Paper Source

I could browse in the store for hours. Unique gifts. Things I don’t see in lots of other stores. And a solid selection of paper crafting items. Love.

I came here to get envelopes for my wedding invitations, and all the women working there were soooo nice and helpful! They seriously all voted on what color pen I should use and what washi tape (the shop wasn’t busy) I should use to seal the envelopes.

I’ve come here twice, once just to look around and yesterday when I was on a specific mission for some Cavellini wrapping paper (it makes a great art print for my wall.)
Usually in smaller shops like this I feel like the salespeople are always hovering, but here they’re friendly but let you look around without pressuring you. There are tons of really cute stationery items, but most are more than what I would pay, simply because I don’t ever write letters or journals. It totally looks like a place lifestyle bloggers would eat up.
They have an impressive stock of craft supplies, and it makes me want to learn to make prints and stamp and all that good stuff. Unfortunately I have zero skill and anything I would make would look like a kindergarten student made it, so I’ll pass over those items for the wrapping paper.

Paper Source is a great place to have in your back pocket when you need… you know, all the stuff that they have here. Mostly gift-​giving materials such as cards, gift bags, and fancy wrapping paper. I recently came in for gift bags and found a great selection: on the one hand, owls (eye roll), moustaches (double eye roll), and goldfish (don’t get it); on the other, guitars, zoo animals (cute for kids), hippie-​style bicycles, a wood-​grain pattern, a fair range of stripes and chevrons and polka-​dots, and best of all, a really cool nautical motif with sailboats, anchors, whales, fish, seahorses, octopi and such.
They are good at what they do. A long time ago I bought a rubber stamp with my last initial R in Garamond font. A few years back they sold me a book-​making kit and offered a lot of helpful tips when I was putting together an anniversary scrapbook-​type gift for my wife. You can count on finding some kind of whimsical gift like vintage cat and dog stickers or novelty cookbooks. They are random sort of purchases and I’m not a regular customer, but it’s nice to know that they are there when I need this type of thing. The staff has never been anything less than cheerful and informative.

This is a great store, but it’s great because of the very helpful staff. We got our wedding invitations here, and we were walked through the process by the store manager. I must say that we wandered into a Papersource in the city, and we did NOT get the same service. This store is worth driving to…

This place is an explosion of color, paper, and craft ideas. It is a large space, almost completely filled with any kind of paper you might need. They offer lots of DIY kinds of supplies, as well as ideas and help creating something if you know what you want to do but haven’t done it yet. Their online site really helps you prepare to enter the store and start shopping, since you’re sure to be tantalized into creating your own party invitations, letterhead, photobook, wedding programs, personalized matchbooks, birthday decorations, etc. The staff is low pressure, but ready to help if you have questions or ideas you need assistance to bring to fruition. They are a bit pricier than buying any old paper at an office supply store, but it is well worth it to get the confidence and selection of their goods.

I came in looking for do-​it yourself wedding invitations and was not disappointed. While one of the sales staff fit the review that said they were snobby, the woman I worked with could not have been nicer. She guided me through the entire process and gave me wonderful ideas.

This is the only location I have been to, so I won’t speak to Paper Source as a whole. They seemed like they had some nice, well made items for sale. Unfortunately the women at this store were incredibly snobby for what was essentially Hipster OfficeMax. I didn’t realize standing around watching people buy envelopes could fill retail clerks with such a grand sense of purpose.

I’ve been here tons of times, but usually with an idea in mind about what I’m looking for. This trip started out that way initially… I just wanted some nice table place cards. But the crafts-​maven there showed me a very cool embossing technique using a stamp pad, hot air gun and embossing powder, then showed me a white pen that would look so good on the navy place cards, then some other embellishments… and I walked out of there with ideas for five new projects. Sure it all takes time, and is way more expensive than I had planned — but the effect is so gorgeous and so much fun that I can’t wait to use all my stuff again.
This is a great store for browsing, for gift buying, and for playing at adult-​style arts-​and-​crafts. I’m glad I stopped this time to learn some new techniques as well.

All I wanted this year was a dachshund ornament for my tree. Paper Source not only delivered on this wish but they put him in a sweater! So freakishly awesome! So I guess Paper Source was totally like Santa this year for me. I also loved the glass bug and butterfly ornaments.
This is where I come to splurge on fancy paper for wrapping and cards. I’ve also noticed that almost all the frames I bought in the last two years came from here. They sell frames that make a black and white wedding picture look timeless.
The staff here are always friendly. They have strange things I can buy for my nephews and Paddywax candles I can smell. I’ve found really cute Snow and Graham things for my office in here too. I am total nerd for places like this.

I was running late on the way to a bridal shower, and bought some stuff from the Spice House down the street. My goal was to buy some nice paper, wrap the gift, and make a bee-​line for the suburbs.
Even though I know the Lincoln Park Paper Source has wrapped gifts for me in the past, this Paper Source refused to wrap. Not only that, they would not lend me tape to wrap the gift myself in the store. I couldn’t even use their counter space to wrap stuff! I had to buy tape, take the paper out to my car, and wrap the gift in there. (Of course, I bought glitter paper, so my passenger seat is still coated in pink glitter.)
It doesn’t really make sense to enforce an anti-​gift wrapping store policy at a paper store. What a bummer.

When I was growing up my cousin from California and I were pen pals. I enjoyed receiving her letters and hearing about her single life with her beau (she was College age). I too enjoyed writing to her and telling her about life around my home. I use to pen about my dog and her new tricks, my sister and her teenage tricks, and life from from a 10 year olds eyes.
These early life lessons handwriting letters to those dear and close has stood the test of time and technology. With the ease of email and computers, handwriting has almost become a thing of the past. I do not get to write as many letters to my cousin and with FB we keep in touch. She married and has children and I too started my own family. Our lives keep us moving. Our communication continues via email, but I continue to write to her every year, around May and Mother’s Day.
I have continually written out a Mother’s Day note to my cousin and find myself at the door step of this place to find stationary suitable for this yearly greeting. Included on my list are my close family and friends who too are also mothers. I find that writing these letters allows for a special commmunication that may not always happen in person but withstands the digital age and gives special meaning.
The paper goods and materials bought from here range from already made cards to card stock and make-​your-​own kits. I tend to stock up on the blank cards and envelopes printed on unique paper and find myself set up to start writing in April.
The goods here are an artists heaven and allows for creativity to thrive. The store also allows for people like me who need help with the artistry and ideas and have scheduled work shops and staff knowledeable in the craft.
On a side note, I came here for all the supplies needed for my wedding invites, quite a few (or ten) years ago.
The price range for products varies depending what you are looking for and a catalog comes out (seasonal) throughout the year.
The store lines busy Central avenue and perusing the windows up and down the street is encouraged.

The first time I was in here was about a year ago and it was neat I must say, I was all giggly and looking around and gagging at how I thought everything was a bit overpriced. But I liked that it seemed to be one of those baby shops you don’t normally see and can come back to in order to pick up little gifts (or you know, just things) you won’t normally think to search online for or find at a more mainstream chain store.
The second time I was here was just recently after Christmas. I had just been obsessed with the whole «Listography» collection but hadn’t actually seen the inside of any of them. Paper Source had a TON of them all scattered around in different sections. They had a bunch of different random crap per usual and their strange little stuffed animals that are MEGAAA overpriced but if they were like 5 bucks I’d be like «aww how cute and strange» and pick one up.
Anyways, back to my freakish obsession with lists. I was super bummed to find out I was not impressed with the Listography books. However I did see a couple other journal/​calandar type books that were along those kinds of lines for people who enjoy the whole «wreck this journal» etc. kinds of things and I kept looking through them all until I found «the one» the soul mate journal FOR ME at that very moment in time which I never would have found had it not been me at that moment in that place at that time and I went bananas and my boyfriend (being the wonderful man he is) ended up snatching it from my hand and buying it for me (hehe!)
We also walked out of the store with a package of scented pens and a little pocket pouch that looks like bread which you then realize looks like 2 pieces of bread which you then realize looks like a sandwich when you open it which then is attached on one side and magnetically opens and closes on the other AND on one side it looks like PB and on the other like Jelly! ITS SO SUPER EFFING CUTE! I mean it’s so realistically bread looking that at one point I was all disoriented and tired and I moved it so as not to get crumbs on my nook…
There were SO many more amazing things in the store this past trip than there were the first one, and apparently for my taste enough to spend money on! So go and see if there are things that are YOUR taste! Like I said, the only down side is that things are a bit pricey.

paper source perpetually disappoints.
i love stationery and all sorts of paper, especially blank books and journals. but paper source doesn’t have choice journals.
it’s a lazy selection of «here are the journals we have. take it or leave it.» i know journals and have seen stores packed with cute books, from japan to thailand and back, and paper source just doesn’t understand the concept of «options.» it’s not even a nice try.
and one year, i bought a totally over-​priced and underwhelming datebook ($ 40) that fell apart week after week.
i think people think paper source is awesome because they may not know any better. paper source is not the end all and be all. be dazzled instead by other stores (that aren’t chains) like Paper Boy!
it’s fun to peruse paper source, yes, but i’m not tricked. i feel the selection lacks heavily.

I’m not a scrapbooker so that whole element of this store (and it’s a big one) I miss out on and have no experience with. That said, the people are super friendly and greet me when I come in. I love all the gifty things this store has. The unique calendars, the datebooks, the office accessories, books, seasonal décor, etc., are great. This store really inspires my creative side.

Here comes the bride, all dressed in white!
I had such a great experience getting invitations for my sister’s wedding a couple of years ago that I came back to get invitations for my own wedding. We did a demo the other weekend and learned how to do some pretty cool things. I fell in love with this one invitation right away and didn’t even want to look at the other samples. I’m going to do them on my own and save myself a lot of money but they will look just as good. They are so helpful there and show you how to do everything. I really could spend hours in that store. It brings out my artsy side! Love Paper Source.

I have not yet been inside this location, but the service I recieved for a simple phone order really should be applauded.
I had been waiting forever for a japanese paper to come back in stock on their website. Finally I could wait no more and decided to see if maybe any of the shops had stock. I called this location first. Myra, who answered the phone, said they did not have any but she would be glad to check the other locations to see. Which was great because now I didnt have to spend half my afternoon calling all around and repeating myself 100 times.
When she called back she said she found half my order in Georgia and the other half in Massachussetts. I did have to pay a little more for shipping from 2 places, but she took all my information and the paper arrived in less than 3 days. Outstanding service in my opinion. I miss the days when more shops were like this — just call, say what you want, and it is all done for you with no muss, no fuss. It was so great, I will definitely think of Paper Source first in the future!

I did all my wedding stationery with papersource materials. The staff is pretty helpful, but they all seemed to encourage me to complicate things more than I wanted. I wanted to keep the invitations as simple and easy as possible.
I’m not much of a craft person, so I don’t drool over their cutesy flourishes and scrap booking materials and things. But it’s still a solid place to get the basics. It’s best to have an idea of what you want before you go in, or you could get sucked into buying too much!

Wow, very impressed with the selection here — I came to buy stationary to make wedding programs, placecards etc and found all the things I wanted. They have papers in all different colors and hues.
You can also order expensive wedding invitations and custom stationary. Lots of gorgeous wrapping papers, stamps, stencils, inkpads in rainbows of colors — service was friendly and helpful.
A great find!

I love this place!
Central Street is full of cute shops, and the Paper Source (although it’s a chain) is no exception.
I took a printing class there once (so if you get cards with little fishies kissing, know that it was made with a Japanese Gocco printing device by my loving hands), and it was pricey but fun.
And I have bought many cards from Paper Source that I’ve actually kept for the past five years because they’re so cute!
I remember after I stopped dating this guy, I bought myself a card that said something about how every time he got naked, a silent laugh track played in my head. Not true, but made me feel better.
There’s also cute, kitschy gifts there (e.g. «caution tape» tape) and papers for you to wrap presents with, scrapbook with, etc. But the cards — they’re the stars of the show, in my opinion.