Phoenix Rising: Penchetta Pen and Knife

Phoenix, Arizona's leading brick-and-mortar pen shop is experiencing a second lease on life under new ownership.

- BY NICKY PESSAROFF

The landscape of the U.S. Southwest is beautiful but harsh, gritty in the most literal way, rugged and severe. Its beauty and lifestyle are unique and not for the faint of heart, but for those of us who love it, there is no place better to live despite the severity: it has the effect of driving people together rather than drifting them apart. There is no better example of this than the recent history of Penchetta Pen and Knife retail shop.

In 2012, Anthony Turchetta opened Penchetta in Scottsdale, Arizona, where he sold fine pens, tactical pens, luxury and utility knives, wet shaving materials, and even air gun supplies—a uniquely Arizonan collection. In the interim, he moved the store to the remote Cave Creek area outside Scottsdale to shorten his commute. When he announced his retirement in 2024, it meant the possible closure of the leading brick-and-mortar retail pen shop in the greater Phoenix area. Thankfully, longtime customers Lance and Veronica Blair were looking for a career change. On April 1, 2024, they officially took over ownership of Penchetta.