The Campus Store

People who work here are nice and friendly check
Prices are fair and reasonable check
They help you survive during hard college times check
The owner of this place was changed last year, and he is ridiculously nice. They now sell all sorts of stuff in addition to their extensive stationery collection. They now carry high end sodas, deli meat/​cheese, etc. They also sell kitchen tools, pain relievers, candles, detergent, etc. They have become a mini CVS. So, this place has made things very convenient for people who live on northside. They have all sorts of notebooks, pens, pencils. Basically all your school needs for reasonable prices. They have tons of different birthday cards (I’m not kidding, they have a lot of them), and thanks to them I don’t have to walk all the way to south side or Downtown Berkeley whenever there is a friend’s birthday.
My only compliant is that they close a bit early (around 8), but whenever they are open I make sure to buy my grocery needs from them since their prices are cheaper from other stores, and they don’t charge you if you use credit card here.
Tip:
To use credit card you have to spend more than $ 3.

They had a pretty good (albeit small) selection of notebooks. I get so into maintaining a beautiful lab notebook. Had to start a new one recently and Mead comp books weren’t gonna cut it, but I don’t know how else to get those monogrammed «Laboratory Notebook» books except for online. Went to The Campus Store today after reading the other positive reviews, and they carried those rare ones that have the thick, numbered yellow pages, which I might even like better, and a few other interesting options. And moleskines.
Cool.
Thanks dudes!

The Campus Store is, yes, a campus store. But it’s also a small, friendly neighborhood store. I’m a student and live about a block from this place, so it’s along the way on my daily walk to and from campus. I come in here only once in a while, but the owner always remembers me and stops to chat. I find it refreshing to see that in a store in such a busy, student-​filled area.
The selection of items is incredible for what is a tiny corner store. There’s a good assortment of office supplies, from notebooks to folders to paper to pens and pencils. If you’re feeling sick, many over-​the-​counter medications are stocked here. The selection of snack foods and drinks is, dare I say, better than that of Seven Palms across the street. (No alcohol, of course, but they have food covered.) The prices are going to be slightly higher than what you might find at Walgreens or CVS, but not by much. They’re very reasonable for a small business in an already expensive neighborhood.
I’ve ducked in here for green books, medicine, office supplies, and small grocery items, cards. On occasion, I’ve come in looking for something that they don’t carry– and the owner has offered to order it for me. That, to me, is exceptional customer service. Five stars all the way.

My greatest weakness is school supplies — fine, heavyweight paper notebooks, drafting pencils, translucent plastic post-​it notes, you know, good stuff. This store truly excites the school supply geek in me.
They have a nice selection of Rhodia, Moleskine and Clairfontaine notebooks, as well as my personal favorite, Miquelrius, although their selection of Miquelrius notebooks is only limited to one color in the one-​subject kind. Their mechanical pencils are quite nice, and they have a really nice range of fine-​tip pens.
The range of items they have is impressive considering the store is so small, and sometimes it’s kind of laughable. They clearly tried to target every aspect of a college student’s life — from selling school supplies to toilet paper to pepper spray in a single aisle.
Stores like this make me truly appreciate small businesses, and I really hope they stick around.

One neat thing about Bay Area shopping is the plethora of places that appeal to my inner Dilbert concerning office supplies. The Campus Store in particular doesn’t look particularly impressive when you see it first time from the street. Yet within, you’ll find paper products (name brand and otherwise) beyond your wildest dreams! OK, that’s a «bit» of hyperbole (even with my imagination), but it the selection within this small little North Side shop is quite impressive for its small size.
And while you’re here, there are Cal products, basic drug store needs, light hardware, and other stuff for both the student and Townies that wish they still were.

I used to work here! Let me tell you, the boss, Susan, is the sweetest lady you’ll ever meet. She treats her regulars very well.
So, a lot of my friends think that this place is overpriced. Let me tell you why that is the case. Susan doesn’t have a computer and she’s not managing a Walgreen’s obviously; so, she is very limited in the vendors who will sell their goods to her, since she communicates with them the old school way (phone) and she doesn’t buy a lot of products at one time. That’s why the prices are a little higher, but if it hasn’t been said to you before — support local businesses! Keep money in the Berkeley area. :)
Prices explained, they have a very extensive stationery collection. Susan is very attentive to her customers’ needs and she will special-​order a product for you if you don’t see it on the shelves. This is the only store I’ve seen to stock both Rhodia and Clairefontaine notebooks — even the Cal Student store only stocks Rhodia. A lot of people actually go out of their way when they’re traveling from out of state in order to buy the products at HER store, which surprised me! Other Campus Store quirks:
1. She stocks several Moleskin products. Moleskin sells these three-​pack journals, but she actually sells them individually so you don’t have to buy all three.
2. She still carries grade report cards, in case anyone here is old school and still sends those postcards to their profs for them to fill out (do any of you even know what I’m talking about?)
3. The candy in the front of the store is SUCH a great quick sugar fix. Three Andes mint chocolates for 10 cents. How can you possibly beat that?
4. Korean highlighters, imported from… well, Korea. Sakura jelly roll pens. Little notepads taped on every shelf so you can try EVERY pen before you buy it. Even the ultra exotic ones, like the Fisher Space Pen (yes, she carries those) and the nice drafting pencils that are like $ 15.00 each.
This store is EXCELLENT for stationery. As for everything else, it’s one of those stores that look small and really cramped (not a lot of shelfspace or room for all of the goods), so you might think she doesn’t stock something, but you’ll be surprised. Unfortunately, if she does stock it, chances are there won’t be a huge selection of products.

If you need school supplies, basic drug store needs, and desk lamp, basic cal gear among TONS of other things, they have it. I often buy my blue books here on the way to exams.
Also, I buy poster hanging tape, notepads, nyquil, gum, birthday cards, etc.
This store really has a lot of stuff considering how small it is. Oh, and the staff is very nice.