Lunchtime at the Stationery Store

I’m fortunate to work in a neighborhood with some great shopping– or perhaps it’s unfortunate, as the temptation to overspend can be dangerous! Here in New York’s Flatiron/Chelsea district I have at least 3 good stationery/art supply shops within a short walk: Paper Access, Sam Flax, and A. I. Friedman.

Today I spent part of my lunch hour browsing at Paper Access. They must have just recently gotten in a lot of their fall merchandise, as I noticed a lot of new things I hadn’t seen on my last visit.

They had the Eco Jot notebooks I posted about recently, which actually come in two sizes, approx 6×8″ and 4×6″ if I’m remembering correctly. They also had Goldline notebooks made by Tollit and Harvey, who manufacture the Guildhall notebooks. Paper Access seemed to be down to only one last Guildhall in the pocket size– perhaps Black Cover wiped them out! I prefer the Goldline notebooks anyway, as they have unlined paper, though I’m not crazy about their pastel suede covers.

I also spotted a whole shelf of Cavallini notebooks in wonderfully colorful retro designs– I’ve been a fan of these since the early 1990s– their cover designs are fabulous, even though I’ve never loved the size and the ones I’ve owned didn’t have the greatest paper.

Paper Access now also stocks the HandBook journals, which they didn’t a few months ago. And of course they have the full line of Moleskines, and plenty of Rhodia, Miquelrius and Clairefontaine.

I do love this store, and I could easily have spent a ton of money– and there’s the rub: Paper Access is really expensive! They are now charging $12.95 for pocket-size Moleskines, and the HandBook journals were $10.95 for the pocket size– each at least a dollar or two more than they cost at A.I. Friedman just a block away. But browsing is free, and I have a backlog of empty notebooks to use right now anyway!

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