Phil’s Stationery is a gem– assuming you like messy, dusty, old-school office supply stores, that is! I’d never heard of it until a few weeks ago when I happened to meet someone for lunch nearby and saw this amazing sign:
There are so few stores like this left in NYC, especially in what must be a pretty expensive location on 47th St. not far from 5th Avenue. I didn’t take any photos inside the store, but as you walk in, there are large displays of Rhodia and Clairefontaine notebooks, as well as a counter with pens. As you go further back into the store, there are also racks of Moleskines and Filofax, and shelves with a wide variety of other notebooks, ledgers, pads, pens, etc. The further back you go, the messier it gets– there are shelves with all sorts of random products jumbled around. It has some of the same time-warp quality as the Montclair Stationery store I wrote about in this post.
I only bought one thing:
I haven’t bought a spiral bound notebook like this in years, but I couldn’t resist! What brand is it? Where is it made? It’s a mystery, as there are no markings on it other than what you see on the front cover. Some other colors were also available. And the price was right: $1.09, including tax!
So how is the paper in the little red notebook?
I used to visit another old-school stationer near the West Village, but I can’t recall the name. It was on 8th Ave. just south of Jackson Square/Greenwich Ave, where St. Vincent’s Hospital once was. Lots of notebooks, etc. It came with a cranky old proprietor who watched you like a bird of prey.
Wow, that little notebook looks like it’s 50 years old!
– Tina
I think I remember the store you are talking about, I don’t know what it was called either but I’m pretty sure it’s been gone for several years. I haven’t done all my pen tests on this notebook, but the paper seems pretty typical for a cheapo notebook. But I will have to do a pen test comparison among cheapo spiral notebooks someday!
Nope, Phil’s is not gone, at least not yet. It’s still there for all your Vintage office supply needs and a good walk back in time to the 70s.