A recent trip to Toronto’s Marlborough’s Stationery revealed that they have gone out of business.
This wasn’t a store with any sort of prominent internet profile. It was a neighbourhood store with basic stationery, and over the years began stocking children’s toys and greeting cards (and recently, masks). They had some nods to quality – notebooks from Clairefontaine and pencils from Staedtler.
Marlborough’s was founded in 1922. They were 99, and almost made it to their centenary. This is so sad.
That is sad. As with bookstores and record stores, we can pretty much assume there won’t be another to take its place. Let us know if you find out anything about the circumstances.
This is really sad.
For me, the closing of long-established shops – not just stationery shops – are always a big loss. I was a satisfied customer of many of them in my neighborhood and in the nearby cities for many years, and the closures are also a social and cultural loss for me (not to mention the loss of being able to buy quality things with good advice and service). Not only stationery, but also books, records, clothes, shoes, household items and more. There are very few stores left but I fear their days are counted as well.
But I also often think about how lucky we were to have been able to experience all this.
Always sad to see the specialist local shop close :(
Michael, Gunther, Dave,
Thank you for the comments. I don’t see a replacement arriving, and they’re not alone – neighbouring bakeries, kitchenware stores (two, one that I remember from my childhood), and others have departed. But a local bookstore is still there.