As a stationery brand, we are always curious how and what people use our stationery goods for. With this blog series, focusing on the hands at "work" and beyond, we ask five questions about the usage and meaning of the stationery tools to our friends in Los Angeles.
For the twenty-third post of WORKING HANDS, we visited Spencer who runs a vintage stereo shop, JRMARKET. He repairs and sells the old, and very good looking cassette players out of his studio in downtown LA.
Q1. How do you use your penco storages?
My penco storage containers are filled with small tools and supplies that I need to have within arms reach while I’m working on a repair. Small tweezers, hook tools, machine oil, q-tips, etc… I use the stacked cubbies to organize rubber belts for cassette decks and various electrical components. When I’m waiting on parts for a unit, I use the smallest storage boxes to hold screws and other bits I’ve removed, then label the box with tape as an easy, non-permanent way to remember which pieces belong to which item. I also use the larger boxes to store short cables and other audio/video adapters.
We notice right away with the blue and white penco containers on the shelf, which match with the JRMARKET's logo color schemes.
Spencer keeps the most used tools for repairing, Q-tips in the white penco Strage Container.
Labeled penco Double-Sided Storage Containers for the WIP gear
Q2. In our online / tech driven world, what does it mean to do things by hand to you?
For me, to do things by hand means to appreciate the physical world. Sometimes it can feel like that world is disappearing, or contracting into one rectangular black mirror. I’ve always had a fondness for all things analog, anything that makes noise and incorporates a mechanical aspect into its operation. I’m fascinated by the engineering these things took to work. I think when physical things were purpose made for a particular use, it created a time and a space to enjoy and appreciate whatever that purpose was. Most electronics aren’t even built to be repaired these days, so that satisfaction of fixing something, or even understanding how it works, is often lost. Our hands simply swipe around and make gestures with little to no feedback on our phones, more so “functioning” rather than “working” - I dunno, far less romantic I’d say!
Q3. Pen or pencil?
I’d have to say pen. Leaves a record of every stroke, intentional or not.
Q4. What’s in your pen case, if you don’t use a pen case, how do you organize and store your stationeries?
The penco container I have that most resembles a pen case is used to hold various non-metal screwdrivers. I use these to make adjustments on electrical parts inside cassette tape decks or old CRT TVs. I also use a couple small peg boards with hooks on them to hang small tools like scissors, pliers, rulers, wire cutters and tape measurers.
Q5. What is your most favorite stationery?
Anything with a clean, sharp blade. These penco scissors and box cutters are a joy to use.
A smidge of Spencer's tape player collection – the silver Technics one is for sale right now.
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Spencer Richardson is an LA native sound recordist and a shop owner of JRMARKET where he repairs and sells the old cassette players online. He opened the real life JRMARKET this summer behind The Bearded Beagle on Figueroa in Highland Park.
You can check out the latest on his shop here
