Mr. Rafieh’s Tehran Pencil Shop

https://www.ana.press/photo/548339/دنیای-مداد-رنگی

by NaOH • 5 years ago

232 78 5 years ago

sparrish• 5 years ago

It's a colorful stall, that's for sure.

Does he make the pencils there?

I can't read the writing in the photos but it looks like there are no prices (I don't see any numbers). Can someone who is able to read this chime in?

taken_username• 5 years ago

I don’t think he made the pencils, but he has a huge collection apparently from the basic ones to some ancient ones.

I searched a bit online and I couldn’t find any online shop or price samples for the store.

This is their instagram page, but not sure if it adds any more information:

https://instagram.com/medad_rafi

ginko• 5 years ago

Does he make the pencils there?

The pencils in this photo[1] say 'Germany', so my guess is no.

[1] https://www.ana.press/photo/548339/%D8%AF%D9%86%DB%8C%D8%A7%...

eternalban3• 5 years ago

https://media.ana.press/old/1399/09/24/637435502248341625_lg...

[R to L]: White Pencil. Tailor's White Pencil. White Oil Pencil.

One the side it says "single colored pencils 250 Tomans". The front matter appears to be a verse from Qur'an and below it in Farsi he declares he has 'entrusted all matters to God, the same God that is the protector of its creation'.

vidanay2• 5 years ago

God (of your choice), I wish I was multi-lingual.

kapitalx• 5 years ago

There is a 0 missing in the picture. In another photo[1] it says "2500 Toman" which is about $0.10 USD

[1] https://media.ana.press/old/1399/09/24/637435501254726240_lg...

oz_zyn2• 5 years ago

I put a translation in another comment. I don't think he makes them, or at least there's nothing that suggests that in the text. He's more of a collector.

AlbertCory• 5 years ago

I love this.

I'm wondering how well he knows his inventory. Like, can you ask for one particular pencil that's stuck in the middle of one of those shelves, and he goes and pulls it right out?

freshdonut• 5 years ago

Kind of like Ollivader from Harry Potter haha.

drmeister• 5 years ago

Came for this.

“Curious how these things happen. The [pencil] chooses the [writer], remember…”

a1371• 5 years ago

My guess would be that the pencils of the same property are on each shelf, and the older stuff are buried under newer ones.

For example, one of the labels says "oily pencils".

So perhaps when you go to him and ask for a purple pencil he pulls out a number of purple ones from the bunch that's relevant to you. Then he explains which one is better for you.

apocalypstyx• 5 years ago

There was a BBC documentary called The Secret History of Writing, where a Turkish calligrapher talks about how they save all their pencil shavings and after the person dies the pencil and paper scraps of their lifetime are used to heat the water that will clean their body as part of the burial process.

https://youtu.be/TyfIS9b77A8?t=7854

schnevets• 5 years ago

Years ago, I dismissed photography as a pretentious hobby that would be rendered obsolete as smartphone cameras and digital improvements became more ubiquitous, but I have since learned to appreciate the talent behind a good photo.

I only bring this up because I had a similar experience with these photos that I had locally. My Hudson Valley town is a delicate balance of many cultures (primarily white, black, and Central American) and our downtown reflects that blend. Most folks would be quick to dismiss one small storefront with a messy front window of leather goods, sculptures, and various Latin American flags, but inside is an expert leather craftsman from Ecuador who makes most of his products by hand.

I never would have bothered entering the store until a local photographer (once recognized as the "town's photo laureate") featured the store in a few social media posts. Some combination of sharing the craftsman's story and recognizing the beauty throughout the store struck the interest of the rest of the town. Suddenly the eccentric storefront became a destination for everyone (kind of like this colored pencil man's stall)

jan_Inkepa• 5 years ago

I tend to dislike photographs of myself. I once spent Christmas at a gathering hosted by a photographer. He spent the evening walking around taking photographs of people/the general goings on. I remember seeing the photographs after and looking at myself/others and thinking "The respect that the photographer has for the people in these photographs is immense". And yeah we all seemed to be having a good time, but there's some extra layer of dignity/worth/soul that he managed to endow everything with, and I felt so grateful to be able to see myself captured in that way. Your comment reminded me a bit of that.

totalZero• 5 years ago

Any idea what his town of origin might be? The leather workers in the southern highlands of Ecuador (talabarteros, often specializing in saddles) are exceptional.

2muchcoffeeman• 5 years ago

Years ago, I dismissed photography as a pretentious hobby that would be rendered obsolete as smartphone cameras and digital improvements became more ubiquitous

You just listed a couple tools for photography though. If anything they will lower the barrier of entry for photography and more people will participate (pretty much what happened)

anta40• 5 years ago

> Years ago, I dismissed photography as a pretentious hobby that would be rendered obsolete as smartphone cameras and digital improvements became more ubiquitous.

Actually, smartphone cameras make photography even much more accessible. I don't want to sound old, but perhaps you remember 3 or 4 decades ago where all people took pictures with film. It's a limited media (usually 36 frames or less on bigger formats). No instant feedback (have to send them to film lab to be developed or do it on your own darkroom). And for some, indeed photography was a relatively expensive hobby.

Now the barrier is much much lower. Smartphone camera techs are getting better. And you don't need high end PC running Lightroom/Photoshop etc for image editing. Simply use smartphone apps. These are good enough for most of us, social media oriented persons.

Sure, if you want better image quality, eventually you'll upgrade to camera with bigger image sensor (M43, APSC etc) like the pros do.

I'd say smartphone cameras render compact digital point & shoot useless, instead.

deepGem• 5 years ago

I think the olden days of photography with the limits on the rolls etc, created some great photographers. You didn't have an infinite supply of film at your disposal so every shot had to be thought through.

Action and sports photography is an exception to this since you just click as many photos as you can to capture the right moment.

So I wonder if the explosion of digital cameras and smartphones have helped in creating better photographers. One argument could be that now there are lot more people who are taking up photography and some of them eventually will figure out the intricacies of the craft and become better photographers. Kind of like the 80-20 rule. On the flip side there is also a lot of noise (people just clicking photos), which is fine I think.

Stratoscope• 5 years ago

When a photographer compliments another photographer, they rarely say "you have a good camera."

They say "you have a good eye."

thomas2• 5 years ago

Wonderful gallery! Interesting sharpening technique in image 7 with a blunt writing tip. Typically you'd seen a more angled cone [0] and a sharper end, but I guess this means no color is wasted when doing the initial sharpening?

Anyone note a list of his brands? I think I see some Faber-Castell but can't ID anything else.

[0] https://unsharpen.com/the-parts-of-wooden-pencil/

JoeDaDude• 5 years ago

Image 6 just looks like he is holding 2 pencils. Is he actually sharpening them?

However he does it, I don't think he is using a razor based sharpener, just look at the rough points in image 15.

thomas2• 5 years ago

Ah yes, good call, thanks for the keen eyes!

udev• 5 years ago

A mightily photogenic place, so much colour!

efazati• 5 years ago

Wow Tehran is full of beautiful things that even someone from Iran like me doesn't know

jacquesm3• 5 years ago

I've spent half a day looking through pictures of Iran from before the revolution, it was - and in many ways probably still is - an absolutely amazing country. Sooner or later the mullahs will be given their walking papers and hopefully the country can then recover some of its former splendor.

anticodon• 5 years ago

Yeah, I imagine it:

- It would be bombed and looted by foreign army ("In the name of democracy!")

- Hundreds of thousands of people will die from bombs, same amount from hunger and civil unrest caused by destruction of the infrastructure and government system (police, hospitals, etc.)

- Foreign companies will take control of Iran's oil (the main reason why Iran is considered "hostile country" now is that it controls its natural resources), so that profits from selling the oil flow to other countries (exactly the same happened recently in Libya and Syria)

It would become unsafe to visit, and most cities would be in ruins. Crime rates would go through the roof.

brudgers3• 5 years ago

Europeans have been anti-Persian since before Socrates was a hoplite.

It would be better if fifteen hundred years of Islamophobia was disinfected from Europe. It's a double standard where nobody sees a problem with England even though there's a state religion and the religious head and government head are the same person...and unlike Iran, those roles are hereditary.

Iran today looks like what throwing off the yoke of foreign influence looks like. So far it has only been going on half as long as the Guerra de los Ochenta Años took to free the Netherlands from Spanish Influence.

Never mind the bloody legacy of Calvinism though. The traditional head of the European church launched the crusades and backed the long slog in the Iberian Peninsula.

So long as the first reaction is to frame Iran in religious terms, the Mullahs are logically correct in their claims about the enemy without.

kevin_thibedeau2• 5 years ago

Khruangbin has a music video featuring female pop artists from before the revolution. They get systematically erased toward the end.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7hlGqj3ImQI

oz_zyn2• 5 years ago

Here's a rough translation for anyone interested in the text in the article:

The world of Colored pencils

Going through the narrow alleys of the stationary bazaar, there's a name that's familiar to all and an address that's hacked on all the tradespeople's minds. If you're looking for colored pencils, everyone'll point you to Mr. Rafieh's shop. "It's been thirty years that I get my energy from setting up kids with their colored pencil box. At the moment I have one of the biggest collections of colored pencils.", he says. Beginner and professional painters alike come to him for recommendations on colored pencils. The rare old models from the west or the ones produced in the country, he has them all. Mr. Rafieh's colorful stall has been drawing the attention of passerby for many years now.

hilbert422• 5 years ago

Thank you very much for that.

dougSF70• 5 years ago

The humble pencil is truly an amazing invention. The Gutenberg press of writing instruments.

ramesh312• 5 years ago

It fills me with a deep sorrow knowing that I will never be able to visit Iran as an American. I don't know if it's just the "forbidden fruit" aspect of it or not, but it's my number one bucket list destination.

werber• 5 years ago

I'm not sure what your situation is but I know Americans that have gone through an intermediate country

ramesh312• 5 years ago

I'm not sure what your situation is but I know Americans that have gone through an intermediate country

It's possible, sure. But the risk of arbitrary detention would make it impossible to enjoy. The state department currently lists Iran as "Level 4: Do not travel", and suggests you have a will in order if you do [0]. There was a brief moment towards the end of the Obama era where it seemed things may have been thawing, but with the Soleimani assassination I don't have much hope for the future in that regard.

[0] https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/traveladvisories/...

siva72• 5 years ago

iran - and many other countries in the world - could take you happily as a hostage if your government is considered an enemy.

jacquesm3• 5 years ago

So much for freedom, right? After all, the US has a very loud voice on all things freedom related but when it comes to the rights of its own citizens to do as they please the degree of freedom appears to be lower than that of many states that have lesser profile in the freedom department. Countries should not limit their citizens freedoms on the basis of politics, that's no different than the various dictatorships that want to keep their people in (and the foreigners out), it's just a matter of degree.

Whether it is safe - or wise - to do so is another matter.

whatshisface• 5 years ago

US citizens are allowed to go to Iran. The state department has issued a travel advisory, but it was issued on the basis of kidnappings and arbitrary arrests of U.S. citizens.

https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/traveladvisories/...

enriquto• 5 years ago

don't say never. Until forty years ago you could have visited the country without problem. Maybe in a few years you will be able to, again. International politics is cruel, unpredictable and complex, but also fast paced. You can also acquire a different nationality and travel under your new passport.

rmason• 5 years ago

I feel the same way about Cuba. My Uncle worked there as a banker and almost my entire family visited him there at one time or another.

I asked him once when it opened up again why he hadn't gone back. He said the trips are forced tours and that he wouldn't be free to get a car and revisit the haunts of his youth.

I made up my mind that I wouldn't visit Cuba until the communists were gone. I was pretty confident after Castro the government would fall. Now I am not so sure.

hellbannedguy• 5 years ago

I wouldn't be suprised if the military rebelled within a few days.

kevin_thibedeau2• 5 years ago

Direct flights to Cuba have been available since 2016. You can go whenever you want minus any pending revolution.

selimthegrim2• 5 years ago

Half of Miami seems to be pretty sure atm.

2dvisio• 5 years ago

Lots of people from USA are visiting Iran. We travel to Shiraz regularly and even during the previous presidency we have witnessed planes full of Americans travelling there. It was quite hopeful for all as it demonstrated USA is not a narrow minded bunch… quite the opposite!

anonAndOn2• 5 years ago

planes full of Americans travelling there

Unlike the rest of the world, Americans can only visit with organized tours.[0]

[0]Unless you've got some Persian relatives you're visiting.

emmelaich• 5 years ago

I want to visit too and I know why - the history and culture.

Unfortunately like many middle-east countries the government is not representative of the people.

IG_Semmelweiss3• 5 years ago

I think your fear is misguided.

You may never see Iran...but not because you are an American. Instead, it is because Iran is a ticking time bomb.

Once the country opens back up, and it will open back up - you have to question whether there will be anything left to see.

Civil war is a nasty thing. See: Syria.

I recommend you visit now before its too late.

pm90• 5 years ago

Why is it certain that opening up Iran would lead to Civil war?

When I read your first paragraph I assumed you were referring to these mom and pop kinda shops going out of business once the economy develops, replacing them with cookie cutter malls or online retail.

kumarvvr• 5 years ago

Iran is a ticking time bomb

I don't think so. Sure, its a dictatorship and flawed in many ways, but that doesn't mean the people are not happy.

Society will bear some amount of constant pressure, to a certain degree.

If that pressure progresses into a puncture, society will rupture.

So far, Iran doesn't seem to be in that situation.

Iran has been in its current state since 1979. That is 40 whole years. And we have not seen any major shifts in their society.

It looks stronger than ever, now that Iraq and Afghanistan (thanks to the trigger happy policy of America) are in the dumps, Iran is a strong and critical player.

amir734jj• 5 years ago

I am an Iranian-American (dual citizen) and I suggest you to NOT visit Iran. You may be subjected to arbitrary arrests.

P.S. I haven't visited Iran since high school over 12 years ago and I miss my friends and family there so much.

lakecresva• 5 years ago

He was interviewed for a TV segment in 2018, seems like a cool guy.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yJHIByLnGVo

thinker4032• 5 years ago

To anybody with a cynical view of Iran and its people I highly recommend watching this fairly recent documentary about a British guy riding a motorcycle through the country. The people seem like some of the most friendly in the world. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_2LEgowbzSc

BeetleB• 5 years ago

To anybody with a cynical, narrow-minded view of Iran and its people I highly recommend ...

Do you expect any reader of this comment to say to themselves "Ah, that's me!"?

thinker4032• 5 years ago

I did not. But I see what you're saying and I edited it to make it more chill.

xkcd-sucks• 5 years ago

To anybody with a cynical, narrow-minded view

ABSOLUTELY

of Iran

...maybe not

SyzygistSix• 5 years ago

I am pretty aware that my viewpoints get shrouded and can benefit from a change of perspective. So yes, I admit that I am narrow-minded.

It's why I like posts like this and loved National Geographic growing up; the feeling of realizing how narrow-minded and judgemental I can be getting dissolved by fascinating exposes and beautiful art and photography.

foobarian• 5 years ago

I'd be his regular customer if I lived there. The curation he provides is very valuable; I found this out over the past few years as we went through different brands of colored pencils. Even brands I remember from growing up as my favorite ones turn out to be so bad compared to the best I managed to find. The main two properties I found useful to look at is the color saturation and resistance to cracking of the lead, especially under sharpening.

Some noname sets found randomly in clearance bins are so bad some of the colors could not be sharpened even once. Maybe I need a different kind of sharpener.

IG_Semmelweiss3• 5 years ago

I fear that Mr. Rafieh's webstore is either going to feel the HN hug...or his web hosting bill may be quite high for the month.

nazrulmum10• 5 years ago

I saw the pencil shop collection. Its really amazing

hilbert422• 5 years ago

Just wonderful.

Mr. Rafieh’s Tehran Pencil Shop

Related Stories