Peek Inside London's Best Stationery Shops, the Color-Coded, Journaling Dreamlands Where Time Stands Still

For as long as I have wanted to be a journalist, meaning since 2008, people have warned me about the fast-approaching disappearance of printed newspapers and paper-based stationery. "By the time you grow up, none of this will still exist," unconsulted family relatives used to tell me. 16 years fast forward, and not only is all of that still here, but my generation has developed an even stronger attachment to, and a willingness to preserve, not just the memory but the practical artistry of this offline, analog world. The rising popularity of old-style, brick-and-mortar stationery shops isn't but a symptom of our need to touch with hand the notebooks, sketching pads, and pencils that will allow us to draft our most creative ideas yet. In London alone, there are plenty of these establishments to choose from, many of which stand out for their striking interiors: so what are the best London stationery shops every journaler and organization freak should have on their radar?

To help you distinguish the family-run, independent businesses infusing a true love of design, community, and craftsmanship into the city's pen-and-paper industry, we have taken a closer look at the values and goods on offer to identify the very best London stationery shops. Whether you're planning a holiday to the UK and searching for unconventional hotspots to add to your itinerary, or you're based in London and interested in finding the most beautifully designed, well-stocked stationery shops, the locations mentioned below are definitely worth pinning on your maps. If staying at the best London hotels, dining at the best London restaurants, and enjoying an afternoon break at the best cafés in London will immerse you in the city's world-envied stylistic and culinary melting pot, spending time at any these stationery stores will fill you with creativity and respect for those that persevere in setting up shop independently.

1. Present & Correct

12 Bury Pl, London WC1A 2JL

Situated steps away from both the British Museum and Bloomsbury Square Garden, Present & Correct is the perfect manifestation of the ongoing, vintage-inspired stationery renaissance I referred to earlier. Had I not been obsessed with this store since first discovering it last year, I would be now after seeing their pastel-hued selection of retro and new papery treasures and office objects. Founded by former full-time graphic designer-turned-shopkeeper Neal Whittington as an online e-commerce platform in 2009, and launched in its physical format in 2012, Present & Correct fuses school days nostalgia and a sculptural outlook on desk accessories in a celebration of all things tangible. An ever-expanding collection of dated and just-released stationery products sourced from across the world on annual 'hunting' trips, the stock reflects the founder's long-term appreciation of analog work materials.

Among the items available to purchase, I am most fascinated by Present & Correct's ephemera series, its back-to-the-future Office Bag, their collector-worth A5 Planner Folio, and 2025 Calendar, though it is hard to choose. Meticulously curated and arranged in graphic grid-like displays boasting minimalistic geometric shapes, and sold complete with stuck-in-time packaging and stamps, these items "want to spark a distant memory, make you smile, or look at the most mundane in a new, and fonder, light". And what should the best London stationery shops do if not bring some color and spiritedness into our lives?

Shop all of Present & Correct's products here

2. Papersmiths — Chelsea

170 Pavilion Rd, London SW1X 0AW

There are multiple reasons to include Papersmiths and, particularly, its Chelsea location in this curation of the best London stationery shops, and the brand's spectacular, color-coded selection of retro-looking products isn't but one of them. Nestled on Cadogan Gardens' Pavilion Road, possibly my favorite street in the whole of London, the store fits seamlessly within the lively community of independent businesses housed within the red brick premises of this trendy location. The three-locations (Chelsea, Soho, Brighton) retailer, founded in Bristol by paper, pen, and pencil enthusiast Sidonie Warren in 2013, channels her lifelong love of stationery into a hyper-aesthetic offering of items as varied as amusingly designed, joyful gifts, notebooks, diaries, and agendas, and tiny objects you didn't even know you needed but that, now that you're aware of them, you have to buy.

I have recently laid my eyes on their Notebook, Primo Pen, and Band bundle, a perfect birthday present, their dreamy Paul Smith 849 Ballpoint in Sky Blue & Lavender, and Fairplay Check Pencil Case and keys-and-cards-ready miniature Mesh Pouches. The store itself is just as noteworthy as Papersmiths' stock: here, the bare brick and wooden floors typical of industrial interior design are elevated through glamorous ceiling lights and playfully colorful product stands. Needless to say, I am already planning my next trip to the shop.

Shop all of Papersmiths' products here

3. Choosing Keeping

21 Tower St, London WC2H 9NS

I am a real sucker for vintage things and destinations, which is why Choosing Keeping is probably one of my favorite picks on this best London stationery shops list. Sited in the bubbly Covent Garden on a historical road constellated by small boutiques and coffee places, stepping inside the store, entirely plastered in patterned wrapping paper, ballpoint pens and pencils, letter sealing wax, and crayons displays to name but a few of the goods available here, feels like traveling back in time. First launched in 2012 by its founder, Julia, and originally located in the East End on Columbia Road, Choosing Keeping reworks memories of her childhood spent in Japan, where she learned to appreciate the possibilities contained within the stationery universe, into an emotion-led, impressive curation of functional objects. Inviting a more loyal, durational engagement with the items we choose to purchase, the store's name captures the hidden value that seemingly trivial objects can have for us, unveiling the joyfulness trapped in them and prompting us to treasure them for life.

Choosing Keeping's offer of notebooks is one of the widest and most authentic out there, with countless formats and patterns to pick from, but if I were to buy myself a present, I would probably go with Traveller's 'Grand Tour' Watercolour Set, the Japanese Watercolour Set, 4 Seasons, or The "Flexi-i-file" Aluminium Document Collator, the latter of which will, hopefully, help me sort the never-ending pile of papers and magazines springing around my desk. Either way, when it comes to either one of the best London stationery shops, you can't really go wrong.

Shop all of Choosing Keeping's products here

4. Japan House London

101-111 Kensington High St, London W8 5SA

Let me put it straight: if you have never been to Japan House London, you're missing out. Inaugurated in the summer of 2018, this under-the-radar, free-to-visit hotspot, created as part of a global initiative promoted by the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, brings the best of Nipponese art, design, craft, architecture, technology, food, and drink to the heart of London. A glassy masterpiece of Japandi style décor, the center boasts awe-inspiring minimalist interiors, housing everything from authentic gastronomic and cocktail tasting experiences to exhibitions, creative roundtables, workshops, and more. Fittingly, the museum-cum-cultural destination also has one of the best London stationery shops. Visitable both on-site and online, the store, which also sells iconic apparel and accessories, furniture, and books among others, features a Lost in Translation-like collection of stunningly crafted and packaged office utensils, everyday objects, and art supplies. My current favorites include its Stationery Gift Set, Gondola Soft Pastels, and Kitpas Crayon set.

Shop all of Japan House London's products here

5. L. Cornelissen & Son

105 Great Russell St, London WC1B 3RY

You know when I talked about being a real vintage lover? Well, that makes Holborn's L. Cornelissen & Son, the centuries-spanning family business founded by Belgian lithographer Louis Cornelissen after relocating from Paris to London in 1848, a real paradise to wander around. More a high-end art supply retailer than a traditional stationery shop, this wood-carved corner of the world would have anyone fall for the allure of arts and crafts thanks to its paints, brushes, and cards-filled ancient drawers and cabinets. Considered by some as the foremost art supply store in the world, and a must-visit haven for creatives, L. Cornelissen & Son is the place to go for anyone interested in upgrading their pigments and canvas game and curious travelers alike. Focused on painting, gilding, and printmaking, it stocks anything from oils and acrylics, water-soluble graphite and watercolors to beeswax, glass, binders, glues, and sundries. Notable customers include the likes of J.M.W. Turner, Walter Sickert, Lucien Freud, and Howard Hodgkin, and how cool is that?

Shop all of L. Cornelissen & Son's products here

6. The Journal Shop

Unit 6, Boxpark, 10 Bethnal Grn Rd, London E1 6GY

For local (East) Londoners, The Journal Shop needs no introduction. Rising a stone throw away from the ever-buzzy Shoreditch High Street station, it is one of those places you inevitably discover as you head for an early night out. Still, the store's popularity doesn't make it any less relevant for this best London stationery shops roundup, quite the contrary: launched in 2004 by two friends united by their mutual passion for writing and frustrated by "the lack of well-designed, accessible stationery", The Journal Shop gives these specialty products the design treatment by leveraging the boundary-pushing imagination of independent brands and designers worldwide. Inspired by their frequent travels to Japan and global connections, the stock of items purchasable online and in-shop has a timelessly eye-catching, fanciful essence to them. Platforming the work and hottest releases of some of the most style-forward office objects labels in the world, including Hobonichi 2025 collection, the house is as interested in nurturing a sense of community between the brand and its long-term collaborators as it is in reinventing stationery itself.

At the minute, I am mostly in love with The Journal Shop-stocked Kokuyo C2 Tray Pencil Case, its Hightide Marbled Pen Tray and New Retro Pen Holder Dumpling, and Iconic Mild Gel Pen, though again, I could spend hours browsing their goods. As for the store, what can I say? With its fantastical lippage tiled floor, textured ceiling, wide spherical lights, and arched product displays, t's where modern glamour meets paper nerds — and I am one of them!

Shop all of The Journal Shop's products here

7. LeadTin

36 Webb's Rd, London SW11 6SF

If there's one common denominator bringing together all the best London stationery shops, it's the emphasis they put on and the creative drive they gain from nostalgia. Rather than simply looking to the past, these independent stores borrow from it to lay the foundations for a conscious, stimulating, and collaborative future. And that's the premise at the base of LeadTin too, an art supplies and stationery shop in Battersea, South West London. Active since 2019, it doesn't just sell some of the most aesthetically pleasing, innovative everyday objects, multipurpose gifts, and cards, but is also the proud host of open-to-all workshop spanning disciplines such as candle making, knitting, sculpture, life drawing, and animation. Personally, I find LeadTin's tools offering to be the most particular and collectible of the items available in-store, ranging from designer-approved scissors, drawing compasses, and staplers to whimsically beautiful pen trays. Plus, their sun-lit shop's intimate atmosphere takes me back every time.

Shop all of LeadTin's products here

Stationery and art supplies stores can rekindle, or ignite, an urge for creative expression like few other places in the world. Whether that's true for you or, instead, you prefer checking out our list of design exhibitions in London to stock up on inspiration, we hope this roundup of the best London stationery shops has shown you the importance of protecting heritage arts and crafts from the passing of time, and the meaning that lies in taking our objects along with us on this journey.