Paper Plus Cloth is a DIY-enthusiast's paradise specializing in calligraphy tools, paper, lettering, and workshops for the creative mind.

What started as an e-commerce business specializing in Japanese stationery four years ago has become a huge Parkdale store with Parisian vibes, and something akin to a writer's wonderland. 

A resurgence in the art of calligraphy and other refined, tactile crafts has bolstered Rowena Sunga's store into an artist's destination stocked with hundreds of quality tools. 

Whether you're looking for sturdy Tools to Liveby binder clips ($6.90) or darling Avril yarn ($9.50 for a spool), it feels the store has it all. 

Japanese stationery still remains the main core of the stock here; in fact, 80 per cent of the store's stock hails from Japan. 

Near the front entrance you'll find a massive table overflowing with pens hailing from Nippon—the skinny type, the erasable kind, you name it—that you'd love to fill your dream pencil case with. 

Luddites will appreciate the collection of fountain pens and ink courtesy of Tokyo brand Pilot. Starting at $21 and as expensive as $72, you can pair your pen with your choice of ink ($17) from over 24 different colours.

There are notebooks and writing pads aplenty, and the store carries brands like Rhodia, which is known for being calligrapher-friendly. 

Like bullet journaling, the beautiful notebook from Traveler's Company has become an increasingly popular system of note-taking.

The store sells both the leather bound starter kit ($69) and the refillable papers that range from $6 to $13.50. 

If you've never heard of washi tape, this is the place to start a newfound obsession. Made of Japanese rice paper, washi tape is both decorative and useful. 

Featuring the tiny art of artists from Japan, Taiwan, and China, there's over 1,000 styles at the store ranging from $7 to $18. You can cover laptops and binders with them, they're easy to remove, plus they won't cause any damage to the paint on your walls. 

A workshop area in the back features beautiful printed posters on Italian paper (shockingly cheap at $6) illustrated in the style of France's famous 20th century visual encyclopedia Le Larousse by Adolphe Millot. 

Around this table is also where Paper Plus Cloth hosts a variety of workshops. Some are free, like the weekly journaling meetups where people can learn about decked out journals (and show off their own). 

There's more intensive ones, like a pointed pen calligraphy workshop for $85, or an intro to needle felting class for $75. The world-famous calligrapher Paul Antonio has even dropped by to teach a workshop. 

There's tools available for renting at about $10 an hour, including a gold foil machine that lets you custom laminate your birthday cards (supply kits costs $25 and up) and other creative works. 

If, however, you're really just looking for a birthday card, the store has that too. At the front of the store is where you'll find a wall of cards all made by Canadian artists, like Hubbub Paper Co.

And right underneath, the best part of the whole place: a pair of We R Memory Keepers typewriters. 

They're free to use, and they really embody what the store is all about: a way to express yourself creatively in the most hands-on, analog way possible.