The History You're Helping Us to Write

Something about the Fourth of July and its history of a once-fledgling country has me thinking about the history of a once-fledgling company called Levenger…

When Lori and I took our first orders for reading lamps back in 1987, I confess I wasn’t thinking much about a vision for our newly hatched company. Mostly I was worried about whether the lamps would get there in one piece. And if our customers would like them. And whether our tiny company would survive to grow out of our second bedroom in Belmont, Mass.

As it turned out, not all of the lamps did get there in one piece. But we took great care of our customers and listened hard. Listening to customers became not just a habit but a credo. (Happily, I get to talk to even more of you now, thanks to new social networks and your lovely old-fashioned letters and cards.) So much of what Levenger became is because of what you expected us to be.

Digging deep into DNA

What you’ve told us in the past couple years is that Levenger could be, and should be, a company that not only sells good products but does good deeds.

We heard it within ourselves, too. That’s why we’ve embraced Conscious Capitalism in ways that we feel will resonate with serious readers. This is the impetus behind our creating Partnering for Good products, as well as underwriting the National Book Foundation’s Innovations in Reading program. And these are just two of several initiatives we’re working on.

But programs and initiatives only work if their goals are part of a company’s DNA. That’s why I would like to share with you the renewed vision and values of Levenger. They represent the latest chapter in the history that you, our customer, continue to help us write.

These many years later, I still worry about whether your order gets to you in one piece. I want you to feel good about what you buy from Levenger. I also want you to feel you can trust the company you’re buying from to try to do some good in the world.

Keep talking to us. We’ll keep listening. And thanks for helping us write a history we can be proud of.

P.S. As always, I’d love to hear from you. Just click on the Comments link below. (If you’re reading this as an email, click here and you'll connect to Comments).

Comments

[Arlene Seidel Abrams]

LEVENGER has always been there for me. Every special occasion (and you would rush delivery) and treating myself as much as I can.

Thank you :)

What a THRILL it was to shop at your headquarters in Florida.

[Rich Goldschmidt]

Steve,

I have been purchasing from Levenger for 15 years. I still receive compliements on my Junior size Levenger folio. It is used almost every day.

Thanks for creating a great line of products.

Rich Goldschmidt

[Steve Leveen]

Many thanks, Arlene and Rich, for your kind words. It's an honor to serve you.

[Dick Davies]

Steve, Liked your post, The History You're Helping Us Write, and your video about the start.

I hit your Tysons store when I'm in that mall and treasure each catalog. I've been carrying Notabilia since they first came out, sit on a skinny leather chair, prop my legs on Jeeves, use your fountain pens and inks (hated losing the long international/Parker violet cartridges).

Uniformly your people (phone and store) have been wonderful and your wares better.

Thank you!

[Lise]

Is that why you put everything in such beautiful boxes? I love those boxes as much as each and every product I've purchased. Then I use the boxes for other things. Even giving handmade gifts to loved ones in them.

[Stephen Blaufuss]

Steve,
I want to share my latest Levenger experience.
I just had a library built by a friend of mine whom is a woodworker. It is a library and writing table, floor to ceiling, about 12' long. I was inspired by your book, The Little Guide to Your Well Read Life. I enjoyed your book, took to heart many recommendations, but I still cannot bring myself to write comments in the margins. Ah, but I digress.
I had procrastinated about purchasing a Levenger Tiger pen holder. A few weeks ago, I wrote to the Levenger customer service e-mail asking if any Tiger pen holders existed. To my surprise, I was given a speedy reply with a phone number to call in Virginia. I spoke to a woman who told me they had one left. I purchased it immediately and was shocked to see it on my doorstep two days later. As an engineering manager, I told many of my work mates that Levenger was the benchmark in customer service. I stand by my comment.
Recently, I bought the reading bear bookend, the turtles, and the dachschund bookend. Levenger has made my library a gentleman's man-cave with old world charm. I would love to send you a couple pictures of my library, I'm not sure I can upload them from this site. Thanks for providing me with great writing tools. I love my plumper pen and three Stanley journals.

stephen

[Jason Valtos]

I have been a Levenger customer since 1995, and have introduced many, many friends, colleagues and family members to your company over the past sixteen years.

I just sent the following email to your Customer Service Representative Sheritta Wallace, who helped me out with a coupon issue: "Thank you so much for your assistance -- I am glad to see that Levenger is still a class act company that cares about its customers, and understands that happy customers always translates into repeat customers!"

Keep up the good work.

Jason Valtos

[Gary F. Compton]

Hey Steve,

Greetings from your best neighbours, to the north, in Ottawa, Ontario Canada. Like you, I've been looking back, but for me, it is to the time in 1997 or 1998 when a catalogue of catalogues came to my door. Yours caught my eye because I love fountain pens and fine leather products. I've been buying Levenger products ever since and wonder if you have ever been to Canada or have considered opening a store here? especially Ottawa our capital? I've saved many of the catalogues from the past and have made a list of SMOOTH grain leather products and pens not seen for a while at Levenger. Thanks for so many great products. Take care.

[Janet Coverdale]

Steve,

I have enjoyed using Levenger Circa products for years. I'm a bit disappointed at the moment with an email I received today: "Thanks for your product reviews - plus a gift for ..."
FYI: A gift is FREE. It is not a gift if I have to spend $100 to receive it. I thought that maybe you didn't know this, so I am taking the time to inform you that GIFTS are FREE.

[Steve Leveen]

You guys are GREAT!

Dick, thank you for shopping at our Tyson's store.

Lise, I'm so happy you like our green gift boxes. We encourage people to regift and reuse them so it's delightful to read your story.

Stephen, what a great customer you are and thank you for the compliments on The Little Guide. I'd love to see your photos. You can certainly upload photos and videos as part of a review of any of our products, or call our HQ and ask for me or Janet to get my email address. (We're not supposed to list those here, I believe.)

Jason, you inspire us to keep up the work. Thank you.

Gary, boy, would I love to open a store and otherwise serve our Canadian customers better. I love your country, and so does my father, who owns a condo in Windsor. Thanks for your inspiration.

And Janet, I sit corrected on the free gift issue. Like baby puppies, right? Thanks for keeping us on our toes.

To you all, my very best wishes,

Steve

[Grace Shim]

My boss is an ardent follower of your office products. She recently got me the Action Method journal from your collaboration with Scott Belsky. Absolutely love it, but what was even more notable was the fast and excellent customer service we receive every single time we shop with you! Keep it up because it's keeping us coming back for more all the time!

[Diane]

Diane Morris to cservice
show details 11:52 AM (0 minutes ago)

YOU FOLKS ROCK ! I paid for 'next day' shipping on this order, trying to fight the long weekend's delay when I discovered I'd forgotten to order my granddaughter's bday present in 'good time'. WOW the package (ok, I ordered some pads for me, too) arrived at my doorstep at 11:15 am this morning.

Now THAT is 'next day' service worth paying for...unfortunately, I've not had such good service from some other vendors.......

THANK YOU for making 'grandma' look good, even when her memory was not quite as good as it needed to be ! Sunday birthday picnic, here I come ! And, I know she'll love her very sophisticated back=pac !

[Barbara]

Thank you, Steve, for having such proper products. I was an amateur artist,etc. And I always wanted to start a new class with proper things--writing instrument ,paper.and ink, graphics, paint,etc. I enjoy the 'feel' of nice paper. I still like the old fashioned cursive notes. I hope they don't become a lost art!

[dvlokken]

Good article, especially when you mentioned, I want you to feel good about what you buy from Levenger. That is the type of mentioning that people like to hear. I wish more people felt like that. Kudos to you. Thank you for making my night.

[Bill]

Thought you might like this.

László Bíró (1899)

Frustrated by the way his fountain pen's sharp tip would tear paper and by the amount of time he wasted filling the pen with ink and cleaning up smudges, László Bíró set to work developing a better pen. A Hungarian newspaper editor, he noticed that the ink used in newspaper printing dried quickly and without smudging, but it was too viscous for use with existing pens. With the help of his brother, a chemist, he developed the modern ballpoint pen. How long did it take him to build his pen?

http://encyclopedia.thefreedictionary.com/L%C3%A1szl%C3%B3+B%C3%ADr%C3%B3

[Jerry Davis]

Steve,
In 2001 I bought both the TrueWriter fountain pen and ballpoint in Yellow. I use the ballpoint as a gel pen. I have since purchased 4 other pens from you, but my favorite is still the Yellow.
Problem: I now have a hard time keeping up with my Yellow TW ballpoint because my wife of 46 years dearly loves it and keeps stealing it.
PLEASE bring back the TrueWriter in Yellow so I can buy one or two for my wife, and thereby ensure the security of our marriage.

[Steve Leveen]

Dear Friends,

Today is my birthday and reading your thoughtful comments and being able to respond to them is a gift.

Grace, I too adore the Action Method papers and use them daily. Thanks for your kind words about our service; you encourage us to keep trying to improve and delight more customers.

Barbara, yes, there's NOTHING like good pens and papers....

Bill, what a cool story about Biro; we all owe him.

Jerry, it's the least we can do to bring out a yellow True Writer again to save your marriage. It will take us a while, so please hang on, okay? :)

To you all, my heartfelt thanks.

Steve

[Hans Bergmann]

Hi. I too love the Levenger products and have bought and bought and bought them over the years, constantly changing my Circa habits so that I first need Junior size, then Compact, and now Letter -- all with leather and all sorts of papers. A kind of addiction. But if your moderator will tolerate the sightest criticism.... the shipping charges for such expensive items are a mistake. Equivalent on-line stores don't do that. (And, hey, Staples has Circa very cheap and not bad).
Hans

[Steve Leveen]

Dear Hans,

Thank you for your business and your comments.Staples does an admirable job copying originals in order to make them look almost as good, yet be far cheaper. (And it's always cheaper to copy than it is to innovate.) This provides an important function in the marketplace since it spurs Levenger and other design innovators to do even better for customers and distance ourselves even more from mass merchandise. Customers win.
As for free shipping, make sure you sign up for our e-list as we regularly offer specials, including free shipping.
All best wishes and thanks again, Steve