TRAVELER’S COMPANY Partner Shops are stores around the world that embody and share the spirit of TRAVELER’S notebook with fans and users. Not only can you browse the whole TRAVELER’S COMPANY product lineup, but you can also share your enthusiasm with the store owners who are also TRAVELER’S notebook users. In this series, we will take you on a virtual trip to visit Partner Shops around the US. Learn about their charm, the experience, and the neighborhood that brings the TRAVELER’S notebook experience together.
Paper & Pencil – Andersonville, Chicago
In the heart of Chicago’s Andersonville neighborhood sits Paper & Pencil, a friendly stationery shop where the art of analog living and snail mail thrives. Owned and operated by Tyler McCall and Eric Campbell, this local, independent, and queer-owned shop is a haven for anyone who loves stationery, writing tools, notebooks, and all things paper.
Tyler and Eric have always been drawn to the charm of small, locally owned shops. Visiting these places while traveling is how they prefer to experience new destinations. They love seeing what’s stocked on the shelves, chatting with shop owners, and discovering new products and brands. Tyler’s lifelong dream was to open his own paper store, and Eric’s retail background made it possible. After realizing Chicago didn’t have a shop quite like the one they envisioned (a place that blended journaling and snail-mail supplies from around the world), they decided to create it themselves.
“We’ve always loved little local shops. While traveling, visiting local and independently owned shops is the way we prefer to experience a new place. Seeing what they stock, chatting with the workers and owners, and discovering new products and brands are among our absolute favorites. After searching, we realized there wasn’t a stationery shop in Chicago like the one we wanted, so we set out to open a shop of our own!”
Andersonville is known as the “shop local” capital of Chicago. This neighborhood is home to dozens of independently owned businesses, from record shops and bookstores to antique stores, boutique clothing shops, bars, and cafes. You’ll find unique spots like a Japanese homewares store, a theater-themed cafe bookstore, a Swedish-inspired bakery, and one of Andersonville’s only Taiwanese noodle shops. The community here is engaged and creative, with residents who actively prioritize shopping local.
Tyler and Eric moved to Andersonville in 2017 because they wanted to be part of a vibrant, inclusive, and welcoming community. As one of the most LGBTQ-friendly neighborhoods in the world, it was the perfect place for them as a queer couple to live openly and freely. They love walking through the neighborhood, where they both live and work, and seeing their customers and fellow shopkeepers. Those relationships mean everything to them.
“It was really important for us to open our shop where we lived. We feel that shopkeepers who live in their neighborhood are the most connected with their customers and their needs.”
Paper & Pencil is an old-school paper shop that offers in-person shopping only. There’s no online store or shipping. If you want to experience what they’ve built, you’ll need to visit them in Andersonville.
Customers introduced Tyler, Eric, and their team to TRAVELER’S notebooks in 2023, and from there, the entire team fell in love with the TRAVELER’S notebook and the community it represents. As travelers themselves who value seeing the world and meeting new people, they found TRAVELER’S notebook to be the ideal companion for their adventures. The global community of TRAVELER’S notebook users is filled with kind and creative people, and they love meeting members from across Chicago, the Midwest, and around the world.
“It’s so much fun to see how different people use their TRAVELER’S notebooks. When we hosted the Stamp Caravan in 2025, we loved introducing our shop for the first time to so many TRAVELER’S notebook users, and we loved learning about our regulars who were TN users. Whenever customers visit us with their TNs, we always ask if we can see inside. We cherish the opportunity to look inside of someone’s TRAVELER’S notebook and see how they use it to document their days, organize their life, and gather memories from their adventures.”
The Paper & Pencil team uses TRAVELER’S notebooks in different ways. With over a dozen notebooks among the seven team members, some use them for planning and organizing tasks, others as wallets and everyday carry journals. Some use them for journaling and memory keeping, sketching and art, and Tyler even has an entire TRAVELER’S notebook dedicated to snail mail.
The Paper & Pencil team loves the Kraft Paper, Lightweight Paper, and Accordion Paper inserts, along with Grid and Dot-Grid paper inserts. The team is so passionate about their favorite inserts that there’s a regular debate amongst the team about which paper style is best! Eric loves the brass ballpoint pen for everyday use, and everyone on the team enjoys the TRAVELER’S notebook Zipper Couch and Pen Holder. However, when it comes to what the Paper & Pencil recommends most, the answer might surprise you: Connecting Rubber Bands! As Tyler and Eric put it, it doesn’t sound exciting or glamorous, but these bands make using and customizing your TRAVELER’S notebook so much easier.
If the Paper & Pencil team could describe TRAVELER’S notebook in one word, it would be “Yours.” They love that TRAVELER’S notebook can be whatever you want it to be and can grow, adapt, and evolve with you on your journey.
Next time you’re in Chicago, make sure to stop by Paper & Pencil in Andersonville, Chicago. Tyler, Eric, and the Paper & Pencil team would love to help you set up your first TRAVELER’S notebook or add to your collection.
1480 W Berwyn Ave, Chicago, IL 60640, United States
Have a nice trip!
