Leon Davidoff of West Hartford says that ‘paper’ has once again become popular.
West Hartford resident Leon Davidoff, co-owner of The Paper Station in Newington, is a major supporter of the ‘shop small’ campaign. Courtesy photo.
By Ronni Newton
One might think that it’s tough being an owner of a stationery store in an era where so much communication is done electronically, but Leon Davidoff, co-owner with his sister Susan of The Paper Station in Newington, said that many people are still very much interested in buying paper and notecards and are still sending letters.
“Paper is very hot,” Davidoff told “Better Connecticut” hosts Scot Haney and Kara Sundlun in a segment on Tuesday’s show on WFSB. He said that customers come to his store in search of stationery in a design, color, or texture that will help them express their personality, and he thinks that paper will never go out of style.
Click here to watch the video segment from WFSB.com.
The Paper Station stocks a wide variety of stationery ranging from traditional, to designer, to trendy and contemporary, from well known companies like Crane and Anna Griffin. Customers can choose from a nearly endless assortment of designs including images from Van Gogh paintings, anchors, dogs, boats, and the Eiffel Tower, Davidoff said, although everyone should have be sure to have traditional stationery in their wardrobe.
An assortment of notecards and stationery at The Paper Station. Courtesy photo
Davidoff, who is also a member of the West Hartford Town Council, said that his is really the only store of its type in the area that specializes in writing paper and invitations. The Paper Stations sells a variety of other products as well, including giftware and jewelry, but there isn’t even a true stationery store in West Hartford anymore, Davidoff said.
“People want these things. Believe it or not, people are coming in looking for boxed notecards, sheets of paper,” he said. Mousepads that are also paper are very popular as well.
The Paper Station’s tagline is: “No one ever cherished an email,” and Davidoff said he thinks more people are realizing the importance of personalized correspondence.
Many of his customers are older people who don’t like or don’t have email, as well as people writing letters to those serving in the military. Grandchildren write to their grandparents. Parents write to their children who are at camp, and the children – presumably – write to their parents as well. But letter writing in general shouldn’t become a lost art, said Davidoff.
“It’s fun to read letters,” Davidoff said. “What do you usually get in your mailbox? Junk mail, bills. When you get a letter or an invitation these days, it’s an occasion.”
Letters can be read over and over again, said Davidoff, and they’re much more personal. “You can hear their voice, see their handwriting,” and you realize that someone thought about you several days earlier, thought to write that letter. If someone does something nice for you, it makes a big difference to send a thank you note. A handwritten note following a job interview also has a great impact, he said.
Davidoff is looking forward to April, and not just because it will bring spring weather. “April is ‘National Letter Writing Month,'” Davidoff said.
The Paper Station is located at 29 East Cedar St., Newington, CT.
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