Chicago Stationery Fest 2025

Okay it’s kind of embarrassing that it’s officially almost a month ago that we were in Chicago for the first ever Chicago Stationery Festival! As someone who obviously loves stationery, I knew I wanted to attend and it was an added bonus we got to also participate as a vendor. If you follow us on Instagram you probably saw a little bit behind the scenes of us trying to prep before the festival. This festival marks the shop’s FIRST out of state pop up and also the first time we exclusively showcased just P+CP products and stationery. 

p.s. scroll on all the way down to peep a stationery giveaway (of extras I got to share with y'all!) 

The most helpful thing we did was did faux set ups in our workshop room to really get a visual of the space we would have at the fest. And then came the tedious and arduous task of trying to predict what products people would want. After that was figuring out how to pack! We did a combo of using check-in luggage as well as shipping a few boxes ahead of time to our hotel. 

I don’t know if you knew this but while this trip was technically work, it was also a bit of a bonus/special trip as a thank you to Meg, Anna and Olwyn for really carrying the shop last year while I was busy growing two humans. I can never thank them enough for their love of the shop and their incredible support. They did such a great job that a lot of people didn’t even realize I was pregnant/not around as much because the shop was running so seamlessly without me in it! 

II'll share our trip itinerary in a separate blog post follow up in case you're curious what local shops we visited and what good foods we ate! But will leave you with some Q&As from Meg, Anna and Olwyn + a ton of photos from the trip :) 
Meg 

What was your favorite part of Chicago Stationery Fest? One of my favorite parts of CSF was just getting to chat with so many people who love stationery! It was fun getting to peek at customers’ notebooks, hauls, and just chat about things like how we use our stickers or washi tape! 

Favorite vendor? There were so many new vendors I discovered but if I had to choose one it would be Sonya Lei. Her use of detail and color is absolutely incredible! I look forward to getting more of her work. 

Favorite customer interaction? One of my favorite moments was getting to chat with a group of ladies who really loved our drink carriers. They probably picked out close to a dozen and were so excited to give them as gifts to friends and family. They were super sweet and loved our products! 

Best food you had on the trip? We ate so much good food, but the dish I think about the most is the pizza pot pie and huge salad from Chicago Pizza and Oven Grinder Co.

Out of your haul, share a few things you are most excited about? I’m really excited about the skateboard cats art print from Pretty Good Co., the thick colorful washi tapes from Calliope Paperie, and the drink water print by Sonya Lei.

Something you learned about each other on the trip? Anna, Olwyn, and I learned that one of our favorite art movements is Impressionism.

Anna

What was your favorite part of Chicago Stationery Fest? I loved getting to meet the designers and small business owners in person that I've been following on social media for so long as well as finding new small businesses too! There were so many great vendors and I loved seeing all of their cute displays too.

Favorite vendor? My favorite vendor was Dana Ate Oatmeal. She was the sweetest and I enjoyed chatting with her about her work. I also love that she has lots of dogs and coffee in her illustrations! 

Favorite customer interaction? Everyone was great but I especially remember a girl who was so excited to buy our pencil plushies! She was buying one as a gift and was going to keep one for herself and she was just so happy to have found them.

Best food you had on the trip? I really enjoyed the pizza pot pie from Chicago Pizza + Oven Grinder. I've never had that before - it looked just like a pot pie -  and it was full of so much cheese, vegetables, tomatoes, and more. The salad there was also huge and so good!

Out of your haul, share a few things you are most excited about? I'm most excited about the library card notepad from Marigold Press - It's my favorite color! I also love the coffee themed merch from Traveler's Company because I love coffee so much. Lastly, I'm excited about all of the stickers I got that I can't wait to journal with - especially the galaxy stickers from Mugobunni.

Something you learned about each other on the trip? When Olwyn and I went to explore, we went to a few bookshops and I learned more about the books she likes to read! And I learned that Meg really loves art museums. We had a great time walking around at the Art Institute of Chicago.

Olwyn

What was your favorite part of Chicago Stationery Fest? I loved meeting the other vendors and seeing their work! It was really cool to meet such talented artists, some of whose products we sell in the shop.

Favorite vendor? Caitlin Yarbro and Mugo Bunni

Favorite customer interaction? I remember one particular customer was so enthusiastic and seemed delighted by everything at our booth, it made me really happy!

Best food you had on the trip? Chicago Pizza and Oven Grinder Co. pizza pot pie and antipasto.

Out of your haul, share a few things you are most excited about? All the washi tape I got including some from Mugo Bunni, Little Red House, Calliope Paperie, and I Loot Paperie! I also love the prints I got from Beetlbunny. 

Something you learned about each other on the trip? I liked learning about everyone’s traveling styles and what everyone likes to do in a new city - bookstores, museums, shopping, restaurants, etc.!

GIVEAWAY!

All contents of each photo will count as one prize for this giveaway. Items were purchased and collected at the 2025 Chicago Stationery Fest!

To enter:

Head over to our Instagram and comment what item you are most excited about in either giveaway photos! 

For a bonus entry (optional):

Join our shop's channel here! 

Rules:

No purchase necessary to win. 2 winners will be chosen and receive one of the contents in the photo at random. Winner will be selected at random and notified at close of giveaway. Giveaway ends at midnight CT on June 15th 2025. 

Good luck!