OTHER CITIES: 
The Best Card, Paper and Stationery Shops in Toronto
- Posted by Catherine
- Filed in Best of Toronto
- August 8, 2008
Except for a brief blip around the holidays, most mail is a grating medley of flyers, junkmail and bills. But mixed in with my recycling-to-be the other day was a thank you card from my friend's little girl (Hi Bridget!).
Getting unexpected, genuine post in the mail is like finding a $20 in your shorts' pocket when you bring your summer wardrobe back out. There's the heart-fluttering "what's this?" moment, as it puts lustre on an ordinary day.
Plus the underrated fun of actual card shopping. Where you can build a narrative around what the proprietor seems to think you'll be doing while you write your note. Maybe writing letters awakens your inner need to own soaps shaped like ducks. Develop a hankering for decorative ceramic tiles? Roger's Chocolates? Inspirational fridge magnets about changing the world? An apron that says "Will Cook for Sex"?
I might open a store that sells greeting cards, pulled pork, and cat toys. I genuinely think I could get away with it.
Now that so many professional artists and designers are producing greeting cards, they're more like small-scale, affordable works of art. Specialty paper stores are all over the city, and unspecialized places who have a card rack up are even more plentiful.
This list is just to get you started. There are any number more places that do a brisk business in cards on the side, like Ten Thousand Villages or Kid Icarus (see the Best Places to Find Stuff Made by Local Designers), or they're better known for something else, like The Outer Layer and Magic Pony.
Wherever you get your stash from, pick up some paper and commit a random act of correspondence. Visit the glittering tactile wonderlands that are card and paper stores, and reclaim your mailbox.
Composite photo at top of Essence du Papier (courtesy of Patrick Smith) at left, and The Paper Place at right.
The Paper Place
A few years ago, "The Japanese Paper Place" reinvented themselves as simply "The Paper Place". Fresh coats of paint and a more international selection (1000 papers from around the world), but underneath it all it's the same quality destination. Still selling squares of chiyogami by the door like candy. Addictive, intoxicating candy. What are you going to do with a pile of tiny squares of chiyogami? What aren't you going to do? More...
Token
Token is chic and polished, but heavy into whimsy. Get your moleskines while they're hot, a selection currently on sale at 50% off, including the watercolour book, and the Japanese Album. If you're the type to sip tea and nosh on a biscuit while you catch up on your letters, also check out Shinzi Katoh's tea cups, with matching dish for your cookie or tea bag ($19.95). More...
Essence du Papier
One of the only stores on the list who also has a lot to offer the pen fetishist. Pens by Visconti, Cartier, Faber-Castell, Dunhill. Wrapping paper so elegant you could wrap an empty box and the recipient might not even notice. Scrapbooking supplies, a full wall of blank-inside cards, and the most complete inventory of Semikolon I've seen in the city. More...
Pulp the Paper Gallery
Pulp, like Valhalla, has a thick selection of greeting cards, while also stocking selected playful extras. Such as luggage tags printed with "My Wife Calls Me Tiger", and $0.50 finger puppet zombie heads. Cards range from "har-har" to schwank. They even already have boxes of Christmas cards out for sale (back left). Somewhere there is a person who is that on top of things. You wonderful organized fiend you. More...
The Papery
Weddings are the last stronghold of paper-based communications, and card stores know it. The Papery has a whole mini-counter displaying bridal party rhinestone-studded clothing. "I'll take... 80 vellum inserts for the RSVP, and hmmm, a rhinestone-studded tshirt that says 'Bride' on it please." An extensive store with mini take-away gift boxes, greeting cards, and all the fixings for invitations. More...
Valhalla
If I toted my files more often, I might go in for Modern Geometry's "Pretty File Tote" (building praise right into the name, eh Modern Geometry? Well-played.) As it is, my files are pretty sedentary, but if yours aren't, this is the place to go. Gawk at the fantabulous wall of postcards at the entrance. Many of the Canadiana ones are printed by the store itself. More...
Paper Things
Paper Things is a project of The National Ballet of Canada's Volunteer Committee, with all store proceeds donated to the Build-A-Ballet Fund. Monogrammed thank yous, monogrammed napkins, brocaded paper journals, fine papers from Crane and Lalo. Spotted here -- a couple of supersized wedding cards (16-inchers). A whole section in the back dedicated to invitation design and assembly. More...
Red Pegasus
Not just a pegasus, a red pegasus. Any old winged horse doesn't move product, we need one with fire in its belly. Owned and operated by Rachel Chester, Red Pegasus has been in business for 10 years. As well as cards and retro-cheeky bath and body products, they stock journals from the very specific (see the "ticket stub diary"), to the all-purpose, like their vintage-inspired lined versions. More...
The Monkey's Uncle
Part novelty shop, part toy store, The Monkey's Uncle has lots of cards featuring dogs and cats in hats and sunglasses, high-larious captions, and bikinis (though rarely all on one card, thankfully). Sitting by its bright green lonesome, The Monkey's Uncle is on Sherbourne just south of King, by the gas station. Also featuring lots of tote-type bags, edibles, and aggressively cheerful umbrellas. More...
Paperboy
A store can't exist on paper alone (even The Paper Place dabbles in salt and pepper shakers). Paperboy's coupled their selection of knee-slapper cards with flip-flop shaped fly swatters, candles... in short, everything and the dip bowl to go with it. On Pleasant Blvd, sufficiently tucked away to avoid eye contact with The Papery across the street. More...
Hatale
On the west side of Yonge just north of Davenport is the hidden treasure of Hatale. Featuring Lokta, a handmade Nepalese rice paper, plain or fashioned into various products. From box sets (5 for $45) to "scrap" packs (assorted bundles of patterned lokta) to passport journals ($3.99). Also lots of felted extras. Including the sparkly balls and garlands you can also find at The Paper Place. More...
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Here's an idea-
print a tiny little label that says
"no junk mail please",
and put it on (or near) your mailbox.
Works wonders.