Elmwood Stationers

Andrew Han

3643-D Mt Diablo Blvd ~ 925-299-6900

The digital age has left us bereft of tactile experiences.  One common pleasure of the past was entering a stationery store – the smell of newly milled paper filling your lungs, a chance to hold pens in your hand and see how they write, the general thrill of different shapes, sizes, colors all exhibiting limitless possibilities of creativity.  Lafayette still has a neighborhood stationery store, right in the middle of town – a unique and delightful part of our neighborhood.  

Andrew Han stepped into this analog world of pens and paper by accident in 1997.  He was newly married with a one-year old son. Andrew and his wife, Sally, were looking for a different kind of life.  So, they purchased Elmwood Stationers in Berkeley, remodeled it, and suddenly became business owners with a thriving and popular store. 

In 2009, when Contra Costa Stationers in Lafayette was preparing to close its doors, Andrew and Sally took over the lease, remodeled the space down to the studs, and opened Elmwood Stationers — the Lafayette edition.

There are always local residents behind the counter ready to greet you.  There are calendars, stickers, journals, greeting cards, files, fountain pens, folders, paper, office supplies and a thoughtful selection of gifts. 

 If you remember the last time you received a hand-written letter,  you probably can also recall that strong sense of that delightful anticipation – opening the envelope, finding a comfortable spot to read leisurely, seeing your friend’s looping handwriting.

That feeling is part of what continues to inspire Andrew and Sally’s work. In an increasingly digital world, they believe there is still deep value in slowing down, writing things by hand, creating something tangible, and maintaining spaces that foster creativity, beauty, and human connection.

As Andrew likes to say, “We don’t just sell pens and paper. We offer soulful necessities.”