For the past few years, ever since I fell back in love with writing by hand, journaling has become my daily ritual to slow down and treat myself. Because of this daily habit, hunting for stationery shops turned into a second addiction, tagging along beside my usual habit of chasing down the local book scene on every trip out of town or country. So when I had a day trip to Tampere, Finland, this summer, I went looking for whatever stationery shops the town had to offer. At the very least, I wanted a little memento for my Hobonichi.

I still don’t know what came over me the last winter I was in Tampere, I never once thought to look for a stationery shop. Maybe it was the winter, or the fact that it was a day trip already packed wall to wall with museums. Either way, I promised myself that this visit would be slower, with more room to wander into the kinds of shops I actually love.

The Little Shop I Stumbled Into

After some browsing, I found a charming little stationery shop called Vihkokauppa.

I’d just finished an unforgettable sushi lunch at Polku Jota Kuljemme (and I mean it, the sushi here is superb, some of the best I’ve ever tasted, so do yourself a favor and eat here) then walked a few short minutes over to Vihkokauppa. The two sit close enough that you really should visit both.

No Leaving Empty-Handed

The moment I stepped inside Vihkokauppa, the sheer range of stationery stopped me in my tracks. One glance and I knew there was no leaving empty-handed.

Everything in the shop landed squarely in my idea of cute. (And we know “cute” means something different to everyone and this place happened to match mine exactly.) A lot of sticky notes. Pens, pencils, odds and ends, all of it. Notebooks from every corner shared the shelves, from brands like Leuchtturm, Hitotoki, and the Finnish-made Kehvola.

Stickers? Every drawing style you can imagine, from artists and brands like Midori, Mind Wave, Play-Ink, and more than I could remember. I bought three sheets of stickers in this visit.

And the Best Part? The Prices!!

The prices were refreshingly affordable. I still recall a few of them running a handful of cents cheaper than what I’d seen in Helsinki. Buy enough, and those small savings add up fast in your journaling budget.

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If you ever find yourself in Tampere and you love stationery, this is a shop you cannot miss.