The 113thChina Stationery Fair

June 12-14, 2019

Shanghai New International Expo Center

More than being a supplement to bookstores, independent stationery stores have become a place full of culture and creativity. With more unique designs, and more bold value propositions, such shops have become places where visiting will be well worth it in the end. Today, let's  get close to them.

Papersmiths in London

Pink focus on black counter

London BOXPARK is the first container Mall in the world. Here, there are many shops out of imagination, displayed like stacked containers, including the separate stationery store Papersmiths.

The overall design of Papersmiths from the exterior to the interior was created by Studio B. The Papersmiths team has maintained close ties with Studio B since Bristol. Located upstairs and downstairs respectively, and two companies are named as “sister company” by the founders. The alignment of values makes Papersmiths a place for Studio B to play its creativity into full play.

What’s inside the store is a narrow rectangular space, and StudioB has chosen three main materials to define the overall store. That is, sturdy European Douglas wood, jasmonate composites with spotted texture and dark pink mosaic tile, and matte panels in neutral tones.

Among them, 6600 tiles are handmade by Moroccan artisans. These tiles showing a handmade sense are combined with a floating layer of special white liquid soap, creating a neutral, soft and comfortable

space.

Despite the small size of the store, Papersmiths’ operation team has also done a good job of maximizing the display of merchandises. From notebooks, pens to scissors, a wide array of stationery are available here.

Papersmiths,featuring striking strawberry milk tones emerged at BOXPARK, and quickly became the focal point of the well-designed mall. Papersmiths is special and unique even among many independent stationery stores pursuing cool tone and minimalist design in the world.

THINK OF THINGS in Tokyo

Aiming to be thought-provoking

Kokuyo, a Japanese stationery brand with more than 110 years of history, opened a three-story concept store in Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo. This is the THINK OF THINGS. As a concept store, Kokuyo opens the THINK OF THINGS, with an aim which is more than selling stationery only, but to lead people to re-examine the important influence of stationery in life.

More than displaying stationery only, the whole three-story structure also combines the forms of cafes, craft showrooms, brand studios, etc., to create a space which is “thought-provoking” as it proposed.

THINK OF THINGS’s pure white appearance with strong structural sense is eye-catching. For the interior, it uses the industrial steel design style; the cold and simple atmosphere and goods displayed orderly echoes the purpose of “thought-provoking”.

On the first floor, there is an exhibition area of Kokuyo Selection, a handmade coffee shop in collaboration with OBSCURA COFFEE ROASTERS of the Sangenjaya Tea House, and an open atrium.

There is a space for experience in the upstairs. Consumers can make DIY stationery in the craft showroom and brand studio, and designing, processing and producing of stationery are thought-provoking when it comes to things such as aesthetics behind these everyday things.

PENSTORE in Stockholm

All pens and all about pens

From the name, one can see that store sells pens only.  Located in the commercial district of Hornsgatan in Stockholm, PENSTORE is a paradise for pen lovers. Although the size of the store is small, it is enough to cover pens for various purposes.

The design of the PENSTORE is as simple and intuitive as its name, and only the large PENSTORE Logo are kept at the glass window outside the store, which is low-key while can be seen at a glance.  Standing outside, one can also see that interior of the store is pure white.

The shelves displaying pens are as open and layered as the art gallery; what distinguishes it most from common pen shops is the large trial writing table in the middle.  PENSTORE's operation team invites professional artists and designers to test the requirements on testing pens, and display pens based on different types and demands to be address, rather than brand-based, thus saving time for customers.  The spacious trial writing desks and chairs in the middle allow consumers select pens that they are most comfortable with.

In order to achieve more exquisite display, only a few staple and special pens are put separately based on the regular way of placing; the lighting of the entire space has been carefully adjusted, only texts such as SERVICE and KASSA (means checking out in Swedish) are kept, and separate lights on the counter are added for indication.  Both the intuitive and concise space design and the attention to details are aimed at achieving ultimate experience for selecting a pen.