A conflicted heart…

Posted on April 13, 2012 | 3 Comments

I worked at Angelina in 2004.  I wanted to get a sense of the support from the Barrington community before opening TT Patton.  Angie, the owner at the time, hired me as the Sunday girl.  Many people would enjoy breakfast at Egg Harbor Cafe or frequent Starbucks on the corner and then shop Angelina.  It was fun getting to know the community.  So, Happy Birthday Angelina!  And Katie you’re a blast as a neighbor!

Many of you know TT Patton opened at the Ice House Mall.  The day of my grand opening, the owners of Barrington Home Shoppe (then the Canterbury Shoppe) brought me a gift to welcome me to business.  It’s funny how small, yet meaningful, gestures stay in your memory.  So when I learned the Barrington Home Shoppe is closing their doors, I was…, well…, just sad.  As a fellow business owner you want to see every business around you succeed.  And especially as a resident of this community, I personally want my downtown to be a vibrant place for me to frequent and shop.

So that’s why my heart’s conflicted.  I’m happy to see shops celebrate birthdays, and sad that some of the retail institutions of this town are saying goodbye.  Consider this an appeal letter…not for donations…for you to support ALL of the Barrington businesses.  Boarded up windows isn’t a good look for any town!

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Posted in My Thoughts

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3 things to do before Spring Break

Posted on March 17, 2012 | Leave a comment

It’s almost spring break.  But there is no reason to travel to a warm climate because it’s 78 degrees here in Chicagoland!  But here are few things for you to do before you take a nice week off from your everyday life.

1.  Copy down this address.
Theresa Patton • c/o TT Patton • 123 East Station Street • Barrington, IL 60010
You’ll need it to send me a post card.  Please.  Even if you don’t plan to travel, could you simply write me a quick note on an index card, back of a photo or anything and drop it in the mail? It gets lonely around here when everyone leaves town.

2.  Pack your March Madness brackets.
I really hope you are near a television during the next week.  This is one of the best seasons of college basketball that I can remember.  As you can see I have a lot of crossed out brackets.  Not sure what my sheet will look like after today and tomorrow.  Exciting time to be a college student at a school headed to the Final Four.  Unfortunately my alma maters Boston University and Northwestern University didn’t make the cut…too busy studying I’m sure.

3.  Register for the Summer Writing Camp!
Yes, it’s back for the 4th straight year and we have some exciting classes offered throughout the summer.  Classes include creative writing, short stories, writings of other cultures, the use of fountain pens, and you will even earn a yellow belt in one of the classes.  No kidding.  But don’t get left out. Complete your registration before you pack a single pair of flip-flops!  You can download the form or register online.  We’re excited and hope that your 4th-7th graders will write with us this summer!  Watch this video to see what they can expect during the classes.


Now you go back to enjoying this 78 degree weather.  I’m just rearranging things at TT Patton to make room for new pens and stationery…

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Posted in KIDS, My Thoughts, Workshops

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The Pens of March

Posted on March 2, 2012 | Leave a comment

I like the month of March.  Maybe because it’s a bit unpredictable.  For one thing, you can never tell what the weather’s going to be in March.  Especially if you live in the Chicago area.  It can be sunny and 50 degrees one day, and then later in the week, snowing.  Wait, that actually happened here in the past week.  So, you just have to be prepared.  And, maybe you can’t tell what the day will be just by looking out your window in the morning.  Just hope for the best and plan for…well…snow.

Which brings me to pens.  (Nice transition huh?)  It’s usually this time of the year when I consider what new products to bring to TT Patton.  Last year ACME launched the Beatles series and Visconti introduced the Van Gogh line.  It’s also this time of the year that many of the big stationery and pen shows are happening around the country and new product launches are all the rave.

So when I met with my Pilot representative this morning, in the midst of all the new lines (you’ll love them) we both agreed that the Namiki Vanishing Point by Pilot is still one of the coolest pens on the market today.  That’s because it looks like a traditional push ballpoint with a pocket clip, but it’s actually a fountain pen. You can’t tell just by looking at it (now you see the transition), but it has a nice 14K gold nib to make writing handwritten notes smooth and effortless.

And although some people (Jessica Liebman) think writing a handwritten note “just feels ancient”, I actually think it “just feels real”.  So why not get something that is real practical (looks like a ballpoint) and real fine (but it’s a fountain pen).

This is just the beginning of the “transitional season”….we have much more coming real soon to your favorite pen store in Barrington, TT Patton.

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Posted in Foutain Pen Ink, Pens

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