Fine Writing - Stylus Magazine

include leather goods, writing
paper, jewelry, watches, eyewear,
fragrance and, oh yes, pens. In
November, a 2,500-square-foot
flagship boutique on the corner
of 57th Street and Madison Avenue
will open. This store marks
Montblanc’s forty-ninth North
American boutique and is approximately
2,000 square feet
larger than its predecessor, located
just around the corner and which
wil be closing. Says Heinrichsdorff
of the understated elegance and
comparative hugeness of the new
boutique, “It is an opportunity
to give our customers a three-dimensional
view of the company,
to breathe the air of Montblanc.”
In July, Jan-Patrick Schmitz
was named president and Ceo
of Montblanc North America,
replacing Karsten Martens who
54 oCToBeR/NoveMBeR 2003 s t y lu s
m
Left: Copernicus
888; right,
Copernicus 4810
served in that role for the last four
years. Says Norbert Platt, “With
his outstanding operations expertise
as well as his impressive
record for growth, Mr. Schmitz
is ideally suited to accelerate the
company’s growth in the United
States.” Schmitz has been with the
company since 1994, most recently
as director of the international
executive committee and head of
global supply chain management
at the headquarters in Germany.
Montblanc continues its support
of the arts, awarding annual
prizes since 1992 to significant
contributors in various disciplines.
“everyone involved with
Montblanc de la Culture feels
a social responsibility to leave
something of value behind,” says
Heinrichsdorff of the company’s
strong commitment to culture.
Thus, a jury of artists from
around the world are asked to select
patrons who have made the
most significant contributions of
time, talent, creativity or money
to the arts, and awards are given
annually in ten regions around
the globe. each winner receives
a trophy showcasing a solid gold
Limited-edition Patron of the
Arts fountain pen and a check for
15,000 euros to be given to the
cultural entity of choice.
This year’s North American
Arts Patronage Award winner is
hip-hop impresario and founder
of the Rush Philanthropic Arts
Foundation, Russell Simmons.
The award pen is the Nicolaus Copernicus
in two editions: one in a
series of 4,810 pens and the other
in a series of 888. Suggesting the
concentric circles of the earth’s
orbit around the sun, the pen fea-