Retail Branded Pencils
There are lots of Canadian department stores, stationtery stores, etc. that sold pencils with their own store brands on them. These pencils were most commonly made by other companies but it is very difficult to determine which one. Some of these pencils have "Made in Canada" imprinted on them to let you know that they are a Canadian product but not all have this. I consider these pencils a bit different than advertising pencils. While they do advertise the store they are sold from, the primary purpose is not really advertisement.
Canadian Department Stores
Many large Canadian department stores sold pencils with their own brands on them. Some of these include Zellars, Woodwards, Woolworths, Simpson-Sears and Kmart.
The Red and White Stores - This is a chain of independently owned and operated food stores operating in the United States and Canada mainly serving small towns. Some of these stores are still in operation. The pencil shown here has a paper ferule indicating it was probably made in the 1940s during World War II when metal was reserved for the war effort. It is also stamped "Canadian Graphite" indicating it was probably made by Dixon Pencil Inc.
Simpson's - Simpson's started in Toronto in 1872. It grew to have stores all across Canada. In 1978, Simpsons was acquired by the Hudson's Bay Co and in 1991 it was finally merged completely with the Bay. At this point the Simpson's name was retired after a retail presence of almost 120 years.
Stedmans - "The first store, in Brantford Ontario, started as a stationery store in 1907. During the 1950s and 1960s, there were over 1000 Stedmans and affiliated stores in Canada." (from Wikipedia). These stores were popular in Canada in the 1960s to 1980s.
Zellers closed in 2013. The pencil below is a typical example of the "yellow stripe" pencil manufactured by Dixon Canada for many Canadian retailers.
Canadian Stationery/Book Stores
Smaller stationery stores, often limited to specific regions of Canada also had their own pencil lines. Most of these stores no longer exist but researching their histories can be very interesting.
Hay Stationery Co. Ltd. - This "Rito" pencil was made by the Hay Stationery Company in London, Ontario. It was located at 331 Richmond Street in London, Ontario in the early 1950s. The were around much earlier than that (prior to 1917). It appears that this company was around until the early 2000s when they closed.
Les Librairies Gérald Boyer Ltée - A Quebec bookstore and office supply store operating since 1952. This store is one of the few in this list still operating. Locations in Valleyfield, Bellerive, Beauharnois and Chateauguay.
Powis Bros. - This was a stationery and office furniture store in Ottawa, Ontario. It was established either 1928 or 1933 and continued, in some fashion, until the 2010s.
Pilon - Librairies Fernand Pilon started as a bookstore in the 1930s and, after World War 2, became a publishing house in Montreal, Quebec. In the 1950s, the business changed to focus mainly on selling stationery and office supplies. The name also changed from Librairies Fernand Pilon to Librairies Pilon, Inc. Four locations were opened around Montreal. Store branded pencils were sold mainly in the 1960s.
S-Marque - S-Marque Inc. (which I believe later became Basics Office Products) sold Canadian made pencils. These pencils were manufactured by Dixon Ticonderoga Inc. for S-Marque probably in the mid-1980s.
Wheatley & Wilson Ltd. - This was a large stationery and office supply store in Montreal, Quebec. They were incorporated in the early 1940s. They appear to have been in business until at least the late 1970s.
