The best stationery stores for kids

Everything your little ones need to be a teacher’s pet this year can be found here. This shop boasts rows of whimsical stationery to help keep schoolwork organised – rainbow zipper pencil cases, calculators in the shape of an ice cream or a bar of chocolate (the ‘choculator’), pens that look like tools and lollipops – there’s so much to choose from!

What we like most about Blackkiwi Club is apart from looking cool, the products are completely functional. Head here for the next back-to-school shopping trip and see how excited the kids get over the flower-shaped highlighters and the bread-shaped pen. Or you can also shop online at their website.

Smiggle – ‘smile’ and ‘giggle’ – is an Australian brand of stationery whose selling point is their use of bright colours and funky textures. Their shops are shining beacons for kids mostly aged five to 12, being filled with items that seem to fulfil their every whim and fancy, and everything else in between. A common scene is to see slightly exasperated parents hovering at the cashier as their offspring rummage among furry pencil cases, macaroon erasers and vast array of scented, feathered or multi-coloured pens and pencils and wanting everything!

Smiggle is also popular with adults – it’s not uncommon to see a furry rainbow coloured notebook peeking out of a designer handbag as its owner leaves the store. As far as school supplies go, you can get everything you need with the addition of water bottles, backpacks, lunch boxes, headphones, notebooks, keychains and moneyboxes – which make great gifts and party pack fillers.

The name says it all – this gem of a stationery store carries a terrific range of stickers for both decorative and practical purposes. Stickerrific makes it easy to justify stocking up on cute post-it notes, book labels and washi tape. Moving past the indulgent stickers, you’ll also find Mascohanko stamps and ink pads, bookmarks and charms made of dried flowers, calligraphy pens and nibs and scrapbooking kits; their leather-bound traveller notebooks would make a very thoughtful gift.

The kawaii factor is strong here with erasers resembling bento boxes, actual bento boxes, stuffed toys small enough to fit in your palm, and enough washi tape to last a lifetime. Doughnut-shaped flash cards make memorisation more interesting while futuristic-looking hard-shell backpacks come in vibrant colours and are ideal for all those heavy school books. 

Known for being a one-stop shop for school supplies, Czip Lee is a family business that has been around since 1968, supplying generations of school children and stationery fans. Since re-opening after a fire at the beginning of 2016, the Bangsar shop is spread over three levels with the top floor dedicated to all things art – paints, canvases, easels and paint brushes. You come here with the intention of getting a glue stick and colour pencils for your child, and you walk out with Rhodia notebooks and a fancy fountain pen.

Whether you’re looking for fun photo-booth props or fashionable stationery, Typo has you covered. This popular Australian brand is stocked with a wide range of stylish stationery, gift ideas, homeware, posters, mugs and room décor, designed according to the latest trends – these are products with attitude. Kids who love fashion and stationery will love picking out special items like fancy water bottles, personality pens and trendy backpacks.