On my latest trip to the USA I visited Dallas, Boston, various places around Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine and Massachusetts, plus Philadelphia, Washington DC and Chicago.

I mostly visited Staples, Michaels, Target and Walmart. I unfortunately couldn’t make it to Joann’s, Hobby Lobby or Office Depot this trip as there weren’t any near the places I visited, an Uber would’ve been super expensive (and time consuming) and I’m not brave (or crazy) enough to drive in the states!

I’ll show you some photos from shopping first, then the things I bought at the end of this post.

Some of the stationery I saw in store is also available on Amazon. I’ve included links to the items on Amazon if you cannot visit the stores mentioned in this post. The links to Amazon are affiliate links. If you click one of the links and make a purchase I’ll receive a small commission in exchange for referring you (at no extra cost to you).

Michaels

There was a noticeable difference in the amount of planner supplies at Michaels from my last trip to the USA in 2022, compared to this latest trip in 2024. There was hardly any Happy Planner, and even Recollections items were hard to find. I didn’t see a single Recollections planner and as Michael’s have blocked Australians from accessing the Michaels website (it even picked up I was using an Australian phone overseas and the website still blocked me while I was in the USA, and yes I’ve tried using a VPN), I can’t even check the Michaels website to see if they’re actually releasing planners anymore.

Not much Happy Planner to be found at Michaels these days, this was the largest range I saw.

Tiny display at one of the Michael’s stores. Searched the whole shop and this was all I could find.

First time seeing Happy Planner’s twin loop spiral planner in person… the binding is too bulky I’m not a fan, discbound only for me!

Related post: MAMBI Happy Planner Mini vs. Classic vs. Big: which size is right for you

Michaels had all the well known pen and highlighter brands so I won’t post many photos, but there were some new colors for the Paper Mate flair.

Some nice alphabet stickers but there weren’t many in the packet so I didn’t buy them. Can achieve a similar look with stencils which are much better value for money.

Related post: Best stencils for bullet journal daily, weekly and monthly spreads

They still stocked the same Artists Loft dot grid notebooks.

Felt like the washi tapes had jumped quite a bit in price since I was there 2 years prior.

Temporary diversion from the planner stuff to take in an entire aisle of just Christmas ribbon. Australian shops only have like 5 ribbon options.

Not to mention all the cute Christmas themed displays, wreaths, garlands, Christmas lights and… Christmas tree scents!?

I see why Americans need basements in their houses with all this cute stuff so readily available.

Staples

After the disappointment at Michaels, there were so many Blue Sky collab planners to choose from at Staples and Target. Each planner came in up to 3 different page sizes, multiple layouts and cover styles.

Some of the collab planners I spotted:

• Belinda Selene
• Ashley G
• Day Designer
• Rachel Parcell
• inkWell Press

I also found the elusive Martha Stewart range (it was only in two of the four Staples stores I visited). No turquoise notebook though 🙁 I don’t think they sell that style anymore.

These bullet journaling starter kits would make a great gift. The packaging is a bit bulky if you need to post them though.

Martha Stewart also had a project planning book with 2 pages for each project.

So I actually bought the Rocketbook core over a year ago but haven’t tried it out yet (soon!)

My first time seeing these new pens by Paper Mate. Could be good to try if you like using black or kraft paper notebooks.

I almost bought this planner by eccolo (such a pretty cover!) but there’s not enough weekend planning space for me and the paper was thin.

Really liked the monthly planning page though.

Target

Some more of the blue sky collab planners. Heaps of different cover styles to choose from, but the basic internal layouts don’t seem to change much from year to year.

I’d never seen the waav makers planner before.

Plenty of nice notebooks (mostly lined not dot grid).

Target had some dual tip Paper Mate flair pens I hadn’t seen before, and some new color ranges in the Flair pens too.

Plus the 36 pack of the Inkjoy Gel that I’d never seen in person before (only on Amazon).

Does this font and colors look familiar to you….?

Looks like Erin Condren has come out with an off the shelf version but I could only find a vertical layout. It appears to also be available at Joann’s and Amazon (currently on sale for only $14 USD – crazy cheap compared to usual price of Erin Condren planners!) I only saw the dated version in store but Amazon has an undated version.

It came in a smaller page size too.

At a Glance had some interesting layouts (also stocked in Staples) including this Foundation Planner. Love the turquoise cover and how it’s continued throughout the planner.

A planner I hadn’t seen before and with a stitched softbound cover too.

A very functional layout if you like a vertical weekly with lots of sections and a smaller space for weekends.

Walmart

Walmart had much the same in each store. Not many notebooks or planners worth mentioning, but plenty of pens including their own pen + gear range. I purchased a few to do comparisons with the Paper Mate pens as they look very similar.

A handful of planners including blue sky, at a glance calendars (no planners) and this colorful planner.

The Pen and Gear Journals only had 100GSM paper which isn’t very thick. I thought they were a bit overpriced for the paper being so thin so I didn’t buy any. Make sure you check you’re buying one with dotted paper as there were quite a few with ruled pages and they all look similar.

Related post: Comparison of Dot Grid Notebooks for Bullet Journaling with 160 GSM paper (Thick, bleedproof paper)

Paper Source

I visited two Paper Source stores and was disappointed both times with not a lot of stationery. True to their name there were plenty of nice gift wraps and cards but there was also a random assortment of non paper related things. The Paper Source store in Georgetown, Washington DC was large (2 storey), but over half of it was filled with random toys, stuffed bears etc.

A few interesting things I found:

The Zebra Sarasa Clip pens in metallic colors

Ooly noted 2 in 1 highlighter and fine tip pens. I’ve seen a few brands offer these and always wonder if it’s awkward to use. A dual tip just seems much simpler!

Some Paper Source Planner stickers. These were quite expensive for such a small sticker book ($15.50 USD + sales tax), I think Happy Planner sticker books are better value,

I was very intrigued by The Perpetual Planner by the Squared Paper Co.

If you like weekly overview + 2 days per page planners this had a really good functional layout. No dead space and all the lines of the boxes align so it’s aesthetically pleasing.

I only purchased one of their dot grid notebooks (it’s meant to be a refill with a Paper Source Journal cover that’s sold separately) as I wanted to test the paper quality. The cover is a softcover and I’m wondering why they didn’t just make it a hardcover notebook and ditch the Paper Source Journal cover which will just make it bulky.

Here’s what I bought

• Inkwell Press / Blue Sky weekly planner
• Martha Stewart discbound notebook
• Martha Stewart Inserts
• Paper Source A5 dot grid bullet journal
• Work Style Agenda
• At a Glance Agenda
• Pen + Gear gel pens (from Walmart)
• Pen + Gear felt tip pens (from Walmart)
• Pilot G2 pens (I have these already but wanted better rainbow colors)
• Rainbow pencil case

Here’s a sneak peak at some of them.

Do these pens remind you of another well known pen brand…?

I’ll be posting reviews for each of the planners and doing some pen comparisons in the coming weeks. Make sure you subscribe to the blog to be notified when the posts are published.

More stationery shopping

• The best stationery shops in Singapore (pens, highlighters, washi tape, stencils etc.)
• Stationery shopping at Itoya in Tokyo
• Favorite Stationery Shops in Belgium (Brussels, Antwerp & Bruges)

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