Stationery Shopping in Paris
🥐 Your guide to papeterie à Paris!
I have just returned from my bread vacation. An autumn trip with a friend to Paris and Copenhagen and the agenda to eat as many different types of breads and pastries as possible1. I am now bread. But before I became bread, I had arrived in Paris with a separate agenda: to visit as many stationery shops in the city as possible.
Last month I shared my Stationery Shop World Map to document independent stationery shops I love, or would like to visit some day. Paris already hosts a few of my favorites, but further research exposed an unusually high concentration of papeteries that needed personal vetting by moi. This trip was largely successful! I’ll cover 14 shops in this guide. As usual, a few were left unexplored (5 but nbd) because I was enjoying the city at a relaxed pace (it was my vacation), but that just means I’ll need to make a return trip soon2.
Quick interlude/announcement - JournalingDan is now offering paid subscriptions.
This Paris guide, as it’s my publication’s first in-depth travel guide, will not be entirely paywalled BUT I will be paywalling the helpful Paris Google map at the very end of this post (which also includes bakeries, bookstores, and non-stationery shops I like) + an easy-to-save short form list. The list of stationery shops I visited in Paris will still be entirely accessible in longform via this post, and on my Stationery Shop world map, which I intend to keep free as a resource for stationery lovers looking to support unique and independent shops! This guide also became quite lengthy, so there will be a separate haul post of what I actually bought at these shops. 🛍️
In the future, paid subscribers can expect bonus content, in depth maps/itineraries by city, etc. But I plan to keep most of my content free as the JournalingDan Substack evolves and grows. 💌 If you choose to support this publication with a free or paid subscription, thank you so much!
The Escargot Map:
Like the city’s circular design of arrondissements, we will be starting in the middle and spiraling outward like an escargot3 - which is also one of the amazing pastries you can get at Du Pain et des Idées in the 10th. 🐌
A Helpful French to English Glossary:
Papeterie - Stationery store
Librairie - Book store
Tampon - Rubber stamp (yep!)
Ier Arrondissement
Delfonics - 99 Rue de Rivoli (Carrousel du Louvre)
There are two Delfonics shops in the world: one is in Osaka, and the other is straight off the exit for the Palais Royal-Musee du Louvre metro stop4. The Carrousel du Louvre, an underground shopping mall, serves as one of the entryways to the Louvre museum and the Metro, and also hosts the museum gift shops5. Delfonics, a Japanese brand known for its stationery storage pouches, stocks a robust selection of Parisian themed stationery souvenirs in their shop as well. ++ They stock Lamy pens, Rollbahn notebooks (and washi tapes with Rollbahn notebooks on them6), Leuchtturms in every color, specialty scissors, sticky notes, etc. etc. and of course, the pouches! A very necessary and easy stationery stop to visit if you’re touristing in Paris. I stopped by while exiting the Louvre.
2ieme Arrondissement
Louise Carmen - 6 Pass. du Grand Cerf
Louise Carmen creates “practical, beautiful, and refillable leather notebooks that you personalize according to your taste and writing habits” but I actually did not make it here this trip! They had a pop up in New York (at Goods for the Study on W 8th, while I was in Paris) so we missed each other in more ways than one! If you’re a stationery lover and haven’t seen their videos on social media, their notebook appointment videos are soothing, educational, and mildly addicting. (EG below) Also on TikTok here.
Completely customizable with embossing, charms, elastic bands, and of course leather color, a Louise Carmen notebook is a perfect souvenir from Paris. It’s basically the L’Officine customized hairbrush for people who love stationery. The company is very transparent about where everything is made (Leather in France, elastic bands from Japan…) and prioritize ethics and sustainability which I so appreciate.
You can of course, browse their products and order online at louisecarmen.com, but one day I would love to have the experience of an in-person notebook appointment! A Louise Carmen is very special.
3ieme Arrondissement
Papier Tigre - 5 Rue des Filles du Calvaire
Another France-Japan connection! Like Delfonics, Papier Tigre has only 2 stores in the world, one in Japan (Tokyo) and one in Paris. Their original line of Paris-inspired notebooks are so cute, but I absolutely love their RATP (Paris Transport Administration) Collaboration:
These are actually the perfect souvenir? Especially as someone with a thing for public transit (I am the proud owner of the Kate Spade x MTA Metrocard wallet) I regret not getting one7. Conveniently located off Rue de Tourrene (great vintage shopping), the bright and airy shop also stocks wall calendars, agendas, pencil boxes, lamps, washi tape, stamps, colorful pens, and individually sold watercolor pans.
Merci - 111 Bd Beaumarchais
Not specifically a stationery store, but an “everything store” with a stationery section - Merci has home goods like dishware and bedsheets, but also a shoe department and a vintage clothing section. It’s a large yet cozy place, like a department store if you put it inside of someone’s house. Upstairs among the home decor, there’s a stationery section featuring Merci branded notebooks, the Merci giant eraser, art books, coloring books, a very cool stapler I considered, and L’Amali Paris 100% cotton notebooks. The special focus on handmade goods and quality materials really shoots this store toward the top of my favorites list. +a Merci tote makes a great souvenir!
++ Merci bonus content: they also have a used book shop/cafe in a separate building at the front, which I have to visit sometime (I evening shopped so it was closed when I went).
L’Ecritoire- 26 Pass. Molière
Passage Molière is an alley (a very cute one lined with shops) so don’t miss your turn when visiting L’Ecritoire. This stationery and paper goods shop has a special focus on wax seals (all made in France), and an original line of sealing wax sticks embossed with the shop’s name.
In the world of paper goods, L’Ecritoire stocks laser cut cards, bookmarks (I got one), and prints, + stickers with a vintage flair. For the ink enthusiast, serious calligrapher, dip-pen user, there are inkwells of Limoges porcelain and exquisite pen rests. It’s also a very short walk from our next stop, Centre Pompidou!
4ieme Arrondissement
Centre Pompidou- Place Georges-Pompidou
I have a soft spot for this building. Not to be like “I studied abroad in Paris in college,” but I did and I used to hang out here a lot. I love its weird inside-out architecture and the kinetic sculpture Fontaine Stravinsky next to it. Entering the lobby and to the right, you’ll find the museum’s librairie8, not only a great supplier of art books but of paper and notebooks too! There’s a full selection of paper from L’Amali Paris (I really do love those thick cotton notebooks with rough edges - so rustic) and tons of notebooks with cute covers from a number of French brands like Gallimard.
Mélodies Graphiques- 10 Rue du Pont Louis-Philippe
A short walk toward the river will bring you to Mélodies Graphiques - a vintage-leaning stationery shop wallpapered with letters from its many admirers. Their decorative papers, sold in either small sheets or poster-sized pieces are perfectly Parisian and enchanting, I can never go home without at least one. Their line of watercolor blocks branded with the shop’s name are handmade [by Fabriano in Italy] and 100% cotton. Rubber Stamps, specialty notebooks, seals, pens, and inks line the walls of the shop in a way that looks exactly like those miniature kits depicting cluttered antique bookshops. Be sure to visit both parts of the store (next door to each other) for the full experience.
Calligrane - 6 Rue du Pont Louis-Philippe
This specialty paper store is literally next door to Mélodies Graphiques! The clean and minimalistic shop houses many drawers of handmade paper featuring adornments like dried fruit and flowers. It’s like browsing the archives of a paper museum.
6eme Arrondissement
Charvin - 57 Quai des Grands Augustins
Across the river on the Left Bank we have Charvin - famed pigment maker with a long history (since 1830). This is technically an art supply shop, stocking oil, acrylic, gouache, and watercolor paints of the highest quality + sketchbooks and brushes! The watercolor palettes, available in various sizes, shapes, and color schemes look like delectable tins of French chocolates…obviously I had to have one. You can also choose a palette tin and select individual watercolor pans to build a custom Charvin palette. A veritable paint buffet for artists, delicious!
Marin Montagut - 48 Rue Madame
I have written about Marin Montagut before and it remains one of my favorite shops of all time. Stepping into this store is like stepping into a Parisian artist’s apartment and picking out trinkets and home decor you like to take home. I could write a whole post about why going here is a peak shopping experience (maybe I will). The artist behind the store (the eponymous Marin Montagut), is a watercolorist who has designed and illustrated each and every item in the store, fait à main with love. If I could live inside of a shop - this would be the one! The watercolor palette in collaboration with Charvin is still on my wishlist. + The recently designed macaron box for Ladurée cements Marin Montagut’s reputation as the Parisian shop. I want to collect every item from this place until my apartment looks like the shop itself.
L'Écume des Pages - 174 Bd Saint-Germain
This is primarily a librairie BUT its awning did advertise a papeterie which I spotted while people watching those queuing up for Café de Flore next door. The interior of L'Écume des Pages is lined with red shelves and peppered with low-hanging silver lamps.
There is an aisle of papeterie at the front, with tons of pens, and Parisian themed stationery, (I did really like the ones featuring haussmannian roofs). The art book section is also not to be missed, I added this French language Wes Anderson book by Christophe Narbonne to my wishlist. In the books on Paris section, I found the Paris Chéri - Travel Book by Zoé de Las Cases, which was apparently just released in September of this year. Paris Chéri is basically a fill-in-the-blank travel journal, and each beautiful page features a different prompt or activity to record your trip to Paris9. This tome does weigh 22oz, and cost €25, but is one of the most unique stationery finds I came home with! The accompanying sticker book and address book were also amazing, but at the same cost and weight - tough choices had to be made. Again, another reason to return to the city soon!
7eme Arrondissement
Le Bon Marché Rive Gauche - 24 Rue de Sèvres
Initially, I went to Le Bon Marché (venerable Parisian department store), to look at Polène bags and use the bathroom. When I saw signs for the Librairie/Papeterie department on the top floor, I had to do a quick stop and see…
…It was not a quick stop. The top floor of Le Bon Marché might be stationery heaven. Here you’ll find fine stationery, haute stationery, and most of all, service!
Stationery services offered at Le Bon Marché’s Librairie/Papeterie:
The Caran d’Ache build your own pen counter (complete with an engraving service).
A Leuchtturm notebook customization counter (emboss your new notebook with your name, initials, symbols etc.!)
A custom stamp design service (a design artist was present and consulting clients to create original illustrations for custom rubber stamps).
I know I was literally in the stationery department of a department store, but imagine if there was a department store for stationery because this floor was it. Each brand of stationery was housed on a shelf with all of its latest styles in every color like a Bloomingdale’s. I saw items I knew of but had never seen in real life, like the Caran d’Ache special edition cosmic blue pencil sharpener (beautiful and $295). The Moleskine Casa Batlló Custom Edition Notebook ($33), which I could not even find in Barcelona this summer! This is an excellent stop for fine stationery, but there are items available in every price range.
If you’re short on time in Paris and need to cover a lot of stationery ground quickly, the papeterie has sections dedicated to shops covered in this newsletter, like Papier Tigre, and also French brands like Le Typographe, Carnet Chouette, Season Paper, L’Atelier Letterpress, all in one place! For gift shopping, stationery shopping, and souvenir shopping, Le Bon Marché was unexpectedly an essential shop to add to the list.
Musée d'Orsay Bookshop - (exiting the museum)
This shop is only accessible if you’ve visited the museum, but if you’re visiting the Musée d'Orsay, (and you probably are because us romantic stationery lovers love the impressionists) the bookshop/gift shop is fantastic. Papier Tigre has an exclusive collaboration with the museum (pictured above, center). Some items from Marin Montagut can also be found here (some porcelain + the watercolor palettes)! And seemingly endless variations of impressionist works on notebook covers (perfect). Also available: a Van Gogh portrait rubber stamp (pictured), the surprisingly cute Musée d'Orsay sweatshirt (might be a need), pens, pencils, coloring books, and of course, art books.
9eme Arrondisement
An honorable mention for Galleries Lafayette - if you’re on a very quick trip to Paris and you happen to be here, the souvenirs/gift department on the 6th floor stocks stickers, postcards, and even Papier Tigre notebooks! I also just happen to like shopping here anyway so, if you’re on the way to the roof anyway (great views) - it’s a good stop on your trip!
Shops I have yet to visit:
(There’s always a reason to return to Paris)
Louise Carmen - 6 Pass. du Grand Cerf (2nd)
Sennelier - 3 Quai Voltaire (6th)
Le Carré d’Encre - 13bis Rue des Mathurins (9th)
Cassegrain - 109 Bd Haussmann (9th)
Miss Parfaite - 22 Pass. Verdeau (9th)
I’d like to report from the Marché aux Puces (flea market) some time, I haven’t been in years!
You’ve reached the Paywall!
Beyond this point you’ll find:
A quick shortlist of stationery shops to easily save/screenshot
The link to a Google Map of shops, bakeries, bookstores, and other stores I like.
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