The Paper Merchant

Holiday merchandise that I can use next year (and the years after that) for 50% off? Don’t mind if I do!
I dragged my fiancé into this cute little shop the day after New Year’s Day to have a look at their discounted holiday merchandise. We visit a similar type boutique close to our local coffee spot closer to home, but the pickings were pretty slim.
That was not the case at The Paper Merchant. They had quite a bit of selection left with just about every type of holiday item your heart may desire — loose cards, boxed cards, gift bags, gift tags, gift wrapping paper, etc.
There were clear signs posted throughout the store indicating what was and was not on sale. Also, the signs clearly indicated that the holiday merchandise is a final sale and cannot be returned or exchanged. I appreciated that they had the signage up, but almost felt like there could have been less signs. From the retailer POV, I can see why they’ve got them all up, so they don’t have to keep answering customers’ questions, but still.
I browsed around for a little while before purchasing 5 medium sized gift bags, one small gift bag, a loose card and a sheet of stickers/​tags to presents. In total, I spent $ 25.80, which should have been less since the loose card wasn’t discounted. Unfortunately, I noticed it when I got home. I’m not someone who will make that hike for a few bucks and it really is no big deal in the long run. It’s a shame that she didn’t ring it up properly and I wasn’t paying enough attention to catch it. Oh well. It is what it is.
The store itself is girly and cute. Toward the back of the store, they’ve got nice items that’d make great gifts (soaps, lotions, journals, planners, etc.). They also sell a wide array of stationery including envelopes in a magnitude of colors and pens galore.
My favorite part of the store is their greeting card selection. These aren’t the boring old cards you’ll find at Hallmark, Walgreens and CVS. That being said, the prices are higher, but that’s what you get when you purchase a card made by Rifle Paper Co. and similar designers. They’ve got some cheeky cards as well as a wall of funny birthday cards that always make me smile.
The store was formerly a house, so it’s cool to walk into the different rooms and browse at all their goodies. For anyone getting hitched, they also do wedding invitations here and have some samples in a room toward the front of the shop.
Service wise, I’ve yet to be greeted by someone when I’ve come in, which is a bit of a shame and somewhat poor service on their end. However, all the employees who’ve rung up my purchases have been fairly friendly, so it balances out.
I’d definitely stop by The Paper Merchant if I’m in the area, especially if I’m in need of a gift for a girlfriend or a birthday/​occasion card or two. If you’re tired of the boring selection of greeting cards at Hallmark or your local grocer/​drugstore, give this place a try. Their unique and beautiful card may win you over. I can certainly say it’s happened for me, and I don’t regret it one bit.

This place is godsend for young men and women (older teens and 20-​somethings) to get gifts! They’re mainly hilarious and have something for every friend in there! Check out the farthest corner of the store for the funny stuff. I always find something new in there!

Paper Merchant is very similar to PaperSource, but slightly bigger.
At Paper Merchant you will find cards, stickers, holiday and party paper goods, tote bags, some jewelry, day planners, unique quirky small gifts, wrapping paper, and more. There was a wall of Kate Spade galore — file folders, note pads, post-​it sets, paper clips, and cards. I recently splurged on some of these items at PaperSource, but Paper Merchant had almost every item that I had already purchased, including a few I hadn’t ever seen.
I was almost lured in by the fancy leather-​bound notebooks by Christian Lacroix. I had no idea Lacroix crossed into the paper goods industry. While the notebooks were pricey, they weren’t any more expensive than the other «designer» paper goods that you normally find in shops like Paper Merchant.
Another item I had an eye on was a tote bag reading, «Groceries & Shit,» but then my inner old lady thought maybe I shouldn’t carry around a tote with the word «shit» on it.
If you’re a paper goods junkie, you need to check out Paper Merchant.

Hello, my name is Lois and I am a card shop junkie ~ there, I admitted it.
Yes, they carry more than cards. I found some wonderful red, white and blue guest hand towels and the selection of stickers to add to cards, and envelopes, is phenomenal. They also carry wrapping paper, do invitations, gag gifts, napkins, paper plates, jewelry, scarves, you get the picture.
Take your time and browse the cards, you are sure to find just the right card for that certain someone.

LOVE shopping here for lovely specialty cards and gift wrap and novelty items, but I can also attest that the helpfulness of the employees is frequently lacking. I thought perhaps it was a fluke the first couple of times (not so), and perhaps I’m just accustomed to being greeted and being asked if I need any help. One time I really had to tail someone around the store to ask a question. But not the end of the world, and I still love stopping in to see the goods. :)

I ordered my wedding invitations from the Paper Merchant and they turned out great! I have received so many compliments on them. Sarah was so wonderful to work with and I highly recommend The Paper Merchant!

I wish I could give this place 10 stars.
I worked with Sarah on our wedding invitations and I could not say enough good things about her and the process. First, she went above and beyond by ordering us Checkerboard invitations even though they do not carry their books in the store. She kept me in the loop and was very patient through our multiple revisions and proofs.
She also designed and printed our menu which turned out beautifully.
I cannot thank her enough for making what could have been a stressful process easy and seamless.
If you are in need of any kind of invitations, Sarah is your girl.

I happened upon The Paper Merchant because I had a «project» I was in charge of for Mother’s Day for my church. I found info about this shop on the Internet and decided to give them a call. The person I spoke with was so sweet and helpful, I decided to stop in. I’m so glad I did. This store is way more than paper products!
It has been my experience that sales people are most congenial when they think you are purchasing lots of expensive things… not so here! These women treated me like royalty for the $ 11.26 I spent in their store! They tailored and modified their products to fit my needs and budget. Much appreciated!
Are their products expensive? Not overly. I mean, it’s a specialty store. If you could find it at Wal-​Mart, then you would buy it there! If you just want «run-​of-​the-​mill» products then go to a big box store. But if you want something really cute that stands out for that special person or special occasion… YOU GOTTA COME HERE!

Excellent place for really different cards. If you appreciate something unique to send for whatever the event, or no event at all, then this is your place.

Pricey. That about sums it up unfortunately. We purposely headed to The Paper Merchant for a unique paper item aka thank you notes.
The shop is setup in an old home, so you can wander from room to room in search of your paper goods. This is the plus. The way that the merchandise is divided up makes sense. Things are really easy to find here. What didn’t make sense were the price tags. $ 20 for ten plain, nothing special, fun or cute thank you notes. Very boring. Honestly, I don’t mind paying for convenience, cuteness or fun. This is definitely part of my problem with me. ;-) But, here, there was no reason to plunk down the chips. Hallmark will do just fine in this instance.
In other rooms, we noticed some cute novelty items as we walked out. But, I didn’t even bother stopping long enough to see whether or not I might be interested because out original mission had been aborted and it was time to press on.

Love this place! Don’t think of it just for cards and stationery — it has quite the selection of gifts, as well. Up front there are the more refined gifts (jewelry, candles, scarves, etc — the things I purchase for my dear mother in law), but across from the register and in the back left corner — THAT’S where the fun stuff is! I quite literally laugh out loud (not just the assumed chuckle that is implied with a «lol») at some of the items — I’ve purchased multiple pairs of squirrel underpants to give friends. Yes, I said squirrel underpants. And, multiple pairs. Don’t judge. :)

Very cute shop with beautiful stationary, cards, and fun gifts! We received wonderful service from Sarah!

The Paper Merchant is the perfect place if you’re looking for stationary, holiday cards or kitschy gifts. They even have jewelry from local artists (think hand-​blown glass earrings, not the red hat society stuff that they have at the little traveler. I’m talkin cute things that I would buy for my bff).
Although like most Geneva stores, Paper Merchant is expensive, there are deals there if you know when to go. I’ve been known to go to the Paper Merchant after the holiday season and snag next year’s Christmas Cards for 50% off. Sneaky sneak.
But seriously, this place is also just fun to walk around in. They have a ton of personalized stationary stuff, journals, Burts’ Bees etc… and I’d go there for party invites anytime.

Welcome to the hallmark suffocated labyrinth that is wrapped with a big red bow.
The Paper Merchant is a plentiful store stuffed with the likes of stationery needs that could make a scrap booker, card maker or pen paller a happy person. Through the sprawling building, room after room is filled with so much merchandise ranging from cards, wrapping paper and even books.
It’s an all around accessory store that would bring me back for the original cards that fill one of the back rooms. Unique, ornate and clunky cards hands down beat Target any day.
A noteworthy must see is the Parisan inspired room, at least it looks like France has itself stamped inside. All including a large sculpture-​esque item that is none other than a person riding a bicycle.
Not a bad find, no purchases were made this round but for picking up cards to send out to people apart from the typical birthday or holidays, this will be a shop to visit.

I love the products this store offers, but the staff is so rude.
I have walked in on many different occasions (quite recently) and I always seem to be shopping when the «bobsy twins» are working.
They sit at the table in the front of the store and talk about their own lives. The girls were talking about ‘pheromones’ and dating the last time I went in. Sounded like a decent conversation but a definite «This is an A B conversation, so C yourself out».
I really cannot shop here anymore. I don’t feel good about patronizing stores with that style of customer appreciation. Again, love the products but the staff makes me feel uncomfortable.

Attempted to get our wedding invitations done here but we have had more hassle than printing them ourselves. Original quote was a number we were comfortable with, however once they were printed we received a bill quoted at double the original amount. Sarah has been really flexible to work out the situation, but when my fiancé when in to pick them up he was told a different price again and the woman behind the counter (Dawn) was extremely rude.
My suggestion — Stick to purchasing things you can carry out with that day.

Great stuff, but very crabby help. I walk out and won’t be back!

The stationery store that’s so much more. In addition to paper, cards, and whatnot they also sell jewelry, scarves and accessories, party supplies (there were LOTS of napkins), gift wrap, gag gifts, journals and notebooks, soap and beauty products, candles (including the great brand Paddywax), and art and photography. It’s in an old house, and you just keep getting lured further back into more and more rooms.
As to the centerpiece (to me), the cards: this is a very close second to my beloved Paper Boy in Chicago. Paper Merchant doesn’t have as many letterpress or seemingly as many small/​local companies, but there are many fine brands like Crane & Co., and local photography can be found on some cards and postcards. Prices varied from $ 2-​something to $ 6 (the highest I saw), which starts to be too high for me, especially when there’s nothing particularly outstanding about the card.
Service was a bit mixed. When I first walked in the door and was perusing a rack of Geneva postcards, one girl walked by and eyed me with disdain/​distrust, didn’t greet me, etc. The lady who checked me out later was much nicer, at least.
If you’re a snail mailer (and we’re still thriving!), check it out.

Super cute store, but not a TON of paper. I might be a little spoiled due to the Paper Source… so don’t let that stop you from paying this store a visit. They just seem to carry more novelty items than just paper for my taste. You could find fun and beautiful gifts for people here. Its a fun store to just look around.

I had never been here and I was VERY surprised — way more than just a stationary store and HUGE! Cute joke gifts and beautiful candles and ornaments. Geneva is just so idyllic, I love it.