From WBEZ Chicago:
A line of shoppers are often seen outside the Andersonville stationery shop Paper & Pencil. At the front of the line, a store employee acts as a bouncer — preventing overcrowding in the 400-square-foot shop.
Stationery stores like Paper & Pencil — packed with stickers, fountain pens, washi tape, planners and notebooks — have seen sales surge. But it’s not because consumers are looking to get organized in the New Year, though it has been a factor. Chicago shop owners credit social media and influencers who have marked this year as a return to analog, opting for physical media, entertainment and, yes, pens and paper.