Essex Card Shop

e village institution

Woke up Sunday morning and realized I needed gift wrapping paper for a kiddie birthday party ASAP! Being most stores open after 10am on a Sunday, I felt SOL until my MIL suggested the neighborhood stationary store. I ran over and was so happy to see they had good assortment of choices to choose from! After selecting one, I perused around to see they had an interesting variety of things beyond the typical stationary and felt a twinge of sadness for the store as it is old and most stores like these have to compete against big corporations. As a mother with a baby, I hope this store is still around for my son to select his first school supplies.

When I got home from work tonight, my 6-​year-​old African-​American daughter launched into a story about how she was at the «Essex Card Shop» on Avenue A btw 2^nd and 3^rd Strts and she excitedly explained how the workers followed her and her mother thru the store and how they eventually accused them of trying to steal school supplies. Dear Indo-​Pakistani immigrants, just because you’ve come to a white supremacist country like the US does NOT MEAN you can accuse a 6-​year-​old black girl is going to steal from you, especially if that 6-​year-​old African-​American child is mine. And, owners and staff of
(Yelp:
) I’ll see you tomorrow. We are going to have a pow-​pow about oppression.

This is a nifty neighborhood store, well worth patronizing if you live in the area. Support small local businesses! However, I went looking for a birthday card and felt the card department was too small and the cards themselves were rather generic. Don’t take the name literally — this is a general office supply store with a small selection of cards, and nothing like a card shop. Another plus: the owner is very nice.

Scammers who are not willing to own up to their mistakes — their employees are too afraid of the consequences of their actions, and lies to their managers about their mistakes.
I sent someone to blow up a large remote controlled shark balloon. Before getting it blown up, he gave one of their employees the $ 5 payment in cash.
As it was blown up and tied to a string, the employee walked outside of the store with my guy with the balloon tied to a thin string. Right in front of both of them, the string came off and the balloon floated away — so their employee gave back the $ 5 cash.
Now I just called the manager to discuss compensation for the lost balloon, as it was quite pricey and the balloon was not in the hands of my guy but their employee’s.
The manager kept arguing to me that he does not know what exactly happened, but that this never happened in the past. So I told him to speak to his employee, who proceeded to explain to him that he handed the balloon indoors and do not know anything from there. So I explained to the manager, that if that’s true, why would his employee give back the money?
The manager was trying to avoid accountability from the very beginning, even without knowing anything. Then later on in the conversation, he started claiming he was there and saw the whole thing. Their employee lied and did not tell the manager the truth.
They do not stand behind their own products or services — beware.

A little bit pricey but it gets the job done. Good selection of pens, stationery, and miscellaneous other items. The free gift handed to me upon completing my purchase made me smile. It’s a handwritten list of aphorisms that made me laugh at some and cringe at others, but in all a nice gesture.

great selection of office supplies & cards. Wonderful staff! Also does notary!

I’d never previously visited this store because I was always passing by on the bus, but yesterday I was walking by there. The selection of cards is *terrific* and they also have a really good selection of office supplies; there’s a lot more than you’d imagine from seeing the store’s small size from the street. I think the man behind the counter was the owner and there was also a youngish man working there. They didn’t say anything to me when I entered the store, but they seemed friendly when I talked to them before leaving.

The greatest stationary store not only in The World, but in the wonderful East Village.

If you patronize businesses on the Lower East Side that date from pre-​gentrification times, especially those that offer useful items with a purpose (ie not idiotic artis-​ANAL wall-​carvings or «bespoke» dialysis outfits), I feel you have a responsibility to help them advertise.
Plenty of people have mentioned the stationary, the notebooks, the pens, notepads, cards, and the like, but did you know you might also find finger paint, sculpting clay, pastels, and an excellent selection of boardgames?
Great people behind the counter as well.

All the notebooks. Was looking to replace my moleskine, and while they do stock tons of those, they also have lots of fabulous, cheaper alternatives. They also carry pretty much anything else you’d need in that vein. But the best part was the sweet guys who work there! Lovely spirits, so genuine and helpful. Thanks!

Essex Cards has been around for many years, and I’ve relied on them for my many years living on the Lower East Side.
The place is super well-​stocked with more products than one might imagine possible considering the size of the space. Other Unilocalers have already listed the great variety of what’s sold here, so I won’t take up space duplicating.
However, I will add: they sell super cool, original black-​and-​white postcards featuring photographs of NYC dated from approximately the 1980s to 1920s. I have sent them as cards to friends, who love them. If you’re into these sorts of photographs, you’re also likely to find at least one for framing and hanging in your own apartment, without worrying about finding it elsewhere. They’re very much one of a kind.
I also second what others have written: that the owner and any other gentleman (they always seem to be men) working here who have helped me are always incredibly kind, humorous, and wise, if you find yourself engaging in conversation with them. Because they’re so affable, that can be pretty frequent.
Yes, some items here cost more than at, say, a faceless Best Buy staffed with clueless employees. However, Essex Card’s customer service is so great that I do not mind paying a few more dollars to do what I can to help this place compete against those giant Union Square box stores.
Gave them an extra star (for 5 total) because they allow me to bring my dog inside; that welcoming attitude scores high marks for me.

I came here to have some documents notarized — and upon apologizing for coming unprepared, the owner invited me to use the counter saying that it is for his customers. And then my phone died unexpectedly, he offered to let me use a charger that they normally sell — I thanked him and he said, «it is our job to help!» So kind and wonderful!

This little card shop is great and locally owned. They carry a variety of notebooks and pens including paperworks and moleskins (wheeee my favorite!). I stopped in when I was in the area to pick up some supplies and found an entire aisle filled with notebooks. Awesome. Working in a creative environment means I run through notebooks like crazy so it’s always nice to find a good stationary store.
There is also a great selection of cards, pens and other stationary supplies. The owner is very nice and super helpful. I will be back again.

When people ask me where I live, I say I live in what’s left in the East Village. Since I moved here in 1990, it’s a new world, but I say it still has the most character of any neighborhood in the city. This stationary store, card shop is an example of what’s still alive. A long, long time ago in my hometown of Lancaster, Pa., chain stores put my father out of business when he sold toys as a wholesaler and all his small toy shops couldn’t compete with K-​Mart and closed their doors. Small stores have to charge a bit more so they can stay alive. Shop at Essex and keep the neighborhood alive, unless you can’t wait for Starbucks to open at 39 Ave. A. Please!

This is a great little place. The man behind the counter was very nice and even let my pooch come in with me while I shopped. I would definitely recommend this place to anyone looking for a nice stationary/​office supply shop in the East Village.

Whether you need to grab some packing supplies, a last minute birthday card, or your basic notebook to jot down some of your thoughts for your next big novel, Essex Card Shop has you covered.
I love this little shop! It has a friendly staff and a super-​simple vibe. No glitz or glam, just your basic paper supplies. This is the type of mom & pop shop to support in our neighborhood! It won’t have everything, but you are sure to walk away with something interesting.

This store is a gem in the LES/​East Village. As far as I’m aware, this is one of the few office supply stores in the area. I needed to get a portfolio for a last minute interview today, and this shop saved my life. They also open at 8AM everyday, so that’s a bonus point for them. Plus, the owner is super friendly and funny. Will def. be returning for my basic office supplies. Thank you, Essex Card Shop!

What a cute store with bundles of creative art supplies.
This is your go to spot for that NOT-​Hallmark birthday card and unique gag gift.
Wish the prices were a little lower but I guess that’s what happens with anything you open in east village.

I finally found it! A place that has GREAT deals on shipping supplies. Aside from the variety of boxes that they have, they sell notebooks stationary pens and postcards. That is not all that they sell but ya you get the idea. ;).
If you are out of printer ink they stock most model numbers and brands.
The owners and staff are all very friendly and even offered me a discount when checking out! That is unheard of in nyc.
The only con of this location is that it is a small store so it can feel a little bit cramped.