Bookshops are my refuge from the slings and arrows of every day life. When I enter a bookshop, the same sense of peace infuses me that I’d imagine people experience when they enter a church.
Somehow, nothing bad can happen to me while I’m perusing books. I love the smell of the new paper and the print. I love the uncracked spines. I love the weave of safety, sanity, beauty and escape that I find amongst the book stacks.
I also love beautiful things (see earlier post on Favourite Men). I especially love beautiful things with a sense of humour (see in particular Dave Grohl and Johnny Depp) hence my delight at finding my local bookshop stocked a new range of stationery.
Running your own business is a fraught affair these days, but running a business on a small Scottish island takes a leap of faith that borders on the irresponsible. How glad I am that the lovely Karen threw herself out over the abyss and started a bookshop here.
Print Point is not the most enchanting name for a book shop, but that's because they also offer printing services (see, it all makes sense really. I bet a man chose it though.). But the bit I wanted to share with you today is the new stationery.
Journals are a particular weakness of mine. I buy them all the time, each one sits expectantly on the shelf, waiting for the day for A Project to seduce my mind and for my pen to ink-up its virgin pages.
Y'see, for me there's no need to change job, change city or even trade-in Tertarus for a big wolfhound to get a fresh start in life - all I need is a new journal with sheafs of blank paper, a pen and an Autumn evening by the fire with a glass of wine.
These ones, above, come in two sizes. The 'If found, do not publish' size is £3.99 and the '1970s style laptop' one is £5.99.
Then there are these script-fronted ones - which I adore. I've got a thing developing about typography, I think! And these hardback journals are reminiscent of the Aardvarkonsea.com posters that I love.
I've made the photo rather large so that you can read the inscriptions on the fronts. There's six styles in this range.
Hmmm I might buy 'Earth Shatteringly Amazing Ideas'!
These ones are £5.99 each
Karen didn't just buy the journals, oh no, she bought a whole slew of other bits and bobs that go towards making the journalling experience all the more enjoyable.
The pens are £1.99 and are inscribed 'Practice Autograph With' or 'Lose in Bag '
The pencils are embossed with 'My Millionth', 'You'll miss me when I'm gone' and 'Rest Behind the ear and then look for'. £1.99 each
There are two rulers - 'This sentence is 6.9cm long' and 'Use as a comb if Bald' - £1.25 each
The eraser reads ' Pretend You're Never Wrong' and costs £1.25
The pink pencil case reads: 'Use as a V small pillow' and costs £4.99
There is a felt tip pen set at £3.99 with 5 pens.
And lastly there is a note block that says 'Stupid Little Notes' or 'To Do or Not To Do'
Karen says that if anyone is interested in getting an item posted out, she will charge £1 per item P&P - but if you wanted to order more than one thing, she will work out a better price - especially if it's just a pencil or eraser!
You can contact Karen at 01700 503389 from anywhere in the UK.
Thanks for reading this all the way through to the end, I like to support local businesses - and to share things that take my fancy with you, my reader :-)
Normal service will be resumed tomorrow......
3 Sept 2010
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I really like the Waldo Pancake stuff, but would like to support your local shop so bookmark this for a little bit later in the month to be all ready for the new term (work in a university so have a few more weeks yet!)
ReplyDeleteNew stationary makes everything better. It really does. I need to write in my beautiful elegant journal tonight (it makes me feel like a grown up - even though I am clearly a moody teenager who somehow has grey hair encroaching!)
I love the one that says "Evil Plans and Stuff" I feel like being evil! Like you, I love stationary, writing on that first page of a new notebook is akin to eating cake!
ReplyDeleteWhen I travelled, which used to be a lot, I'd buy a new journal to catelogue my adventures. I've lost the habit these days, but my wife is still at it, journaling that is, so I can feel a purchase coming on. Thanks for posting this Ali.
ReplyDeleteYep, I absolutely have to have 'Evil Plans & Stuff', and maybe a few more. I'll be in touch.
ReplyDeleteClearly, a trip to Scotland is in order! No matter how pooky things are, a browse in a stationer's sets all to rights. (As evidenced by the large collection of notebooks and pens keeping me company here in my office!)
ReplyDeleteI have to admit I love book and stationary shops, I love buying cards too, I can spend hours reading them and touching all the lovely paper crisp and unstained .. everything in my house gets stained ...xx
ReplyDeleteI'm torn between 'If found don't publish' and 'Stupid little notes'
ReplyDelete- and yes, always good to support local businesses, so keep on shopping!
I'm loving these and btw have told you off in my comment box!
ReplyDeleteThere are now at least 6 things I want, plus a few that would be good for friends!
ReplyDelete(I have the same feeling with book shops. They are my church!)
I shall be phoning Karen!
I entirely agree about the loveliness of books and paper, but being a registered pedant, and on the police files for it, I did worry a bit about the alternative spellings of 'stationery' and 'stationary' in some of the Comments. I only mention this because I went into a shop once and asked the girl 'Do you keep stationary' and she blushed and said 'Well I try to, but sometimes I have to jiggle a bit towards the end'. Yes, I was puzzled too.
ReplyDeleteJohnB - I cannot think WHAT she might have been alluding to at ALL!
ReplyDeleteLM - Karen's lovely and always on the look out for new loveliness to stock in the shop!
Mrs Make Do - Will beetle off to your comments to see what I've been told off about lol!
Mrs TNMA - I do. When I find books that I want, it's so easy to order from Amazon. I always give Karen first refusal. I tell her how much they cost on Amazon and if she can match it, I get them from her (or if it's just a pound or two difference I still get them from her!)
Wildernesschic - I too am a stainer. A hand-wiper, that's me. That's why I own no white clothing at all ;-)
Anastasia - hop over the pond! You'll be very welcome :-D
Santa - good choices! I can't make my mind up at all!!
Legend - you blog, so that's a bit like journalling, only in public! You should start journalling again if it's something that makes you happy.
Mrs Fab - like cake...only minus the calories! How many times have you written ONLY on the first couple of pages and then ran out of steam?!
Siobhan - bookmark away! The more the merrier ;-)
Ali x
Oooh! These are fantastic! I certainly shall be buying some. I can't work out which are my favourites though. I adore books. I buy them mostly in used hardback's from Amazon. Used books are the way forward I think. I'm trying to be green xx
ReplyDeleteChristina - Lovely to see you back after your marathon Mrs Jones session!
ReplyDeleteI always buy paperbacks for holiday reading in charity shops. Then I can either leave them behind for someone else to read or bring them home and recycle back into the charity shop!
Ali x