Duly Noted Stationery will always have a special place in my heart as the first retailer to carry my cards. When Nicole—the owner of this boutique in downtown Halifax—saw my lettering on Instagram for the first time, she asked me honestly why I wasn't making cards and selling them wholesale.
For anyone who's dreamed of escaping the office to create designs for products as a living, you can imagine what a huge moment this was.
I went home that same day and created 4 Holiday card designs, including:
- Obligatory Holiday Card
- Deck Those Halls
- The Tree Isn't The Only Thing Getting Lit
- and Holidays As Extra As You Are
Even though it was the END of November, she ended up picking up the whole line and her team taught me some valuable lessons along the way about creating designs with my audience in mind.
Along with helping local artists find their niche, Duly Noted is known for their beautiful boutique. My best friend Tabitha works hard with the team to curate a product line that offers high-quality pens, stationery and gifts.
Check it out in Halifax, Nova Scotia:
To find this store, head to Doyle Street off of Spring Garden Road in Halifax. It's basically across from the library, but with the Doyle Building in the way.
Duly Noted has been responsible for keeping me stocked with Rifle Paper Co. agendas as long as I've been using them. They feature a simple system of date and to-do lines that I haven't found anywhere else, with space between the months to keep track of projects I'm working on.
Along with Rifle Paper products, they carry a wide range of agendas for students, parents, and everyday life.
I also have a Mary-Kate McDevitt desk jotter from there and can only hope they carry them again this year. (*hint hint*)
Specialty Pens:
If you need help picking out a fountain pen for yourself or a friend, they have a good selection. They do tend to sell out quite quickly, so make sure to leave your name and email to be notified when the shipments come in for these beauties.
You can also follow them on Instagram to see when they get new pens, cards and gifts.
Cards on Cards on Cards
Duly noted has an epic card wall featuring local artists as well as big names like Rifle, Red Cap Cards and Emily McDowell. They have every occasion laid out in a dreamy card wall unlike any I've seen before.
Even if you don't need a card, you should visit them for the 'gram.
Blackwing Pencils
And finally, their display of pens, inks and pencils—which include the elusive Blackwing pencils that I could not letter without. They have all three of these pencils, my favourite being the 602 which glides smoothly while you're sketching, no matter how toothy your paper quality.
Most places allow you to buy these pencils by the box, but at around $3 per pencil, it's an investment to get one. This shop sells them individually, so you can get one of each and figure out what suits your taste without breaking the bank.
Also, they have the eraser replacements, if you tend to fidget with the back of the pencil while you think like I do.
Support Local
If you're looking to skip the shipping and pick up your cards locally, you can find most of our designs available at this shop.
It's with the support of boutique shops like this that we're able to do what we do, so a huge thank you to Nicole and the team at Duly Noted for helping local artists achieve their dreams!