If you're a pen/pencil/notebook enthusiast in the Kansas City area, or otherwise within driving distance of Lawrence, and you haven't been to Wonder Fair, then you've been missing out on the best stationer in the area. Their variety and selection is unparalleled by any store I've found in the area, and it's just a cool place to browse and buy. While on a recent holiday shopping mission, I took a few photos of some of their selection.
When you walk in, you immediately see a collection of locally-themed prints, postcards, pencils, and other items, highlighting the state of Kansas, as well as Kansas City, Lawrence, and other Kansas cities. Just beyond that, there's a comprehensive rack of Midori Traveler Notebooks and related supplies.
The display continues with a variety of notebooks, including the all-important (for me) Field Notes display. They carry all the latest Field Notes editions and usually receive the latest Colors release fairly quickly. Other notebooks I've been happy to see on their shelves include Clairefontaine, Apica (which I've never seen outside eBay and Amazon), and Rhodias of every size and shape. And that doesn't even begin to scratch the surface of the various brands they carry. They have a large assortment of greeting cards and notecards by printers such as KC-fav Hammerpress. They also had a huge table full of 2017 planner options the last time I stopped in.
Once you walk upstairs, the first thing you see is this beautiful display case full of Lamy and Kaweco products. As these make up most of my personal pen collection, I always stop here to drool a few moments. Helpfully, they also carry a variety of useful accessories such as Kaweco sport pocket clips, Kaweco and Lamy replacement nibs, and Kaweco and Lamy squeeze and piston adapters.
Of course, a fountain pen is useless without ink, and Wonder Fair has you covered there, too. Pictured is their wide selection of Lamy, Kaweco, Diamine, and Noodlers inks, and there are others besides (including J. Herbin).
Maybe you prefer pencils more than (or in addition to) pens? No worries: Wonder Fair has an impressive collection of these. I focus on Blackwings because they're my favorite (particularly the Volumes 24, included in the photo above, which I was happy to purchase to add to my stash). You can buy the boxes or singles of each edition, including the Volumes. There are numerous other pencil and eraser brands available, as well.
You need something to carry these pens and pencils, so Wonder Fair also sells boxes and rolls designed for this purpose, including the new Blackwing pencil roll.
The photos above are only about half of the offerings at Wonder Fair. They have a large selection of artist materials (including paints and various tablets), which aren't my focus, but I'm sure are as fun to browse for artists as the pens, pencils, and notebooks are for me.
Beyond the selection of products available, the staff at Wonder Fair also are superb. The last time I was there, I saw one of the employees spend a long time helping customers select the best fountain pen for their needs, swapping out nibs so they could find just the right writer. They're always happy to respond to my phone calls or tweets asking when the latest Field Notes editions will be hitting their shelves.
Also, they sell this pencil, which is awesome:
So if you find yourself within stopping distance of Lawrence, Kansas, do yourself a favor and stop by Wonder Fair. You'll also be doing me a favor by helping to keep one of my favorite stores going strong.
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