It’s back-to-school time, and one of the greatest joys of this season is stocking up on paper and pencils for the year. We’re no longer in school, but that doesn’t mean we don’t need to get back into a more serious mindset and start making lists and taking notes now that the sun isn’t frying our brains anymore.
Montreal, a city of design and stationery snobbery, is full of stationery stores where you can stock up for the new school year.
OUR FAVORITE STATIONERY STORES IN MONTREAL
PALMO GOODS
In addition to minimalist notebooks with small grid lines (and matching coffee mugs to coordinate the colors for the new school year), PALMO GOODS also occasionally hosts workshops where you can make a leather-bound journal.
This is for those who only wear (designer) vintage and for those who are so well-organized that they’ve already chosen a color palette for their desk—time to get serious, it’s back-to-school season.
Where? Palmo Goods, at 5259 Saint-Laurent Boulevard
V.J. TAYLOR
V.J. Taylor Stationery is a bit newer and a bit more colorful. You can also find large postcards, stickers, and candy-colored papers there. When it comes to pens—whether mechanical or fountain—there’s plenty to choose from.
This is for people who’ll avoid seasonal depression this winter by turning their apartment into a ’50s-style circus tent.
Where? V.J. Taylor, at 3572 Notre-Dame Street West
ANNEX VINTAGE
Technically, it’s not a stationery store, but you can find a notebook with a matching candle holder, a glittery shopping bag, and a pair of vintage tailored pants there. It’s our childhood dream—it has all the colors we could never find at Bureau en Gros.
Where? Annex, at 5364 Saint-Laurent Boulevard
NOTE
By the way, this is Montreal’s most serious stationery store—it carries Exacompta index cards, lined notebooks of all sizes, fountain pens, inks, and binders in every color.
Where? Nota Bene Stationery, at 3416 Avenue du Parc
PAPEROLE
This is the stationery store we take our friends to when they visit Montreal, because it’s also one of the prettiest souvenir shops on the Plateau Mont-Royal. There are prints, books, themed exhibits, and a really cute “Back to School” selection.
Where? Paperole , at 470 Duluth Avenue East
