Papyrus

Try and think of the number one «Hallmark holiday». The one «holiday» when a card and wrapping paper store should be prepared to have multiple couples and stressed guys and people generally hoping to have service. It has got to be Valentine’s Day. Right?
Stopped into this Papyrus two days before vday and there was one sad employee there. She was putting forth a Herculean effort but it was a sad sad attempt. The line was at least 10 people long at all times. When I finally got to the front of the line she told me it would be over and hour wait to have my gifts wrapped… completely unacceptable. Also, makes zero sense for a place that wraps gifts and sells cards.
Horrible planning. Horrible experience.

Although it’s a relatively small store, there’s lots of lovely and varied merchandise to select from. I went in on 12÷06÷15 to look for a very specific Kate Spade journal. The purple-​haired employee who helped me find it was friendly, enthusiastic and very helpful. I also picked up an Illume candle that I was super psyched to find — I haven’t been able to find it anywhere else. I haven’t visited any other downtown locations, but I’m interested to see how they compare to the N Michigan Ave store. Definitely the go-​to place for specialty stationary, unique greeting cards & homewares.

Nightmare. What do you come to Papyrus for? Upscale stationary and gifts. Came here with a broad idea of what I wanted to purchase as a gift knowing they would have something along the lines of a travel journal (well, I guess I was confident, given what they they have in stock in other stores and carry online). I wandered around in the 200 sq ft store hoping the ambivalent employee would pick up on my need to locate something. Instead he stood behind the counter staring at me, arms crossed. I approached him and as I gave a nice description of my idea of the purchase, he cut me off and said if they had it, they would be by the journals. I’m trying to locate every journal in the store while he ignores me when finally, exasperated, I ask if the Water Tower store may have it. No joke, still behind the counter, arms crossed, goes «nah, try LaSalle». I remark that they’re closed (thinking, shouldn’t you know this?) and he shrugs. Ugh!
Well guess where I just left? The Water Tower store! Guess what they had? TRAVEL JOURNALS! Guess what else they had?! Exceptional service! Long story short, if you’re on Michigan Avenue looking for stationary and gifts, wade your way through the lost tourists up to Water Tower place (I know, I know, sixth circle of hell, but this is worth it), and avoid the North Bridge store at all costs.

The store is cozy and the few ‘aisles’ very tight. I’ve always found the card selection to be excellent, and the assorted gift items perfect, especially when you don’t know what to get someone — you’re going to find something that’ll work. The staff I’ve interacted with, always just during the checkout process is friendly and courteous.

I have nothing but whole hearted devotion to Papyrus. Unless you have the talent and are going to hand make a card, you cannot do better than a Papyrus card. They are gorgeous, unique, and each one gives an amazing wow factor.
Entering this store I saw a 90% off sign. I thought they were toying with my bargain loving heart. Sure enough though I got a gorgeous vase for my bestie for $ 6(originally $ 62)! I also stocked up on a couple boxes of thank you cards (yes to handwritten thank you’s) and a beautiful fuchsia Moleskin date book. All for 90% off.
If Papyrus is a regular stop for you, make sure you join the perks program. That way you always get buy 3 cards and get 1 free. That’s a free card of up to $ 8(I think). Your loved ones are so worth it.

Ah, the good old days, when people sent cards and the recipients saved them in shoeboxes. Cheeky words to a birthday girl, obligatory words to thank auntie and uncle, sweet somethings and nothings for a lover – maybe even sealed with a kiss?
It’s too bad that the writing culture has faded so much; yet it’s good that at least a high-​quality chain of card stores survives in an urban mall. Not many independents can survive in the neighborhoods. There are some clever cards here, many of them hand-​crafted.
Then again, I can’t believe that I just spent $ 8 for a card. The problem isn’t necessarily the price, if it were truly unique. The problem is that many of the people who might appreciate receiving an $ 8 hand-​crafted card have already seen it in the Papyrus in their own city. Not quite as special then. Then again, I’m not planning to pull out the scissors and paste anytime soon.

OBSESSED with Papyrus cards! So beautiful, clever, witty, etc…

A boutique of fancy papers, cards, stationary and little gifty accessories. I received a coupon for signing up my email. The plan was to binge buy all my 2014 birthday cards for my family. What a way to thrown down $ 50+ easy. I hope the cards I bought were worth it. I plan on making an impression in 2014 with my Papyrus cards.
That impression will either be:
Damn, she’s lost her mind spending $ 6 for a birthday card.
Or…Damn she’s just plain lost her damn mind.
Or, the impression I’m hoping for… Damn she’s one classy chic Chicago chica.
Any which way, they won’t forget my card easily. Quality paper, unique and intricate design… they’ll take notice that I took notice that it was their birthday.

Pretty little store, with a small selection of really lovely cards (and stationary and wrapping paper and stuuuuuuff). I only buy cards from Papyrus or places like it. They cost maybe 1.5−2 times as much as the cards at the drugstore, but have you noticed that drugstore cards literally ALL suck? Like all of them! I mean every single one. No matter the occasion, I go look for a card at CVS or whatever and all the cards are stupid, or they’re like 10 paragraphs long and super gushy and weird. These cards are classy, creative, beautiful, and express the right sentiment with brevity. You get what you pay for.

Store Review:
Classy cards. If you are looking for something special this is the place to go for one of a kind cards that are a cut above hallmark. The quality of the paper and the creativity of the cards sets it apart from other companies. This however comes at a price. Staff is friendly and the store is not busy at all.
Pros– beautiful greeting cards, unique
Cons– super expensive
Hidden deals–
Stop by after the holidays to get boxed card sets on sale.

After not finding congratulatory cards at CVS (at least not ones I really liked), I stopped to see what Papyrus had to offer. Ah-​ha. I quickly found cards I liked, even if they were a little pricier than what I probably wanted to spend. Oh well. Short trip for greeting cards plus leaving some time for lunch from the food court upstairs = mission accomplished.

I bought my wedding invitations from this store. I was a little hesitant b/​c I wasn’t sure if the service would be as personalized as some of the boutiques I had visited. I was wrong. Tricia, Margaret and Anne were amazing to deal with. They all gave me advice during every step of the process. They followed up with me on my order and responded very promptly to all of my questions. I will definitely continue to shop here. The only drawback: their vendors are extremely expensive. However, you get what you pay for. My invitations were very high quality and I got compliments from all of my guests. If you are on a budget, I would suggest ordering invitations online or DIY invitations.

I love this location. Not only is it closer to my condo, but this Papyrus has a larger array than the store at Diversey and Clark, which I’m not at all surprised by.
It’s also less crowded than the one at the Water Tower. Normally I love people, but today my mini-​misanthrope came out along with the part that needed to get professional stationery for farewells /​thank yous. I picked up a set of 100 sheets/​50 envelopes for $ 20, a set I definitely didn’t see online when perusing the site in hopes I wouldn’t have to trek my lazy bum 5 blocks to the store.
Plus the ladies behind the counter didn’t look like they wanted to throttle me, for which I am ever so grateful. But I guess it’s because they work at a Papyrus and not the Sanrio store… or the Lego store, for that matter. I’ll admit it, as much as I may love kids, if I had to dress up as Hello Kitty or deal with screamers finding 2 more green blocks, I’d want to be on a round-​the-​clock dosage of Valium.