As the economy flounders and the election cycle drags on, many makers and retailers in the stationery space are simply navigating their way through the best they can so that their businesses survive the downturn. But stationery success stories still happen! Tyler McCall and his husband and business partner Eric Campbell have been on an upward trajectory since opening their 400-square-foot shop in the Andersonville neighborhood of Chicago, Paper & Pencil, in May 2023.

The two built the highly curated Paper & Pencil on their own terms, and when attending the New York markets for the first time in Winter 2024, the first kernel of Chicago Stationery Fest was planted. Happening March 22 and 23, 2025, this consumer-facing event may just break down the "trade-only" wall to let paper nerds in the wild experience the magic that the stationery trade has privately enjoyed for decades.

While Chicago Stationery Fest is just one of several similar events popping up around the country, its springtime dates also lend itself to wholesale buying that for this category has always occurred in that specific window. It all begs the question, are we are on the verge of a stationery renaissance?

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