Photo courtesy Tibaldi

Tibaldi Phoenix; Limited Edition pen and Roller as available at Bittner

Photo courtesy Tibaldi

Tibaldi Dragon; Limited Edition pen and Roller as available at Bittner

Although it’s long been said that handwriting is a dying art, Detlef Bittner would make a case for its comeback. The more technology advances, the more people long for the personal touch of a handwritten notecard or letter and the tactile pleasure of writing with a fine instrument that glides on paper.

Bittner and his wife Cynthia opened Bittner, The Pleasure of Writing, in Carmel-by-the-Sea, Calif., in 1990, where mayor Clint Eastwood is among their mix of celebrity and techie clientele.

“It’s amazing how so many of them work for computer companies, but when they’re away from their computers, they love writing with a fountain pen,” says Cynthia, who lived in Hawaii in the 1980s and longed to open a Bittner boutique in the Islands where the couple spends time every summer.

The shop opened November 2008 at the Waikiki Beachwalk, offering fine writing instruments by dozens of brands including Cartier, Krone, Ducati, David Oscar-son, Delta and Visconte, the latter two favored by Arnold Schwarzenegger. The highest-priced pen they sold was a $250,000 Cartier made of solid gold with pave diamonds.

To go with these rarified instruments are stationery, fine writing paper, inks, stamps and sealing wax. And, just as in Carmel, Cynthia says many of their clients in Hawaii are techies or writers.

“There’s a different flow when you’re using a fountain pen, rather than a pencil or ball-point pen,” she says. “You tend to write differently, say different things, have a different attitude when you pick it up.”

It was Detlef’s passion for writing that led to his opening the shop. As a child, he was interested in the beauty created out of pens and ink, and received his first fountain pen from his father at age 14. He developed his own writing style by picking out stylish alphabet from others’ writing and incorporating their ABCs into his own. Little wonder that he grew up to be a graphic artist, engraver and fine printer before launching into this endeavor.

Writing today, he says, is an overlooked art, which presents more reason to pursue it. After people become accustomed to frequent e-mail exchanges, “It’s nice to have a handwritten thank-you note and so much more meaningful,” he says. “All you have to say is, ‘Thanks a lot’ or ‘It was great seeing you,’ and people will remember you.”

And, when you’re asked for your autograph, it creates a better impression when you pull a Caran d’Ache or Tibaldi from your pocket rather than a basic Bic.

Call 924-8828