Payn's Stationery - Berkeley, California

Meghan T

I am an admitted office/school supply junkie. As a writer and artist, it’s not wonder that pens and paper excite me. That said, I’m so glad I found this spot in Berkeley this past week.

I was in the SF area and had some downtime so I decided to Google stationery stores. This shop popped up with good reviews, so I went to take a look for myself.

PARKING
I did have to pay for parking, but it was rather inexpensive and easy to work. They have a few options for paying, which included scanning a QR code and paying on the phone with a card.

PRODUCTS
What don’t they have? They carry every major brand of paper, journals and notebooks, and even lesser known brands. They offer different sized envelopes for individual purchase. There are tons of greeting cards and luckily some postcards. I bought a bunch of those to send out. They are nice ones too! …along with some of the standard cheesy souvenir postcards—just what I was looking for. The stock of single pens is huge! Along with the many brands to choose from, they carry so many colors. Sharpies, Papermate Felt Tips, Micron, Pilot, Gelly Roll… you name it.

To note, there were also calendars, art supplies, post-it notes, paper clips, folders, rulers, stickers, stamps, etc. I can’t imagine what you’d need that wouldn’t be there.

PRICE
What I loved the most was that the products were all humbly priced. Everything was well-marked, too. As someone who buys this type of stuff a lot, I know what things cost. This store is very reasonable.

OVERALL
The store is clean, tidy and well-organized. You can just tell that it is a labor of love and has probably been around for a while. The lady at the counter who rung me up was kind too. If I lived in the area, I’d make this spot my #1.

I recommend this stationery store in Berkeley to anyone in the Bay Area. It’s definitely a place you want to keep alive in the era of impersonal big box stores and online shopping.

Grace Lin

Interesting place with certainty a lot of Halloween costumes!

John Skiles Skinner

Big-box office supply and art stores didn't have an ink refill for my Japanese pen, but Payn's Stationery did. The clerk was vey knowledgable about Payn's stock; she knew immediately the type of refill needed and where it was located on the rack. This store is delightful.

Adler

Love love love this store! If you’re looking for watercolor supplies I’d suggest this place over Ink Stone in downtown Berkeley. A LOT of notebook selections and the most obscure types of pens you can think of. If you’re also looking to buy single pens instead of a multi-pack, this is the place!

Jessica Rahman

Everyone is so sweet here and they have a great variety of supplies and gifts (not too expensive either). I come here both to buy individual pencils and pens (Palomino Blackwings and all those pretty pastel and Jake we neutral colors from Le Pen) as well as gifts for others. You won’t step out empty handed!

Paolo Pellegatti

A really nice place, with nice people as far as my experience with the store goes. Medium and high end stationery items with a fair price and nice overall selection. I'd personally like to find a wider selection of pencils (with all do respect to Ticonderoga, of course) but what they have is respectable with a couple of gems.

Susan Moon

This is my favorite local business. They have a great selection of stationery supplies, they are friendly and independent and they have always been willing to go out of their way to help me. People come in from the neighborhood just to say hi. They are practically like a community center!

Eliot Hertenstein

Payn's is a hidden gem in the Kensington/Albany area. It's one of the only stores that I'll visit purely for my own enjoyment, because of their friendly staff, a wonderful selection of supplies, and great location; close to many restaurants and other stops. Their prices are also great, often beating stores like Office Depot and Amazon. If you're shopping on Solano, I would HIGHLY recommend stopping by and saying hello! Payn's Stationery is my #1 reason for supporting local businesses: great locations, curated selections, and amazing people all around.

As for all of my reviews, this review was neither paid for nor endorsed by Payn's stationery. All thoughts and opinions are my own.