Square at the fabulous — and exclusive! — intersection of stationery, books and subscription boxes, you will find The Stationery Club. The brainchild of Elizabeth Freeman, co-owner and stationery buyer at East Bay Booksellers in Oakland, the popularity of these carefully, lovingly curated packages has grown solely due to word of mouth (up until now that is!) to generate a small but passionate community of paper people of all ages from all across the country.
Each round of boxes includes a thoughtful assembly of greeting cards, paper products, notebooks, writing utensils and a creative desk accessory. Elizabeth seeks items that are both beautiful and functional enough to use daily, with a special focus on recycled or sustainable materials — both in the product she selects and how she packs them. Since she does all the sourcing and packing herself, expect little surprises like handmade collages, repurposed ribbons and upcycled twine.
Since these creations are closer to delicate art assemblages than your typical mass-produced subscription boxes sent to thousands, membership has so far been limited to 80 people. Unsurprisingly, it quickly sells out each year. 2024, however, finds Elizabeth expanding membership and inviting more folks into this very limited club.
Elizabeth was kind enough to send me Box 3 from 2023, and the experience of unboxing and appreciating every last goody was such that I keep doing it over and over! Sitting on an upcycled piece of colorful Asian newsprint was a Profolio Oasis pocket notebook; two Blackwing pencils, two Ingrid Press greeting cards, washi tape from The Completist (pieces of which also adorned the box); and an East Bay Booksellers eraser. The notebook, pencils and cards were tied together with upcycled raffia for an utterly organic stationery treat.
Of course I had questions for Elizabeth — and she was gracious enough to answer them!
SS: What was the original impetus for the club and when did you start it?
EF: The first iteration of Stationery Club came when my co-owner and I realized we had recently been to a trade show in LA, found all these great new notebooks and pens and things and then suddenly (in March 2020), we had no way to show them to people as the store was closed to customers. I kept a subscription service in the back of my mind for a few months and then put together the first boxes to be sent out in early 2021 to 58 subscribers.
SS: Do you think stationery lovers in the book space differ from those more in the traditional card/gift shop space? If so, how, and how do your selections for the boxes reflect that?
EF: I’ve only ever worked in bookstores but I do think there are a lot of similarities in both retail spaces. Lots of bookstores definitely have success with stationery items that are book/reading themed, but our store tends more towards wholesalers that focus solely on office products and stationery items as we feel the products and overall design tends to be a little higher quality. Ideally, the items in each box can stand on their own merits and be shared with anyone, even if they don’t consider themselves avid readers.
SS: Incorporating custom, upcycled elements like collages and repurposed ribbons makes every box so special. Because you don’t have an endless supply of these, do boxes within a single mailing tend to differ?
EF: I’ll set aside packing material at the store which is quite easy — we always have more than we can use. For the other touches, I turn to my own stash. I’m very lucky to have grown up with a mother who taught art in public school, so we often had a supply of basic creative and craft materials in the house and I’ve maintained that as I’ve gotten older. Reusing materials is always a fun challenge and top of mind for me so it worked pretty seamlessly with Stationery Club. For the very first box, I made a small, simple stamp and deconstructed some commercial size coffee bean bags I had on hand for the twine. The ritual allowed me to slow down and think about each box as going to a unique individual, which was a lightbulb moment for me. I always want the items in the boxes to feel full of creative possibility, not fussy or precious. Hopefully the variations box to box reflect that mentality!
SS: What type of feedback do you hear from subscribers — and how does it shape upcoming boxes?
EF: All the subscribers I’ve had for the past three years have been such a lovely, enthusiastic bunch of people and give me great feedback. I feel very lucky to have them. As they are so engaged and responsive, I always want to make sure I’m not repeating products or brands overly much throughout the year. I’m always on the lookout for things that add value to the recipients desk or workspace, rather than clutter.
SS: Where would you like this to be in a few years?
EF: It’s been really exciting to watch this project evolve and consider the things that are working and the things I could expand on. At some point I’d love to have a brick & mortar stationery shop and continue to use Stationery Club to connect with people. I’d also love to work with other bookstores to help them find an assortment of brands and items that highlight their unique space.
SS: I notice that subscribers commit to three months. Why did you institute this policy — it seems to differ from many subscription boxes — and have you noticed any cumulative effect from receiving the boxes (as opposed to one-offs)?
EF: The decision to do three boxes in a year was a combination of cost, labor and utility to subscribers. Being able to keep the price at $100 and have that include shipping was important to me and also gave me a workable budget to build each box. I was initially concerned about overloading subscribers with items, overloading myself with work and creating waste, so I knew a monthly subscription wasn’t right for me. The schedule of shipping three times a year accommodates my day to day work at the bookstore and allows me to spend time getting them together and making them special.
SS: Is there anything else you would like to share with TPN readers?
EF: This is such a lovely community of creative people, I’m just happy to be able to share Stationery Club with them!
You read it here first, folks! Elizabeth has 20 spots for new subscribers in ’24 — will one of them be yours? To me the biggest question is, do I gift this for myself or a paper-loving friend? These are truly very personal questions, but you can start the process here. $100 covers three boxes, shipping anywhere in the US and a year full of exquisite stationery surprises!
