Payn's Stationery

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.

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!

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!

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.

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!

With Alko Office Supply gone, this is now the only stationery store left in Berkeley (pathetic), but this place is the bomb. It has just about everything you could possibly want. Even though I only ever go there for two things, I still feel like a kid in a candy store. They've been around for 70 years and I really hope they can keep going for another 70. Cheers!

Everything is of quality; meaning, when I buy origami paper I'm getting the real deal. Its made in Japan not a cheaper alternative. Everything there is from the source.
Prices are great for being an import and privately owned shop. They exchanged my item no questions asked and were incredibly helpful.

This is a great place to shop, and just to look around. Staff will always try to get you what you need. Lots of stuff to look at! These days, there are fewer and fewer stores like this. Don't shop online, try this place out first! :)

Remember how #backtoschool shopping helped take the sting out of saying goodbye to summer? The new pens and pencils, not to mention the shiny new compass and protractor, book bag, trapper keeper....it made it a little more fun to #dothework.

If you want to capture that feeling again, and see how much better a #localmerchant can be than an Office Behemoth, go to Payn's.

Wanna see how it could be possible to elevate office supplies to the level of the most passionately curated record store? Go to Payn's.

Wanna walk through a door and enter a fully immersive #20thcenturytimemachine experience? Go to Payn's.

I love this store. They have very good judgement on what to carry. And they will order things they don't stock. I have found the staff, over many years, to be helpful and friendly.

They let me try out different pen inks before I picked one to buy, really great customer service

This store is a jewel—great inventory selection, combines a kind of old-time feeling with a supply of modern needs. True love.

This is the best all round store. It has high end art, necessary stationary and excellent prices all round. I found the notary a good price.

Needed a notary on a saturday. Such great customer service and lots of papergoods and pens!

You find so many little unique surprises just browsing. Great for cards and more.

Great store, love to support local businesses! I will say though, it’s kind of overpriced...

The exemplary neighborhood stationery store. Long may it wave.

my go-to for both day-to-day practicals and a few little flourishes to creative projects

Amazing place - please support for the community building

Specializes in fountain pens and stationery, office supply and school etc.