Stationery shopping in Taipei, part 2
I spent a month in Taipei and did a lot of stationery shopping (my excuse was that if I’m going to shop anyway, far better there than back in the UK). This time I’ll talk about the less niche places where you can find stationery - places which also sell a lot of other items, and which you might pass by on your way to something else.
As I said last time: I was just a tourist and I’m only writing about the ones I actually visited in person. Locals would have more recommendations.
Eslite Xinyi1 stationery store
Eslite is a spendy department store so I probably wouldn’t get something here unless I couldn’t find it anywhere else. To counterbalance this, they have loads of unusual and quality products here. Plus, they keep up with the trends - when I visited they had about a million different Travellers Notebook refills. There is a separate “Fine Writing” section which is a proper fountain pen shop, and similarly stocks a lot of trendy and unusual stuff. Don’t forget to check the giant 24/7 bookshop too. Note: Some other Eslite locations have stationery stores too, for example the one in Ximen.
When I visited they were selling LAMY x Itoya Lamy Safaris in the Fine Writing section, some with a Hanzi nib which I was very happy to try out. I also tried out a Sailor dual shader here.
TSUTAYA
A Japanese bookstore chain with a few locations in Taipei. Similar to Eslite, there is a good variety of unusual stuff, and it varies a lot depending on the location. For example, the Nangang location has a big Lamy store inside, while the one at Xinyi has some exclusive(?) Sailor and Tag Stationery inks.
Pierre Cardin dip pens spotted in TSUTAYA Songshan. These come from Pierre Cardin’s Hong Kong branch and they target Asian markets. I had no idea.
The exclusive (I suspect) inks in TSUTAYA Xinyi.
POYA
A chain store that sells everything (depending on the location). Usually has a good normal stationery section. In a larger one there will also be aesthetic journaling supplies (stickers, post its, washi tape etc - I always notice their little bags of ephemera for collages). I unexpectedly found some 2mm lead for my clutch pencil here. I’ve bought other things here too. POYA is very alluring…
Your average big stationery shop (文具店)
These are everywhere. Just go and be awed by the sheer range of stationery and knick knacks. Larger ones may also stock DIY, electronics, and so on. You can get normal stationery items on a budget here, and can probably find something unique as well.
Some things I’ve bought from Taiwan stationery shops. That eraser cost something like NT$8 and it’s the best I’ve ever used. Cheap UK erasers are only good for carving stamps out of.
7-11 and similar
It’s late at night, or maybe you came in to escape the afternoon heat. You don’t even want a pen, you just want to buy a drink, gum, hot dog, tea egg, toilet paper, shampoo, raincoat - you know, one of those things 7-11 has. Regardless, the stationery section will lure you in. The pens here are varied, high-quality, practical, and often unique. Don’t waste your time looking at them! Go buy your drink!!!
Taiwan fountain pen brands
A small coda to this two-part series. If you’re like me, then while shopping in Taiwan you would want to keep an eye out for Taiwanese fountain pen and ink brands. Here is a list of the brands I’ve encountered or heard of. I will also mention what can be found in the UK at the time of writing, since that’s what I know, and it perhaps gives an indicator of how likely they are to be found elsewhere.
Found in the UK: TWSBI, OPUS 88, YSTUDIO, Laban, 22STUDIO, FWI
Not found in the UK: SKB, IWI, Lennon Tool Bar, Ink Institute, HAPPYMT, Artex, Ty Lee, Taiwan Tenny, Mr. Cypress, Seeing Far
Have you been to these places? What have I missed? Do let me know in the comments!
-
This one is actually closing, and the stationery and 24/7 bookshop will apparently be moving to their Songyan location at the end of 2023. ↩︎