Pen Pushers: Where to Buy Stationery in Paris
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Various ongoing Gen Z trends, from the Lit Girl trope to an Insta yen for all things analogue and hand-crafted, put Parisian stationery stores squarely in vogue. And while they surely are so, and not least the just-debuted Papier Royal store, these delightful dens are also nothing new: some of the capital’s longest standing papeteries have been here for decades. Those usually offer a charmingly time-trapped feel just as more recent examples opt for a more minimal, modern vibe. What all have in common is a deep, solemn reverence for writing paper, seals, Moleskines, monograms and the like.
As there are dozens of these boutiques — even when bookstores or art-supply shops with staple stationery sections are filtered out — plus the odd department-store section across Paris, it seems helpful to flag some stand-outs. Whether you’re after something specific or merely keen to geek out, the following gems are all superb.
Along the swanky Palais-Royal arcade, Ramdane Touhami — an energetic entrepreneur who has previously revived the fragrance and cosmetics brand Officine Universelle Buly 1803 and founded Words Sounds Colors & Shapes, a Marais concept store — hopes to resuscitate the art of printed correspondence. On mosaiced floors below a sky-painted ceiling, Papier Royal can print bespoke business cards, monogrammed sheets or envelopes on ancientXX machines that Touhami has personally sourced, with 86 new fonts and more than 500 paper options to choose from. Around this, writing implements from around the world are sold alongside illustrated postcards and all grades of HB graphite pencils.
146 Gal de Valois, 1st
Less than a year old, Gomme is a bright, orderly store close to Canal Saint-Martin north of Place de la République. Although greeting cards are a particular strength, with trays full of enticing options you’ll not see anywhere else, the carefully curated selection also encompasses notebooks, pens, attractive stickers, washiXX tape and supplies for sketchers or graphic artists, none of them mass-market or cheaply-made. Best of all, expect warm service which is unstintingly helpful and never patronizing.
10 Rue Lucien Sampaix, 10th
Steps from the Centre Pompidou but secreted away down a shop-lined alley, L’Ecritoire is cozy, old-school and surprisingly affordable. Wax seals, fountain pens, inks and inkwells — including those made from Limoges porcelain — are particular strengths, with classical bookmarks, notecard sets and pen rests also on sale. Who doesn’t need a pen rest? Once you’re done, try also to squeeze in a visit to Misaki Iinuma’s workshop-boutique, just down Passage Molière, where handmade, east-meets-west paper and cardboard awaits.
26 Passage Molière, 3rd
Ascend to the top floor of this venerable emporium on Saint-Germain’s western fringes, and stationery buffs will find a wonderful combined librarie and papeterie. The latter half includes such delights as a build-your-own-pen counter (engraving optional); customizable Leuchtturm notebooks; and a bespoke rubber stamping service. Numerous high-calibre brands from Le Typographe to L’Atelier Letterpress also have their own section in true department store style, and rare, special edition Moleskines or pens are often on sale.
24 Rue de Sèvres, 7th
The interior of Le Bon Marché. Photo credit: Cheng-en Cheng/ Wikimedia commons
There are two Papier Tigres: this store just off Rue de Turenne’s vintage shops and a newer sibling in Tokyo, indicative of the brand’s extensive popularity in Japan. Airy, soft-colored and contemporary, the Haut-Marais original showcases a graphic design sensibility across its Paris-inspired journals, pencil tins, gift tapes, diaries and stamps. An extensive array of calendars is reason enough to visit, as is the chance to watch notebooks being created or request a custom engraving.
5 Rue des Filles du Calvaire, 3rd
Practically begging to appear in a Wes Anderson movie, the twee Mélodies Graphiques is festooned with floral wallpaper, fan mail and a general charming clutter. Creaky stairs add to the enchantment, as does a wonderful papery aroma. Across two adjacent Marais spaces — the older one open for over 30 years now — beckon an extravaganza of supplies: handmade watercolor blocks, wax seals and inks here; brass bookmarks, leather journals, gorgeous wrapping paper and antique Christmas cards there. It’s brilliant for calligraphy, with morning lessons before opening time available on demand, and better still for inspiration-seeking gift-buyers.
10 Rue du Pont Louis-Philippe, 4th
Calligrane is next door to Mélodies Graphiques and also almost four decades old. But that’s where the likeness ends. As much gallery as stationery store, this pared-back space is a vision of airy calmness. But skill and free-thinking invention is also firmly present: museum-like pull-out drawers contain handmade paper adorned with pressed vegetables, fruits or flowers; elsewhere are woodgrain envelopes, unusual paper jewelry items or lampshades. Japanese stationery is well represented, as are leather-bound notebooks and hand-painted greeting cards.
6 Rue du Pont Louis-Philippe, 4th
In the Opera district, near Palais Garnier and Place de la Madeleine’s colonnaded church, Le Carré d’Encre stands out for its dedication to philately, or stamp collecting. One part of the shop is full of rare stamps to buy; in another, visitors design personalized, usable La Poste stamps before watching them be created. It’s also possible to concoct your own postmark, or attend one-hour workshops in illustrative calligraphy. Alongside such specialties, a welter of postcards, notebooks and writing implements can be bought.
13bis Rue des Mathurins, 9th
The following stores are also recommended: Ijii Papeterie (11th),
Adeline Klam (11th), Grim’art (6th) and Papeterie Perjac (10th), while Louise Carmen — read more here — has gone viral for its bespoke, leather-bound notebooks, available at two studios in the 2nd.
Lead photo credit : Journal writing. Photo: David Schwarzenberg/ Wikimedia commons
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