Around Chicago: Greer paper
If you're looking for beautiful paper and cards, these are wonderful times. There's a renaissance of small shops doing letterpress work with outstanding design, printed on rich, heavy paper. And, because our mailboxes are full of bills and cheap advertising circulars, a hand-written note is powerful. It is something that is noticed, remembered and appreciated.
I'm grateful that The Paper Source has made these kinds of products widely available. But one advantage of living in a city is the specialist shop, such as Greer. Located in Lincoln Park, Greer is a paen to a more civilized time. "Beauty • Wit • Civility" goes the shop's tagline. This is your store if you care about notepaper, thank-you cards or wrapping paper. If you're doing crafts, Paper Source is probably a better bet.
Social networking online has turned us into people who Tweet, LOL and generally butcher the English language. It has degraded the notion of "friend." It has turned us into hordes of "followers." In many ways, being social has moved us apart, not closer together.
Greer exists to help you get closer to the people that you care about. Write a thank-you note, or carefully and beautifully wrap a present. Go ahead, get out a good pen. Express your emotions in longhand. Lick a stamp. Wait a couple of days for the card to be received. It will have been time well spent.
There are other specialist paper shops in Chicago. Twosided and Foursided are near-twins and carry new cards and paper, but also found objects, antiques, frames and ephemeral paper goods like old flash cards and learning tools. You will marvel at the selection, probably wonder where these odd cards came from (many are printed in other languages), and what in the world you're going to do with them. In short, these are fun stores.
Resources:
Greer, 1757 N Wells, Chicago, IL
http://greerchicago.com
The Paper Source, five Chicago locations
http://www.paper-source.com/
Foursided
5061 N Clark, Chicago, IL
2939 N Broadway, Chicago, IL
Twosided
2958 N Clark, Chicago, IL
http://foursidedonline.blogspot.com/
(There is also a website at foursided.net, but it doesn't work)
