Pen Boutique Donates 52 Winter Coats to Baltimore Homeless Shelters
Industry: Retail & eCommerce
Columbia, Maryland shop specializing in high-end pens expands its three-year tradition of donating new coats to the homeless, this year targeting three Baltimore shelters.
Columbia, MD (PRUnderground) January 6th, 2021
Residents at three of Baltimore’s homeless shelters will be better prepared to face the winter thanks to the owner of a Maryland pen shop. Leena Shrestha-Menon, the founder of Pen Boutique, has donated 52 new winter coats to the shelters as part of her ongoing effort to give back to her community.
Leena was an unemployed young mother when she decided to turn her love of fine pens into a business. She persisted through eight failed loan requests, finally securing financing and launching her pen store, which has been a leader in fine writing instruments for the past 16 years.
Leena has been careful not to lose sight of the needs of the community that helped her launch the Pen Boutique. She is a financial supporter of the Baltimore-based American Breast Cancer Foundation, having survived the disease herself. She also works with Howard County Library to sponsor free programs that help young people learn how to write with fountain pens. With family roots in Nepal, Leena also supports the Shri Jeet Handicap Service Center, which provides food, lodging and education to poverty-stricken Nepalese villages.
Three years ago, Leena began decided to donate new coats (paired with handwritten cards from her children) to a homeless shelter in Baltimore.
“There were many needs, and we wanted to do our part to help people get back on their feet,” said Leena.
This year, knowing that the pandemic has piled additional financial stresses on struggling individuals and families, Leena expanded her donations to fill needs at three homeless shelters instead of just one.
“It’s a time to pull together to get through this tough year. We wanted to do a little more than we have done in past years to help people who have fallen on hard times,” said Leena.
Leena plays an active role, not just in meeting her community’s humanitarian needs but also in building its local business scene. She was awarded the “Emerging Success Award” by the Howard County Chamber of Commerce and has been named “Best of Columbia” in the Boutique category for 10 years running. Her shop has also been recognized by the U.S. Retailers Association as the “Best of Columbia” every year since 2007.
Pen Boutique sells its fine rollerball, ballpoint and fountain ink pens through its e-store as well as its physical location in Columbia. The store houses the Graf von Faber-Castell, Cross, Waterman, Visconti, and Lamy and Parker Shop-in-Shop experiences. It is the only location in the United States to house all of these prestigious Shop-in-Shop displays under one roof.
To learn more about Pen Boutique’s products or community service initiatives, visit www.PenBoutique.com or call (410) 992-3272
About Pen Boutique
Pen Boutique is a leader in retailing fine writing instruments and personalized gifts. From Aurora Fountain pens, Diplomat pens, Lamy Fountain pens, to Faber Castell Ambition Fountain pens, this is the go-to place for the best writing instruments.
