Pens Canada Interview Name of your website?Pens Canada Your name? Mike Lenton Your Location (city, etc) Nanaimo Please give us a short summary of your website? Each writing instrument that I create is individually hand turned on a lathe using the finest woods and other materials. I do not use automatic or duplicating equipment, therefore no two are exactly alike. I craft using various exotic as well as domestic hardwoods solid surfacing materials, and Acrylics. All instruments have replaceable ink cartridges that are readily available at office supply retailers and department stores.~~ Much time and effort has gone into perfecting the finest finishes for these writing instruments and each has been polished to a high luster. All my pens have 18 different levels of sanding & polishing before having the final finish applied. A custom-made hand turned pen is a thing of beauty that is capable of becoming a family heirloom containing a lifetime of memories. All our crafts are handcrafted here in our small home workshop on beautiful Vancouver Island. What inspired you to launch your own website? I was inspired to get my name out there in the internet world as a Pen Artist When did you launch your first website, and what was it? Islandchimes & Crafts was established in about 2001. How did you decide on a name for your website? I picked names which reflected on what we do. What makes it different from other, similar offerings? All my products are Handcrafted by myself, from top quality materials. I use no duplicating equipment so each piece I do is a one of a king piece of art. What is your eventual goal? (To sell it, keep it for income, secure a book or other mainstream media deal?) My eventual goal is to subsidize my retirement in the next couple of years. How does your investment of time and money balance against your success? I invest alot of time and money into this venture and as a result I have had sales of my writing intruments in many parts of the world. If your site got really big, really quickly, would you be able to keep up with the demand? Yes What has been your biggest challenge? Marketing myself How long have you run the site already, and how long will you continue to keep it up if you don't enjoy big gains in traffic, income or popularity? The original site has been going since about 2000 and I intend to keep them going indefinetly. What is your website address? Pens Canada | 
