Appelboom Lands in Beantown

Two storied shop histories—Boston’s Bromfield Pen Shop and the Netherlands’ Appelboom—unite in a new U.S. shop location.

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Located on Bromfield Street in Boston, Massachusetts, Bromfield Pen Shop was a favorite of college students, locals, and tourists who enjoyed the upscale shopping in that neighborhood of Boston. In early 2021, Fred Rosenthal, owner of Bromfield Pen Shop since 1981, announced his retirement and the closure of his stationery store, whose history dated back to the 1950s.

Now, a new chapter has begun. Joost Appelboom, owner of Appelboom Pen Shop in Laren, the Netherlands and online platform appelboom.com, became the owner of the facility in late 2021. Since the building in which Bromfield is located is set for demolition, the new Appelboom Boston pen and stationery shop is located just a few doors down from the old Bromfield location. Joost Appelboom is now the first shop owner with an online shop, a European shop, and a U.S. shop.

Recently, Appelboom sat down with PW Editor-in-Chief NICKY PESSAROFF to discuss the new Boston pen shop, the history of Appelboom, and the future of retail:

Nicky Pessar off: Appelboom has an over-30 year history at this point. Tell me about the early years of Appelboom, your father, and the legacy he created in the Netherlands.

Joost Appelboom: The Appelboom brand was founded by my father, Peter Appelboom, in 1990 and initially consisted of multiple book stores. After my father passed away in 2010, we sold the book stores and continued with just one store, where we specialized in writing instruments. The store is based in the town center of Laren, which is at the heart of the Gooi region, the most affluent part of the Netherlands.

My father always loved a good adventure, and with the new Boston location there is definitely a new adventure going on. I am sure my father would have been proud if he were able to see how far we have come.