--- title: "Best Stationery Stores in Los Angeles: 9 Shops" canonical: "https://stationerytimes.com/guides/best-stationery-stores-los-angeles/" description: "Nine LA stationery stores checked open on October 24, 2026: Kinokuniya in Little Tokyo, Hightide DTLA, Paper Plant Co., Shorthand and FLAX, with a crawl route." category: "Stores" published: 2026-10-24 updated: 2026-10-24 author: "Ellis Penhale" publisher: "Stationery Times" sources: 19 --- # Best Stationery Stores in Los Angeles: 9 Shops > Start downtown with Kinokuniya Los Angeles (101 San Pedro Street), Hightide Store DTLA (787 South Alameda Street) and Paper Plant Co. in Chinatown (936–938 North Hill Street). They come first because each is a dedicated Japanese stationery stop, Hightide is the maker's own shop, Paper Plant Co. runs Bungu LA, and all three sit within 2.5 miles of each other. - URL: https://stationerytimes.com/guides/best-stationery-stores-los-angeles/ - Category: Stores - Author: Ellis Penhale - Published: 2026-10-24 - Updated: 2026-10-24 ![A row of six Los Angeles shopfronts whose signs read Kinokuniya, Hightide, Paper Plant Co., Shorthand, FLAX Pen to Paper and Blick, beside a palm tree](https://stationerytimes.com/images/raster/best-stationery-stores-los-angeles-16x9.png) *Six of the nine stores in this guide, from Little Tokyo to Westwood, checked on October 24, 2026.* Original drawing (SVG): . Drawings © 2026 Stationery Times, reusable with credit under CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). ## Stores at a glance | Store | Address | Neighborhood | Known for | Official site | |---|---|---|---|---| | Kinokuniya Los Angeles | 101 San Pedro Street, Los Angeles | Little Tokyo | Japanese bookstore with Japanese stationery: pens, pencils, notebooks and fountain pens | https://usa.kinokuniya.com/ | | Kinokuniya Los Angeles The Bloc | 700 West 7th Street, G210, Los Angeles | Downtown (The Bloc) | Smaller Kinokuniya that, per Kinokuniya, carries only English books, stationery and gifts | https://usa.kinokuniya.com/ | | Hightide Store DTLA | 787 South Alameda Street, Suite 140, Los Angeles | Downtown (ROW DTLA) | Japanese maker Hightide's first US store (2017): HIGHTIDE planners, Penco, Nähe, New Retro and Hobonichi Techo | https://hightidestoredtla.com/ | | Paper Plant Co. (Chinatown) | 936–938 North Hill Street, Los Angeles | Chinatown | Petite flagship of the shop that organizes Bungu LA: Japanese stationery, stamps, stickers and washi tape | https://paperplant.co/ | | Paper Plant Co. (Highland Park) | 5504 Monte Vista Street, Los Angeles | Highland Park | Paper Plant Co.'s newer second shop, with its own stationery selection | https://paperplant.co/ | | Shorthand (Highland Park) | 5030 York Boulevard, Los Angeles | Highland Park | Letterpress cards and notebooks printed in its LA studio, plus pens you can sample and paper | https://shopshorthand.com/ | | Shorthand (Larchmont Village) | 126 North Larchmont Boulevard, Los Angeles | Larchmont Village | Shorthand's second LA shop: pens, notebooks, planners and its own letterpress cards | https://shopshorthand.com/ | | FLAX Pen to Paper | 1078 Gayley Avenue, Los Angeles | Westwood Village | Fine pens, fountain pen ink, note cards and stationery in Westwood since 1949 | https://www.flaxpentopaper.com/ | | Blick Art Materials (La Brea) | 844 North La Brea Avenue, Los Angeles | La Brea (Hollywood) | Art and craft supplies, with custom printing and framing | https://www.dickblick.com/stores/california/los-angeles/ | - Kinokuniya Los Angeles: 11 am–8 pm daily, per Kinokuniya's store page; check before you go. Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kinokuniyala/. Checked 2026-10-24 on https://usa.kinokuniya.com/pages/stores - Kinokuniya Los Angeles The Bloc: 11 am–8 pm daily, per Kinokuniya's store page; check before you go. Checked 2026-10-24 on https://usa.kinokuniya.com/pages/stores - Hightide Store DTLA: 11 am–6 pm except holidays, per Hightide's store page; check before you go. Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hightidestore_dtla/. Checked 2026-10-24 on https://hightidestoredtla.com/pages/about - Paper Plant Co. (Chinatown): Open daily 9 am–4 pm, closed on major holidays, per the store's site; check before you go. Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/paperplant.co/. Checked 2026-10-24 on https://paperplant.co/pages/visit-our-shop-in-los-angeles-chinatown - Paper Plant Co. (Highland Park): 11 am–6 pm every day, closed 2–3 pm Monday to Friday, per the store's site; check before you go. Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/paperplant.co/. Checked 2026-10-24 on https://paperplant.co/pages/visit-us-in-highland-park - Shorthand (Highland Park): 10 am–7 pm every day, per the store's site; check before you go. Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shopshorthand/. Checked 2026-10-24 on https://shopshorthand.com/pages/contact - Shorthand (Larchmont Village): 10 am–7 pm every day, per the store's site; check before you go. Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shopshorthand/. Checked 2026-10-24 on https://shopshorthand.com/pages/contact - FLAX Pen to Paper: Monday 11 am–5:30 pm, Tuesday to Friday 11 am–6:30 pm, Saturday 11 am–5:30 pm, closed Sunday, per the store's site; check before you go. Checked 2026-10-24 on https://www.flaxpentopaper.com/ - Blick Art Materials (La Brea): Monday to Friday 10 am–8 pm, Saturday 10 am–7 pm, Sunday 10 am–6 pm, per Blick's store page; check before you go. Blick also lists LA-area stores in Pasadena (44 South Raymond Avenue), Santa Monica (2602 Lincoln Boulevard) and West Los Angeles (11531 Santa Monica Boulevard). Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/blickartmaterials/. Checked 2026-10-24 on https://www.dickblick.com/stores/california/los-angeles/ ## Key takeaways - We list 9 Los Angeles stationery stores, each checked on its own website on October 24, 2026: 4 downtown, 2 in Highland Park and one each in Larchmont Village, Westwood and on La Brea Avenue. - Paper Plant Co.'s Chinatown shop opens daily 9 am to 4 pm, earlier and shorter than most, so put it first on a downtown crawl. - Hightide Store DTLA opened in summer 2017 and added the HIGHTIDE ANNEX next door in November 2023. - FLAX Pen to Paper, the city's fine-pen shop, has been in Westwood Village since 1949 and is closed on Sundays. - Poketo's Arts District shops have closed, and MUJI USA listed no California stores on October 24, 2026. ## What are the best stationery stores in Los Angeles? **For a first visit, stay downtown: Kinokuniya in Little Tokyo for Japanese stationery, Hightide Store DTLA for the Japanese maker's own goods, and Paper Plant Co. in Chinatown for stamps, stickers and washi tape.** These three come first because each is a dedicated stationery shop with a deep Japanese range, and they sit within 2.5 miles of each other, so one day covers them. For fine pens, add FLAX Pen to Paper in Westwood. | Store | Neighborhood | Known for | Official site | |---|---|---|---| | Kinokuniya | Little Tokyo; The Bloc (Downtown) | Japanese pens, pencils and notebooks | [usa.kinokuniya.com](https://usa.kinokuniya.com/) | | Hightide Store DTLA | Downtown (ROW DTLA) | HIGHTIDE, Penco, Nähe, Hobonichi | [hightidestoredtla.com](https://hightidestoredtla.com/) | | Paper Plant Co. | Chinatown; Highland Park | Japanese stationery, stamps, washi | [paperplant.co](https://paperplant.co/) | | Shorthand | Highland Park; Larchmont Village | Letterpress cards, pens to sample | [shopshorthand.com](https://shopshorthand.com/) | | FLAX Pen to Paper | Westwood Village | Fine pens, ink, note cards | [flaxpentopaper.com](https://www.flaxpentopaper.com/) | | Blick Art Materials | La Brea, plus 3 more | Art supplies | [dickblick.com](https://www.dickblick.com/stores/california/los-angeles/) | ## How did we choose these stores? **We picked shops that focus on stationery, pens or art supplies and were open on October 24, 2026, then weighed what each one stocks and does.** Our criteria: - **A dedicated focus** on stationery, pens or art supplies, not general gifts, one reason Daiso and Little Tokyo's gift shops are not on the list. - **The range of brands** each store lists on its own site, such as Hightide's own HIGHTIDE, Penco and Nähe lines. - **Specialist services**, such as pens you can sample at Shorthand and custom printing and framing at Blick. - **Standing in the pen and stationery community**, from the coverage cited below: The Pen Addict's shop visits, Time Out and Monocle. - **Open now**, confirmed on each store's own site on October 24, 2026. We compiled this from the stores' own websites and that coverage. We have not visited them in person for this guide, and we do not rate them. Hours change, so check before you go. ## Why is each store on the list? **Each store earns its place with a specific range or service, not general gift stock.** - **Kinokuniya Los Angeles** (Little Tokyo): Kinokuniya USA says it sells "books, magazines, and stationery from Japan", and it opens until 8 pm daily, later than Paper Plant Co. or Hightide. - **Kinokuniya The Bloc** (Downtown): a smaller Kinokuniya that, per Kinokuniya, carries English books, stationery and gifts, handy if you are near 7th Street rather than Little Tokyo. - **Hightide Store DTLA** (ROW DTLA): the Fukuoka maker's first US store, opened in 2017, selling its own HIGHTIDE, Penco, Nähe and New Retro lines plus Hobonichi Techo planners. - **Paper Plant Co., Chinatown**: the shop organizes Bungu LA, and The Pen Addict's 2025 visit found a shop-exclusive Stalogy notebook and a marker for writing on washi tape. - **Paper Plant Co., Highland Park**: the newer second shop with its own selection, under a mile from Shorthand on York Boulevard, so the two make one trip. - **Shorthand, Highland Park**: prints its own letterpress cards and notebooks in its LA studio and invites you to sample the pens, per its site. - **Shorthand, Larchmont Village**: the same letterpress range and pen testing on the west side; it hosted a Kaweco DIY pen event in October 2026. - **FLAX Pen to Paper** (Westwood Village): a fine-pen shop in Westwood since 1949, which Time Out describes as specializing in "classy, classic pens". - **Blick Art Materials, La Brea**: the most central of Blick's four LA-area stores, with art and craft supplies plus custom printing and framing. ## Which LA stores are best for Japanese stationery? **Kinokuniya Los Angeles at 101 San Pedro Street in Little Tokyo is the biggest stop; Kinokuniya USA says it sells "books, magazines, and stationery from Japan".** Its smaller shop at The Bloc, 700 West 7th Street, carries only English books, stationery and gifts, per Kinokuniya. Hightide Store DTLA, the Fukuoka maker's first US store, opened in summer 2017. Its site sells HIGHTIDE planners, Penco, Nähe and New Retro goods, 2027 Hobonichi Techo planners and Kaweco pens. Paper Plant Co. calls its Chinatown shop a "petite flagship". The Pen Addict's March 2025 visit found sticker sheets, a shop-exclusive Stalogy x Paper Plant Co notebook and a marker for writing on washi tape. Compare what to look for in our [best Japanese pens](https://stationerytimes.com/guides/best-japanese-pens/) and [2027 planners](https://stationerytimes.com/guides/best-planners-2027/) guides. ## Which LA stores are best for fountain pens? **FLAX Pen to Paper at 1078 Gayley Avenue is the fine-pen shop: it has been in Westwood Village since 1949, and Time Out describes it as specializing in "classy, classic pens".** Its site features LAMY fountain pen ink; it is closed on Sundays. Shorthand's own page invites you to "sample the pens" and learn pen care, and in October 2026 it ran a Kaweco DIY pen event in both LA shops. If you are buying a first pen, read our [fountain pens for beginners](https://stationerytimes.com/guides/best-fountain-pens-for-beginners/) guide first. ## Which LA stores are best for paper, cards and washi tape? **Shorthand prints its own letterpress cards and notebooks in its Los Angeles studio and sells them in Highland Park and Larchmont Village.** Paper Plant Co.'s two shops lean toward stickers, stamps and washi tape; see our [washi tape and sticker picks](https://stationerytimes.com/guides/best-journaling-stickers-and-washi-tape/). ## Where should you buy art supplies in LA? **Blick Art Materials on La Brea Avenue (844 North La Brea) is the central option, with LA-area stores also in Pasadena, Santa Monica and West Los Angeles.** Its La Brea page lists custom printing and framing as well. ## How do you plan a stationery crawl in LA? **Start in Chinatown at 9 am, because Paper Plant Co. closes at 4 pm, then head south to Little Tokyo and finish at Hightide, which closes at 6 pm.** In Little Tokyo, Bunkado at 340 East 1st Street, a gift shop founded in 1945, sells postcards and cards. A second day pairs Highland Park, where Shorthand (York Boulevard) and Paper Plant Co. (Monte Vista Street) are both in 90042, with Larchmont Village. Westwood is a separate trip for FLAX, Monday to Saturday. ![To-scale map of 9 Los Angeles stationery stores at their geocoded addresses, from FLAX in Westwood Village to Shorthand and Paper Plant Co. in Highland Park, with a Downtown inset for Kinokuniya, Hightide and Paper Plant Co. in Chinatown](https://stationerytimes.com/images/best-stationery-stores-los-angeles-map.svg) *Where the stores are, drawn to scale from each address; check addresses before you go. Map data: US Census Bureau TIGER/Line; store positions: US Census Geocoder.* ## Which LA stationery stores have closed? **Poketo's Arts District shop is closed, per Time Out, and The Fountain Pen Shop in Monrovia closed in November 2019.** MUJI USA listed no California stores on October 24, 2026. We left out Vroman's in Pasadena and Baum-kuchen in Glassell Park because we could not confirm them on their own sites that day, and Daiso because it sells mostly commodity goods. ## When is the next pen show near Los Angeles? **The California Pen Show returns to the Torrance Marriott Redondo Beach on February 18–21, 2027.** See [US pen shows 2027](https://stationerytimes.com/guides/us-pen-shows-2027/) for hours and passes, and our [2026 pen show calendar](https://stationerytimes.com/guides/pen-shows-2026/) for Bungu LA vol. 2, which Paper Plant Co. ran October 16–18, 2026. Near the show, Kinokuniya Torrance is inside Mitsuwa Marketplace at 3525 Carson Street. More cities: see [all our stationery store guides, city by city](https://stationerytimes.com/guides/stores/), from New York and San Francisco to Tokyo, Kyoto, Seoul, London, Paris, Vienna and Istanbul. ## Frequently asked questions ### Where can I buy fountain pens in Los Angeles? FLAX Pen to Paper at 1078 Gayley Avenue in Westwood is the city's fine-pen shop, open Monday to Saturday. Kinokuniya in Little Tokyo sells Japanese pens, and Shorthand invites customers to sample the pens in its Highland Park and Larchmont Village shops. ### Is Poketo still open in the Arts District? No. Time Out lists Poketo's Arts District shop and its Line Hotel shop as closed, and on October 24, 2026, poketo.com redirected to the Pattern Brands site, which listed no Poketo store. ### Is there a Kinokuniya near the California Pen Show in Torrance? Yes. Kinokuniya Torrance is inside Mitsuwa Marketplace at the Del Amo Fashion Center, 3525 Carson Street, per Kinokuniya's store page. The California Pen Show returns to the Torrance Marriott Redondo Beach on February 18–21, 2027. ### Does MUJI have stores in Los Angeles? Not as of October 24, 2026. MUJI USA's store page listed stores in New York, Massachusetts and Oregon, some marked coming soon, and none in California. ### Who runs Bungu LA? Paper Plant Co., the Chinatown stationery shop, organizes Bungu LA. The second edition ran October 16–18, 2026, at the Westin LAX. ### Which LA stationery stores are open on Sundays? On October 24, 2026, both Kinokuniya downtown shops (11 am to 8 pm), both Paper Plant Co. shops, both Shorthand shops (10 am to 7 pm), Hightide Store DTLA (11 am to 6 pm) and Blick on La Brea (10 am to 6 pm) listed Sunday hours. FLAX Pen to Paper is closed on Sundays. ### Where is the Hightide store in Los Angeles? At 787 South Alameda Street, Suite 140, downtown. Hightide opened it in summer 2017 as its first US store and expanded into the HIGHTIDE ANNEX next door in November 2023. ## Sources - [Kinokuniya USA: store locations and hours](https://usa.kinokuniya.com/pages/stores) - [Kinokuniya USA: about us](https://usa.kinokuniya.com/pages/about-us) - [Hightide Store DTLA: about us](https://hightidestoredtla.com/pages/about) - [Monocle: ROW DTLA shopping guide (Hightide)](https://monocle.com/fashion/retail/row-dtla-shopping-guide-los-angeles/) - [Paper Plant Co.: visit our shops](https://paperplant.co/pages/visit-our-shops) - [Paper Plant Co.: Chinatown shop](https://paperplant.co/pages/visit-our-shop-in-los-angeles-chinatown) - [Paper Plant Co.: Highland Park shop](https://paperplant.co/pages/visit-us-in-highland-park) - [Shorthand: contact and store locations](https://shopshorthand.com/pages/contact) - [Shorthand: about](https://shopshorthand.com/pages/about) - [FLAX Pen to Paper: home page, address and hours](https://www.flaxpentopaper.com/) - [Blick Art Materials: Los Angeles La Brea store](https://www.dickblick.com/stores/california/los-angeles/) - [Blick Art Materials: store locations](https://www.dickblick.com/stores/) - [MUJI USA: store information](https://www.muji.us/pages/store-information) - [The Pen Addict: Paper Plant Co. shop visit (March 7, 2025)](https://www.penaddict.com/blog/2025/3/7/paper-plant-co-shop-visit) - [The Pen Addict: Shorthand shop visit (April 9, 2025)](https://www.penaddict.com/blog/2025/4/9/shorthand-shop-visit) - [Time Out Los Angeles: the best stationery stores in Los Angeles (2017)](https://www.timeout.com/los-angeles/shopping/stationery-stores-in-los-angeles) - [Time Out Los Angeles: Poketo (closed)](https://www.timeout.com/los-angeles/shopping/poketo-closed) - [Nichi Bei News: Bunkado, a one-stop shopping spot in Little Tokyo (November 2023)](https://www.nichibei.org/2023/11/bunkado-a-one-stop-shopping-spot-in-little-tokyo/) - [Wikipedia: The Fountain Pen Shop](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Fountain_Pen_Shop)