Words Abby L. Johnson | Photos Parker Thornton & Eric Morales
There’s a universal, thrilling language known by schoolchildren of a certain age: the passing of the innocent-but-illicit note in class. Pei Sim’s love affair with stationery and paper began in her childhood years growing up in Singapore. Note cards, letter sets, and gel pens colored those early years in the cutest pastel hues.
When her family relocated nearly 10,000 miles from their home in Singapore to Houston, Pei’s affinity for paper goods and utensils became a lifeline. “Stationery is what helped bridge the big gap between my life in Singapore and this whole new world, because all the girls in my class were like, ‘oh, you have gel pens!’” Pei laughs. “We bonded over stationery.” As it turns out, this quintessential girlhood experience would grow and continue to create connections into adulthood.
Lunar New Year Festivals: Cultural community programming is another passion of Pei’s. “As someone who moved from Asia, I never went to a single Lunar New Year event since I moved to the US– until I hosted it here four years ago,” says Pei. Paper + Craft Pantry now hosts an annual Lunar New Year Festival with a curated market populated by vendors of Asian descent. Food, family-friendly activities, and of course, handmade goods make the festival a tradition to look forward to each year.
The original Paper + Craft Pantry location opened in a warehouse space on East 6th Street in 2015. The business grew and became one of the first tenants in Springdale General where they are located today. “People who have come to the shop since we were at East 6th can appreciate the journey because they were there when our card wall was two columns, and now it spans the whole wall,” says Pei, reflecting on the growth of the business and the loyalty of her patrons. Many of the cards are designed by Pei herself, part of her in-house line.
In the decade since first opening her doors on East 6th, Pei has cultivated a community of like-minded individuals to grow alongside. Many of the longtime shoppers have marked major life milestones with Paper + Craft Pantry: baby showers, birthdays, and anniversaries celebrated with Pei’s goods. Pei recalls one customer whose partner was deployed, and when he was home, they’d visit the shop to stock up on stationary. “Now, they have boxes of cards that they wrote to each over four years…all from our shop,” she smiles.
Paper + Craft Pantry is a bastion for the community of creators of all sizes in East Austin. Crafting workshops and meetups are a frequent occurrence on their event calendar.
Additionally, the shop hosts several seasonal pop-ups throughout the year that highlight local makers. Pei draws from her pre-brick-and-mortar days as a vendor test driving her concept to truly deliver a valuable market experience. In lieu of a vendor fee, Pei simply asks vendors to donate to either the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Central Texas or Black Mamas ATX, significantly lowering the bar for entry to new and small makers.
Paper is a simple good, often taken for granted, and the store places emphasis on the little things that connect us in significant ways. The card propped up on the mantle, the invite stuck with a magnet on the fridge, or the scrapbook lovingly crafted to maintain precious memories all start with paper. So why can’t it be fun and beautiful?
thepapercraftpantry.com
@thepapercraftpantry
1023 Springdale Road., Bldg. 6A
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