The Pen & Paper

Does exactly what it says on the tin. If you read a little closer it also does a few other things too (really, it would be spreading the paint a little thin to only sell pens and paper). Also selling globes, paints and jigsaws this is a veritable heaven for all those stationary mad, pencil freaks.
I’m always amazed at how expensive stationary is, you enter a shop, full of good intentions — ‘I’m going to buy lots of nice stationary and work really hard this year’ — and leave the shop looking downhearted and bemused. Counting your pennies over a bowl of warm rice later you think, ‘how did this happen?‘
Well just be glad you didn’t go to Paperchase, where everything is oh so pretty, and oh soooo expensive. Still, enjoy the yearly stationary trip, it’s what new term is all about. I still do it now and haven’t been a student for quite some time.

Looking around at my old university friends and listening to their opinions, as well as giving a quick scan across the reviews of my fellow scouts shows a distressing trend: everyone has a little bit of a stationary fetish within them. I’m not entirely sure when this happenened, as I’m pretty certain admitting to loving stationary would’ve got you beaten up when I was a kid, but the fact is everyone is now well into their pens and pencils.
And with shops like Pen & Paper, it’s easy to see why. It’s like the adult bookstore of stationary; all furtive glances as people enter the store, gently stroking the goods in a seedy fashion as you contemplate which delight you’ll be carrying home with you, stashed in the inside pockets of you trenchcoat…
No? Just me then. Alright…
The point is, where shops WH Smith fall down, considering stationary to be just part of their grander business model (most of their profits actually come from overpriced sandwiches and Sudoku books), Pen & Paper understand that stationary requires an air of reverence.

That annual joy of a new pencil case, unused eraser, novelty pencil sharpener and glittery gel-​pen remains one of my fondest memories of the school year.
However, this doesn’t mean I’ve developed into a young adult who can happily blow a week’s wages in a grown-​up stationary shop. Oh no. Rather, it has paved the way for a 21 year old who is very easily amused and incredibly thrifty when it comes to buying the essentials like glue, tape and ink. Get me a simple gel pen from Wilkos and boy you’ve made my day.
That being said, The Pen and Paper is a fantastic place to go for your more specialist needs and the staff, who number a few trained artists, can dish out enough tips so that even a girl like me, who has moved towards an artistic perfection at the same slow pace that she’s moved away from a puerile stationary obsession, can make something a little more aesthetically pleasing than ‘a mess’.
URBAN CHALLENGE: Buy a can of spray paint because you like the colour. You can work out what to do with it later.

I love stationary. Its a secret obsession really. There is nothing like having all the right kit before you start a project, all laid out in front of you, like a stationary village…
Anyway, this is a shop that at times I have to actively avoid because it would just get too expensive. They have a huge range of everything you could ever want for writing, art, filing etc. And definitely far more fun than any of the big chains.
So, let me tell you about fountain pens and inks. So many, lovely shiny pens! And a definite favourite of mine when it comes to birthday and Christmas gifts. I’m also very particular about colours when it comes to ink and spent many, many months searching for brown fountain pen ink. I tried all the big names, online, London… but guess where I found it! And in a beautiful bottle as well.
If you have as much of an obsession with stationary as I do, you will love this shop!

God I love stationary. Pens especially. And I’m one of those bizarre people (or maybe the only bizarre person) who buys pens that I never use because they’re too nice… No, seriously. I have «special pens» for «special occasions». What those special occasions are, I have yet to find out, but I keep on buying pretty pens that don’t get used all the same.
Naturally, I love this store. There are some beautiful pens here that I can’t quite justify buying when I know I’ll take them home, write my name out a few times, then put them back in the box and put them away for a day that never comes.
This is where you go to buy pens as presents. Really posh expensive pens. Sheaffer and Visconti and pens that come in boxes that are meant to sit on fancy desks.
They also sell specialist pens, like left handed pens which my brother loves after years of struggling with a cheap fountain pen.
This store doesn’t just sell pens, it also sells art supplies and there is so much of it ranging from the basic to more specific needs to really fancy gift sets that are seriously lovely and seriously expensive.
This is a great shop for artists, writers and anyone who loves stationary, and if you’re neither of those, it’s perfect for gift shopping for the artist/​writer in your life.

Calling all art students! I know you like your studies and want to get the best equipment possible In order to pass your degree don’t you? Then drop by to ‘The Pen & Paper’ shop located in Royal Arcade. From stationary to sketch books to paints and of course to paper. ‘The Pen & Paper’ has it all!
I’m not the biggest artist but my girlfriend is and she can’t stop shopping there getting all her sketch books and pencils. This is quite a big shop that has a range of deals for people and even offer discounts for students providing you have your student I. D on you. If you require any assistance then the staff would be more than happy to help you as they do provide some great customer service.
If you need anything for your pencil case, something to write or draw on, something to cut with or anything that is remotely related to art then visit ‘The Pen & Paper’ and pass that degree you have been studying!

This shop is surprisingly large and has many wonderful, useful and fun things to do things with. The staff are very friendly and they helped me a lot to know which where the right items that I should buy.
I wasn’t sure if they would sell the right black ink for my all in one hp psc printer and scanner1215, let alone whether I could buy any ink in that shop or not, at all. I saw a sign in the shop window saying hp black and coloured ink and so I knew they sold some kind of black and coloured ink for a computer printer, it was just that I didn’t know what type they sold.
The price was good to, it was under £25 as far as I can remember and one of the male members of staff asked me if I needed any help or not. So I asked him if he knew what type of black I could use for my computers printer and I told him the code number for it. For black ink that is a cheaper price to pay for such an item inside a shop.
Then at the till I decided to ask him what type of paper is good for printing a nice picture to put inside a picture frame, and so he helped me with that too. He seemed to know a great deal of information about the different types of paper that they had there and how to use them.
This shop is placed within the Royal Arcade in Cardiff’s city centre and I recommend it to all. As it is full of many; lush crafty items, A4 folders, paper of all kinds and card, plenty of quality pens, black and coloured ink, paint, paint brushes, art equipment of all kinds and many more items for your good use and pleasure.

I love buying stationery, and I can’t resist buying more notepads than I’m ever likely to fill.
Pen & Paper, however, is more of a traditional stationery shop than a trendy one. While Paperchase’s shelves are filled with the kind of brightly coloured pens, notepads, cards and accessories I can’t get enough of, Pen & Paper is packed with more serious stationery and artists’ materials — although they do sell the classy Moleskin notepads.
Large and spacious, you can stock up on the same types of things as you could buy at Staples, although you will pay a bit more here — including paper, envelopes, diaries, rubbers, pencils, pens, and so on. Their artists’ materials are fairly extensive, too — and everything seems to be of a high quality.

The Pen and Paper Stationary Company has probably got the largest floor space out of all the concessions in The Royal Arcade… and they need it! They stock a huge amount of product ranging from stationary and office supplies to artists materials; essentially you can find everything that you could ever dream of when considering making your mark on the world!
The staff are really friendly and helpful, which is essential in a shop of this scale. Left to your own devices you could end up spending a week in here looking for that all import charcoal pencil. Writers get off a little more lightly than the artists, there’s a full selection of Moleskins on their own highly visible display unit positioned right next to the serving counter.
Open seven days a week, there’s really no excuse for procrastination. It’s entirely feasible to kit yourself up with all you need to produce that ground-​breaking masterpiece, or that world-​changing novel, which you’ve been meaning to get round to doing for a while!

A good place to go for all your basic stationary needs. They sell your usual pens, envelopes, paper, diaries, rubbers etc…
Be warned though, most of the items here are pretty basic, if you fancy a cute, or quirky notebook, I’d recommend heading over to Paperchase instead. Another thing to watch out for is that this store can be a bit pricey in comparison to places like Staples, and your local supermarket.
Where Pen and Paper excels however, is in its art materials. If you’re studying art in school, University, or even if you’re a professional, this is definitely the place to go. The supplies are all of the best quality, and what’s more the staff really know their product, and can advise you on what would suit your particular need (which you really wouldn’t get at the large chain stores).
Perhaps a little randomly, Pen and Paper also has a fantastic selection of jigsaws! Now personally I’m not particularly in to jigsaws, but if they are your thing, you’ll just love this store!

This is a great shop for picking up art and craft supplies. It’s about a third of the way down the arcade from the St Mary Street entrance.
It’s got a whole array of painting and drawing supplies as well as cards, calendars, diaries, high end pens etc.
The staff are very friendly, but the till ‘island’ in the middle can be a bit confusing — whichever side I queue on they ask me to move sides!