Stationery Store Day is celebrated every year on the first Saturday in August. This year on August 5th, thousands of stationery stores around the country (even the world) will participate in the second annual day dedicated to the love of paper and supporting each other as a community. It is an amazing day filled with shopping, paper crawls, giveaways and fun. 

A few years ago, Kristina Burkey, the owner of Calliope, a small stationery store in Natick, Massachusttes decided there should be an online resource/directory of stationery stores around the world. So she started with a website which has grown into an extensive list of stores and now into an actual “holiday”.  Over the years, Kristina has become an authority on stationery within her community online and off. Customers and other enthusiasts would always ask her about stationery stores they could visit when traveling. After watching a documentary about record stores, Kristina decided that stationery stores were such a unique and special niche that they should have their own special day and resources. The first Stationery Store Day was born and celebrated in August 2022 and the response was beyond what she could imagine.  

We spoke with Kristina Burkey, Founder of Stationery Store Day about her passion for paper and why she created this special day to support fellow small business owners in the stationery world. Listen to our chat below to find out what is planned for this year and beyond: 

CALLIOPE 

Kristina, a self proclaimed card and stationery lover, decided to take the leap and leave her nine to five job in 2016. She opened her stationery store, Calliope in Natick, Massachusetts. The store is filled with all the things she loves, greeting cards, notepads, notebooks, pens, stickers, washi and more. Sounds amazing to anyone obsessed with all things paper.  Her love for stationery, bright colors and pop culture come to life on the shelves in a unique curation of the products sold there. Now, she has also expanded into an online shop which is totally representative of the the colorful personality of her brand.

STATIONERY STORE DAY 2023

After seeing the mass popularity of Stationery Store Day last year, Kristina got to work early planning to make 2023 bigger and better. Along with the beloved “street team” logo of stationery products she created the year prior, this year she partnered with a local illustrator (@eloise.draws) to design the artwork for merchandise that retailers could purchase, sell, giveaway and showcase in their stores to celebrate the day. 

The day has really become something special and has helped not only boost morale among stores since the pandemic but also helped with business and recognition for the industry overall. Within the stationery community, the day brings fellow store owners together to support each other online and in person. Store owners from around the world are excited to participate. Some stores, that are in close proximity to each, even participate in a “paper crawl” where customers travel from store to store and receive a prize at the end. On the website, there is a list of stationery stores as well an another list of participating stores where Stationery Store Day items and events can be found. The list also includes some online retailers as well.

THE RETURN TO BRICK AND MORTAR 

Supporting small businesses and shops in person as well as online is more than a growing trend. There is nothing like touching and holding a product in your hands, especially something as tactile as paper. With that in mind, many owners and founders have recently decided to take that leap and open a retail space. Even within our planner community, shops and brands have started opening a brick and mortar space. Whether it be an actual retail store or the front end of their office/warehouse, they are welcoming in their community both locally and from online. Here a few we have found recently:

The Paper Herald (Baltimore, MA)

All She Wrote Notes (Gibsonville, NC)

Poi & Hun (Redmond, WA)

Scraps of Love (Peoria, AZ)

Notiq (Houston, TX)

Appointed (Ivy City, Washington DC)

Erin Condren (Irvine, CA & Austin, TX )

Oh Hello Stationery Co (Grand Rapids, MI)

Little Craft Place (Spring, TX)

Paper Panduh Shop (Mission Viejo, CA)

Thimble Press (Jackson, MS)

Little Dog Paper Company (Laconia, NH)

Paper Place (Austin TX)

Mill and Meadow by Elyse Breanne Designs (Durham, NC)

Paper And Pencil (Chicago, IL)

Coming Soon:

Lights Planner Action (MA) 

So if you are planning a road trip, take a look at the list of stores and pop in to support. There may be a stationery store closer than you think. For more information about Stationery Store Day, follow along on Instagram or visit the website for a list of stores by location and all the details about the day.