Best Stationery Stores in Chicago: 7 Shops to Visit

A row of six Chicago shopfronts whose signs read Atlas Stationers, Paper & Pencil, Steel Petal Press, Paper Source, Blick and WasteShed, with an elevated train on its steel track at the end of the street — Six of the seven stores in this guide, from the Loop to Andersonville, checked on October 26, 2026.

Notes on these stores

Atlas Stationers: 227 West Lake Street, The Loop, Chicago. Checked October 26, 2026 on the store's own page.
Blick Art Materials (Chicago Loop): 16 West Randolph Street, The Loop, Chicago. Blick also lists Chicago stores at 1574 North Kingsbury Street (Lincoln Park), plus Evanston and Schaumburg. Checked October 26, 2026 on the store's own page.
Paper Source River North: 232 West Chicago Avenue, River North, Chicago. Paper Source also lists Chicago stores at 919 West Armitage Avenue (Lincoln Park) and 3543 North Southport Avenue. Checked October 26, 2026 on the store's own page.
Paper & Pencil: 5208 North Clark Street, Andersonville, Chicago. Cashless; it also runs Chicago Stationery Fest. Checked October 26, 2026 on the store's own page.
Steel Petal Press: 2321 North Milwaukee Avenue, Logan Square, Chicago. Checked October 26, 2026 on the store's own page.
The WasteShed (Humboldt Park): 1754 North Kimball Avenue, Humboldt Park, Chicago. A second center opened at 5200 North Broadway, Edgewater, on October 24, 2026. Checked October 26, 2026 on the store's own page.
Kinokuniya Chicago: 100 East Algonquin Road (Mitsuwa Marketplace), Arlington Heights (northwest suburbs), Arlington Heights. Checked October 26, 2026 on the store's own page.
Stores move, close and change hours. Always check the store's site or Instagram before you go.

Key takeaways

We list 7 Chicago-area stationery stores, each checked on its own website on October 26, 2026: 3 in and around the Loop, 3 on the North and Northwest Sides, and Kinokuniya in suburban Arlington Heights.
Atlas Stationers, open since 1939, listed 4,467 fountain pens and 2,534 bottled inks in its online shop on October 26, 2026, and its Loop store opens 7 days a week.
Paper & Pencil in Andersonville sells in person only: no online shop, no phone orders and no shipping, and it is cashless.
Paper Source opened its first store in Chicago in 1983 and now has 107 stores in 27 states; its Chicago stores include River North, Lincoln Park and Southport.
Anderson Pens, which ran a Chicago pen shop in the Palmer House hotel, has closed; its site says the business shut after 15 years.

What are the best stationery stores in Chicago?

For a first visit, go to Atlas Stationers in the Loop for fountain pens and ink, Paper & Pencil in Andersonville for journaling supplies, and Steel Petal Press in Logan Square for letterpress cards. These three come first because each covers one need in depth: a family stationer that has sold pens since 1939, a shop packed with hard-to-find international brands, and cards printed on presses in the store.

Store	Neighborhood	Known for	Official site
Atlas Stationers	The Loop	Fountain pens, inks, notebooks	atlasstationers.com
Blick Art Materials	The Loop, plus Lincoln Park	Art supplies	dickblick.com
Paper Source	River North, plus 2 more	Fine paper, cards, wrapping	papersource.com
Paper & Pencil	Andersonville	Journaling, planners, writing tools	paperandpencilchicago.com
Steel Petal Press	Logan Square	Letterpress cards printed on site	steelpetalpress.com
The WasteShed	Humboldt Park	Reused art supplies, low cost	thewasteshed.com
Kinokuniya Chicago	Arlington Heights	Japanese stationery	usa.kinokuniya.com

How did we choose these stores?

We picked shops that focus on stationery, pens, paper or art supplies and were open on October 26, 2026, then weighed what each one stocks and does. Our criteria:

A dedicated focus on stationery, writing, paper or art supplies, not general gifts.
Something you can only do there, such as Atlas’s pen counter, Steel Petal Press’s letterpress or The WasteShed’s reused supplies.
Depth of range, such as the 4,467 fountain pens Atlas lists online.
Standing in the stationery community, from City Cast Chicago’s stationery guide and The Pen Addict, cited below.
Open now, confirmed on each store’s own site on October 26, 2026.

We compiled this from the stores’ own websites and that coverage; we have not visited them for this guide, and we do not rate them.

Why is each store on the list?

Each store earns its place with a specific range or service, not general gift stock.

Atlas Stationers (the Loop): fountain pens, inks, notebooks and art supplies from a family stationer since 1939, open 7 days a week.
Blick Art Materials (the Loop): paints, papers and drawing tools on Randolph Street, one of two Blick stores in the city.
Paper Source River North: fine and handmade paper, envelopes and cards from a chain that began in Chicago in 1983.
Paper & Pencil (Andersonville): stationery, writing tools, journals and planners, in person only.
Steel Petal Press (Logan Square): its own letterpress cards, printed on site, beside planners and journals by other makers.
The WasteShed (Humboldt Park): donated art and school supplies at low or no cost, from a nonprofit.
Kinokuniya Chicago (Arlington Heights): Japanese stationery inside the Mitsuwa Marketplace, about 21 miles (34 km) northwest of the Loop.

Which Chicago stores are best for fountain pens and ink?

Atlas Stationers at 227 West Lake Street is the strongest single stop: on October 26, 2026, its online shop listed 4,467 fountain pens and 2,534 bottled inks. Its brand list runs from Lamy, Kaweco and Esterbrook to Graf von Faber-Castell, Diamine, Colorverse and KWZ, and the Loop store calls itself the largest stationery retailer in Chicago.

Atlas also runs an annual sidewalk sale on Lake Street; the 39th, on August 13–14, 2026, brought in more than 65 brands. Read our fountain pens for beginners guide before you go.

Which Chicago stores are best for journaling and paper?

Paper & Pencil in Andersonville is the journaling stop: stationery, writing tools, notebooks, journals, calendars and planners, plus bullet-journaling supplies. City Cast Chicago describes it as filled with hard-to-find international brands; it does not ship, so buy what you want on the day.

For fine paper, Paper Source sells handmade and specialty papers, envelopes and wrapping paper, and Steel Petal Press prints its own cards on site.

How do you plan a stationery day in Chicago?

Start in the Loop, then take the CTA north: Atlas and Blick are a few blocks apart, and Andersonville and Logan Square are each a train ride away.

The Loop and River North: Atlas Stationers on Lake Street, Blick on Randolph Street, then Paper Source on Chicago Avenue, within about 1.5 km (1 mile).
Logan Square and Humboldt Park: Steel Petal Press on Milwaukee Avenue, then The WasteShed on Kimball Avenue, open Wednesday to Sunday.
Andersonville: Paper & Pencil on Clark Street; take the Red Line to Berwyn, and bring a card, because it is cashless.
Arlington Heights: Kinokuniya inside the Mitsuwa Marketplace, open daily, best by car.

To-scale map of 7 Chicago stationery stores at their geocoded addresses, from Paper & Pencil in Andersonville to Atlas Stationers in the Loop, with the Lake Michigan shoreline and an arrow to Kinokuniya in Arlington Heights — Where the stores are, drawn to scale from each address; check addresses before you go. Map data: US Census Bureau TIGER/Line (public domain); store positions: US Census Geocoder.

Which Chicago stationery stores have closed?

Anderson Pens, the Appleton, Wisconsin pen shop that ran a Chicago store in the Palmer House hotel, has closed: its site now says the business is shut after 15 years. Greer, the Lincoln Park card and stationery shop, closed its Webster Avenue store during the pandemic and now sells online only, per its site.

We also left out Topdrawer, the Itoya-owned shop with Chicago branches on Milwaukee and Armitage avenues, because its site would not load on October 26, 2026; check before you go.

When is the next Chicago pen show?

The Chicago Pen Show runs April 29 to May 2, 2027, at the Westin Chicago Lombard, its new venue for its 47th year, per its ticket page. Dates for every show are in our US pen shows 2027 calendar.

More cities: see all our stationery store guides, city by city, from New York and San Francisco to Tokyo, Kyoto, Seoul, London, Paris, Vienna and Istanbul.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best stationery store in Chicago?

For one stop, Atlas Stationers at 227 West Lake Street in the Loop: a family stationer since 1939 with fountain pens, bottled inks, notebooks and planners, open 7 days a week. For journaling supplies and international brands, go to Paper & Pencil in Andersonville.

Where can I buy fountain pens in Chicago?

Atlas Stationers in the Loop is the city's fountain pen shop: on October 26, 2026 it listed 4,467 fountain pens and 2,534 bottled inks online, from brands such as Lamy, Kaweco, Esterbrook and Graf von Faber-Castell. Paper & Pencil in Andersonville also sells writing tools.

Is Anderson Pens in Chicago still open?

No. Anderson Pens' website says the business is now closed after 15 years, so its Chicago shop is no longer a stop. Atlas Stationers at 227 West Lake Street is the main fountain pen and ink shop in the city.

Does Paper & Pencil Chicago ship or sell online?

No. Paper & Pencil says it sells in person only, with no online shop, no phone orders and no shipping, and it cannot confirm stock by email. The shop at 5208 North Clark Street is cashless and opens Monday to Saturday 11 am to 6 pm and Sunday 11 am to 5 pm.

When is Chicago Stationery Fest 2027?

May 14–16, 2027, at Artifact Events in Ravenswood, per the festival's site, which said on October 26, 2026 that tickets for 2027 had sold out. Chicago Stationery Fest is run by Paper & Pencil in Andersonville.

Where is the original Paper Source store?

Paper Source opened its first store in Chicago in 1983 and keeps its headquarters there. Its store list on October 26, 2026 showed Chicago shops at 232 West Chicago Avenue (River North), 919 West Armitage Avenue (Lincoln Park) and 3543 North Southport Avenue.

Where can I find cheap art supplies in Chicago?

The WasteShed, a nonprofit creative reuse center at 1754 North Kimball Avenue in Humboldt Park, sells donated art and school supplies at low or no cost, Wednesday to Sunday. It opened a second center at 5200 North Broadway in Edgewater on October 24, 2026.

Sources (22)

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