection of fountain pens in San Diego, with brands like Lamy, Pilot, Pelikan, Sailor and Visconti, plus a huge selection of refills and bottled ink. It is also an official Traveler's Company stockist and is on Hobonichi's Techo 2027 retailer list.

Good for: comparing brands, restocking ink and picking up a planner.

UC San Diego Bookstore, La Jolla

The campus bookstore calls itself a local, independent bookstore, and it carries Leuchtturm1917 notebooks. Its online fine writing page lists Pilot Parallel calligraphy pens and a Writech retractable fountain pen, and its supplies menu has a Japanese Stationery section. The online list may not match the shelf. It is closed Sundays.

Good for: a first notebook or a beginner calligraphy pen.

Strenger Studio, Old Town

A stationery and calligraphy supply shop with its own workshop space. Its online shop lists Ferris Wheel Press fountain pens and bottled fountain pen inks, J. Herbin glass dip pens and Hunt 101 dip nibs. It also runs calligraphy classes, including a four week introduction to Blackletter. It is open weekdays only.

Good for: Ferris Wheel Press ink and anyone curious about calligraphy.

Blick Art Materials, Point Loma

Blick's Point Loma store at 3633 Midway Drive offers a wide assortment of art and craft supplies. It is also on Hobonichi's Techo 2027 retailer list, so it is a place to look for a Hobonichi planner in person.

Montblanc, Fashion Valley

Montblanc's own store locator data lists a Fashion Valley boutique in San Diego that offers engraving. Fashion Valley is the open air mall at 7007 Friars Road in Mission Valley. We could not find the boutique's hours on an official page, so check before you go.

Good for: seeing Montblanc pens in person and engraved gifts.

Tokyo Central and Daiso, Kearny Mesa

Tokyo Central & Main San Diego at 8111 Balboa Ave says it carries the widest selection of Japanese products in the nation. The floor map on its San Diego page shows a stationery aisle, Aisle 6, in Building #3. Its page does not mention fountain pens, so think of it as a fun browse for Japanese stationery, not a pen counter.

Daiso's Kearny Mesa store at 8199 Clairemont Mesa Boulevard was showing as open when we checked. Like the North County stores, it sells stationery, so it is a place to try notebooks and pens, not a fountain pen shop.

San Diego Central Library, downtown

The Central Library at 330 Park Blvd. has the Helen Price Reading Room and study rooms on the 8th floor, plus a Library Shop on the 1st floor, per its floor directory. Saturday hours are now 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and it is closed Sundays.

Japanese Friendship Garden & Museum, Balboa Park

The garden at 2215 Pan American Road East calls itself a place of meditation and contemplation and asks visitors to keep their voices down. That makes it a peaceful spot to sit with a journal. Admission is charged: $16 for adults as of October 2026.

Getting to Pens & Pints at AleSmith in Miramar

Wherever you live in the county, our monthly meetup stays in one spot: AleSmith Brewing, 9990 AleSmith Ct, San Diego, CA 92126.

Where: AleSmith says it is off Miramar Road in San Diego. Put the street address into your map app.
What it is like: AleSmith describes its tasting room as kid and dog friendly, with rotating food trucks. For us that means a food truck outside and good vibes inside. Pints are optional.
How to find us: find someone with fountain pens, pull up a chair and introduce yourself.
Cost: the meetup is free. No dues, no membership.

One note so nobody mixes us up: the San Diego Pen Club is a separate, long running group with its own meetups, and SD Pen & Ink is not affiliated with it.

The best way to choose your next pen, notebook or ink is to try one in person. SD Pen & Ink meets for Pens & Pints every 3rd Saturday, 11 AM to 2 PM at AleSmith Brewing. You are welcome to bring any pen you like, or just your questions. All experience levels are welcome.

Follow @sdpenclub for more details.

Common questions

Where is the best fountain pen store in San Diego?

Warwick's in La Jolla says it has the best selection of fountain pens in San Diego, with brands like Lamy, Pilot, Pelikan, Sailor and Visconti, plus bottled ink and refills. Strenger Studio in Old Town lists Ferris Wheel Press fountain pens and inks and is open weekdays only. For Montblanc, there is a boutique at Fashion Valley and Unicorn Jewelry & Watch Boutique in Rancho Bernardo.

Where can I buy fountain pens in North County San Diego?

Choices are limited. Unicorn Jewelry & Watch Boutique in Rancho Bernardo lists a Montblanc fountain pen. Hobby Lobby's online calligraphy section lists Varsity fountain pens from $3.49 to $8.99, and the San Marcos store is closed Sundays. Paper Source, which has an Encinitas store, sells a LAMY fountain pen online, but its store page does not say what that location stocks. For the widest choice and bottled ink, head to Warwick's in La Jolla.

Where can I find stationery in La Jolla?

Warwick's is an official Traveler's Company stockist and a Hobonichi Techo 2027 retailer, and it sells fountain pens and bottled ink. The UC San Diego Bookstore on campus carries Leuchtturm1917 notebooks and lists Pilot Parallel calligraphy pens online.

Where can I sit and write or journal in San Diego County?

Libraries and gardens work well. Try the Escondido Public Library, the Encinitas Library or the San Diego Central Library, or a garden such as Alta Vista Botanical Gardens in Vista, the Self-Realization Fellowship Meditation Gardens in Encinitas or the Japanese Friendship Garden in Balboa Park. Check hours before you go. The Meditation Gardens close on Mondays and when it rains, and the Central Library is closed Sundays.

Where is Pens & Pints?

Pens & Pints meets every 3rd Saturday, 11 AM to 2 PM, at AleSmith Brewing, 9990 AleSmith Ct, San Diego, CA 92126. AleSmith is off Miramar Road, and the meetup is free.

Sources

We opened every page below while checking this post in October 2026. Prices and stock change, so check with the shop before you buy.

Unicorn Jewelry, Writing instruments (unicornjewelry.com)
Unicorn Jewelry, Fountain pens (unicornjewelry.com)
Daiso USA, store locator data (loaded by the daisous.com store location page) (sl.storeify.app)
Daiso USA press release, San Marcos store opening (prnewswire.com)
Daiso USA press release, Vista store opening (prnewswire.com)
Daiso USA, Stationery (daisous.com)
Hobby Lobby, San Marcos Creekside Market Place store (hobbylobby.com)
Hobby Lobby, Calligraphy (hobbylobby.com)
Endless Pens journal, Best beginner fountain pen ink (endlesspens.com)
City of Escondido, Library hours (escondido.gov)
City of Escondido news, The Escondido Public Library Is Coming Home! (escondido.gov)
Alta Vista Botanical Gardens, home page (altavistabotanicalgardens.org)
Alta Vista Botanical Gardens, Our vision (altavistabotanicalgardens.org)
Alta Vista Botanical Gardens, Our gardens (altavistabotanicalgardens.org)
Paper Source, Encinitas store (papersource.com)
Paper Source, Writing instruments (papersource.com)
San Diego County Library, Encinitas branch (sdcl.org)
Self-Realization Fellowship Encinitas Temple, Visiting (encinitastemple.org)
Warwick's, Pens (warwicks.com)
Traveler's Company, North America stockists (travelers-company.com)
Hobonichi, Techo 2027 retailer list data (1101.com)
UC San Diego Bookstore, Leuchtturm1917 (ucsandiegobookstore.com)
UC San Diego Bookstore, Fine writing (ucsandiegobookstore.com)
UC San Diego Bookstore, About us (ucsandiegobookstore.com)
UC San Diego Bookstore, Hours (ucsandiegobookstore.com)
Strenger Studio, home page (strengerstudio.com)
Blick Art Materials, San Diego store (dickblick.com)
Montblanc, store locator data (stores.montblanc.com)
Wikipedia, Fashion Valley (shopping mall) (en.wikipedia.org)
Tokyo Central, San Diego store (tokyocentral.com)
Tokyo Central, San Diego floor map (tokyocentral.com)
Daiso USA, Store location (daisous.com)
Apple Maps, Daiso Kearny Mesa (maps.apple.com)
San Diego Public Library, Central Library (sandiego.gov)
San Diego Public Library, Central Library floor directory (sandiego.gov)
Japanese Friendship Garden & Museum, Garden information (niwa.org)
Japanese Friendship Garden & Museum, home page (niwa.org)
AleSmith Brewing Company, home page (alesmith.com)
SD Pen & Ink, Meetup details (sdpenclub.com)
San Diego Pen Club, home page (sandiegopenclub.wixsite.com)