The Write Stuff

By Lisa Arnett
September 2023 View more Discover

These paper and stationery shops have your future correspondence covered

Paper Source

NAPERVILLE AND OAK BROOK

This paper biz with shops nationwide is based in Chicago, with local retail outposts in downtown Naperville and Oakbrook Center. Here you can browse tables stacked with gifts and wall displays lined with cards, gift wrap, and stationery. “We are most known for our paper bar that provides an array of beautiful colors of flat cards, folded cards, and envelopes,” says Lauren Burnitz, Oak Brook store manager and interim manager in Naperville. “We also have paper craft kits that are designed in-house and produced in our warehouse in Forest Park. They are all hand-cut.” Colorful back-to-school goodies include spiral notebooks, pencil cases, and more. 215 S. Main St., Naperville; 433 Oakbrook Center, Oak Brook; papersource.com
Good to know: “We always have some sort of fun activity going on at our demo cart in the store,” Burnitz says. “Everything from making paper butterflies to learning how to write a letter to making a seasonal card.”

The Paper Peony

DOWNERS GROVE

Owner Jennifer Larkin got her start in the paper business designing wedding invitations back in 2003. She later studied the craft of letterpress printing at Columbia College Chicago, acquired her own press, and started making greeting cards out of her home to sell on Etsy.com. When a storefront in downtown Downers Grove became available last year, she jumped at the opportunity to create a unique hybrid business that is part boutique, part letterpress studio, and part maker space. Letterpress cards made by Larkin and other designers from around the country are a focal point, as is the candle bar showcasing her hand-poured wooden-wick candles in various scents and hues. “We also have foil-stamped pencil sets with fun little sayings on them and lots of gift wrap that I’ve designed and illustrated,” Larkin says. Behind the retail area, you’ll find Larkin’s letterpress and a space where she holds workshops ranging from candle making to calligraphy. 1008 Curtiss St., Downers Grove, thepaperpeony.com
Good to know: “A big part of my business is giving back,” Larkin says. “I’m always up for a good fundraiser.” She recently designed a special Champagne-and-raspberry-scented candle for Mother’s Day to raise funds for the Downers Grove Junior Women’s Club.

Invitations Etc.

BATAVIA

Need invitations for a wedding or important event? At this paper showroom, Steve Almy is ready to be your guide. He and his wife, Michele, bought the business in 2006, gave it a modern makeover, and moved it from Aurora to Batavia in 2009. “We are a full-service print studio and work with amazing press operators that provide us the opportunity to do foil, raised print, digital, letterpress, and embossing all on a wide variety of paper options,” he says. They also sell photo thank-you cards, save the dates, place cards, programs, menus, personalized napkins, and signage. “We absorb the stress that our clients would normally deal with if they did their wedding invitations on their own. There are print issues all the time, but we are perfectionists, so our clients never see nor hear about the issues,” Almy says. With the proliferation of online invitation services, Almy tries to price products competitively. “What most don’t realize is that we are cheaper than online retailers and are 100 percent involved all the time at no extra cost. Nothing beats touching and seeing the paper to understand what you should have as a final product. It’s hard to do that on a screen.” 235 W. Wilson St., Batavia, invetc.com
Good to know: Shopping is by appointment only so Almy can give guests his full attention. “The average appointment time takes about 45 minutes to an hour, but we block out two-hour spots for all guests so they don’t feel rushed and can go at their own pace while we guide them.”

Photos: Paper Source; The Paper Peony; Invitations ETC.—Batavia