Wednesday, January 20, 2021

A Secret Passion

 

For all the years I've been blogging, I don't remember ever telling you of a secret passion of mine. You see, long before I began churning out handknit afghans, I had a passion for two types of shops: bookshops (of course) and stationery/office supply shops. Although times have changed and yarn shops have supplanted my passion for notebooks and pens, I remember the Good Old Days with fondness.

I'll bet most of you don't even remember when stationery shops were rather common. My favorite growing up was a stationery/office supply shop in Decatur, Illinois, called Haines & Essick. It also had a gift section that carried the Breyer horses I collected and a book section, so Mom was lucky if she could ever pry me out of there once we walked in. I remember walking in on more than one bitterly cold winter day and impatiently waiting for my glasses to defog so I could get down to business.

I've been thinking a lot about Haines & Essick lately, and it's got everything to do with a behemoth called Amazon. For some unknown reason-- perhaps they thought my fetish for Post-It page flags made me ripe for the plucking-- they put up a photo of a pile of leatherette journals. Twenty of them. In a box. How did they know I used to keep commonplace books? I've never mentioned that to anyone, especially not to Alexa.

But there they were. Journals that would lay flat. With a ribbon bookmark. An elastic strap to hold the book closed. And an expandable gusset pocket to keep items in. Holy moley!

See?

How could I resist?

There was a killer deal on them that day, so I bought the box of twenty. There weren't as many colors available as there are today, so I got green. (If the price had been what it is today, I would not have purchased them.) Have I been using them? You betcha! There's one at my desk. There's one on my nightstand. There's one by my chair in the family room. I've been known to have one in my purse. They're filled with memory joggers, to do lists, grocery lists, ideas for blog posts, quotes, things I want to include in letters to family and friends-- anything I can think of. I do most of my writing sitting here at the computer, but I've found that it's nice to take pen in hand and write in a journal again. 

Let me show you the one here at my desk...

 


As you can see, it sits to the left of my planner, which gets filled with all sorts of scribbles. Oh! By the way, not that I'm sentimental (or practical), but can you see that gray stapler and the gray tape dispenser next to it just below the monitor to the right? They may not be much to look at, but they sat at my mother's desk while she was the librarian in Moweaqua, Illinois, and they sat on her desk when she was the Technical Services librarian at the Arizona State Talking Book Library. They have to date back to 1960 at least, and-- as homely as they are-- they hold a lot of memories for me. But I digress.

What I want to know is... how many of you have secret (or not-so-secret) passions for stationery and blank books? 'fess up!

20 comments:

  1. I love real stationery shops, Cathy! I can't say that I have a collection of notebooks and so on, but I do love those things. Also notecards and writing paper. Of course, lots of people don't write handwritten letters any more, but still... And you're right about the way so many of them have been supplanted by Amazon and other online retailers. I get the economic realities, but it's still really sad, I think.

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    1. Yes, it is sad. Haines & Essick there in Decatur has been bought by someone else, and from what I can see, it's a shell of its former self. I merely scratched the surface of what H&E was like in my post.

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  2. Blank notebooks. Cannot resist them, and then spend forever getting the courage to write in them. I'm a letter writer, but now I prefer to make my own "stationery" by cutting Tomoe River paper in half. I order envelopes online or make my own.

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    1. I've been known to make my own envelopes, which is a lot of fun. I don't suffer from being unable to write in a new blank book, but I do seem to take forever to choose the right pen in which to do so!

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  3. Stationery stores were actually my favourite type of shop - I loved them even more than bookshops.

    And blank journals! Oh, yes - two full shelves of them. These that you have are beautiful.

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    1. I think I went through a period where I loved stationery shops more than bookshops, too.

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  4. You caught me! This is also one of my secret passions. In fact I use my journals in a very similar manner to you. I am working on a blog post about them. Just looking at that stack of 20 makes my eyes light up!

    The stationary store that I frequented when young was a Hallmark store within walking distance of my home. I could spend a long time looking at blank books, diaries, address books, scrapbooks and especially stickers. I was an avid sticker collector and made my own books to hold them. The only thing missing at the Hallmark store was pens and writing utensils. Not to fear, right next door was a Synder's Drug store that had an entire aisle full.

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    1. I look forward to reading your post, Gretchen!

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  5. I have a few journals just like that but in black. Loved that pocket.
    I love stationary stores too. There is one in the mall that is lovely but I've not been to the mall since March. There is a lovely stationary section in an indie bookstore I frequent but it's legit and pricey. Think fountain pens and acid free paper. I like to check it out though when I visit. There is nothing like a brand new journal or planner.

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    1. No, there's not. I always look forward to choosing my new planner each year. I wish I'd written about this sooner. I'm enjoying the comments you all are leaving so much!

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  6. You can count me in.

    I've kept a book journal forever, and two years ago switched over to what the Moleskin people call their "Weekly Notebook." Each of the books covers an entire year - and they even have a pocket like the one you pictured. I've also accumulated some really nice smaller journals that are "blank," and I use those for "permanent" lists, and the like. Some are smaller, and they accompany me on those now extremely rare occasions that I stick my nose inside a bookstore for ten minutes.

    I was never fortunate enough to find a stationary store like the one you describe...but wow, does that sound like a nice memory and a nice expereince.

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    1. Haines & Essick even smelled good. I remember seeing something like a little florist shop corner in there, too. I sure do miss that place!

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  7. Not stationery but I couldn't pass a shop selling linen!

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    1. Another of my favorites, although not in the top three!

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  8. I used to like stationery stores, too, looking at paper, journals, greeting cards, which many carried. And a lot of miscellaneous products, too. it was enjoyable.
    A greeting card store which also had journals and all types of items closed a few blocks away.
    I use a daily planner and have for years. Without it I'd be lost. I write everything down.
    Your journals are lovely. I've never seen one with a secret pocket. I hate to think what I'd put in there.

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    1. I'm afraid to use those pockets because I'm fairly certain I'd forget all about whatever I put in them!

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  9. Oh, I love stationers and office supplies! I keep a commonplace book, and one of life's pleasures is opening it to write down the first quotation. I also carry a small notebook in my purse, so I have fun finding those. And I have always liked sending cards and notes, so finding new sources for those is fun as well. My pen choices include a wooden pen that I treasure because a friend made it for me - the bonus is that it writes well :)

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    1. I've always been very picky about the pens I use. I don't particularly care what they look like, but they have to feel right in my hand and write smoothly.

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  10. My allowance was never big enough for me to visit somewhere as esoteric as a stationery shop when I was growing up. The last one locally went out of business before I had enough disposable income to consider going there. And what did I spend what little money I had at the time? If you said on Breyer horses, you would be correct.

    I do, however, own a stack of notebooks and journals that I have yet to use, bought over time with those bits and pieces of disposable income.

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    1. I saved my allowance for Breyer horses, but once I got older and started working, I could finally buy those blank books and journals.

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