Collection: Millie's Picks

Millie's Picks From the Shop Floor

A small selection chosen by Millie, who works on the shop floor and has strong opinions about stationery. It is the shortest collection we carry, and it changes as she finds new things worth putting in front of people.

At the moment it is the Mighty Pencil Sharpeners, which are among the most useful things we sell for the money. Each one is a three-hole sharpener: one hole for a standard pencil, one for a larger barrel, and one that takes the tip down to a genuinely fine point. That last one is the reason it gets bought, because most sharpeners stop well short of a point fine enough for detailed work, and the difference between a sharp pencil and a fine one matters if you are drawing rather than writing.

They come in five colours, which means a set can be split between a pencil case, a desk and a drawer without losing track of them.

Millie tends to pick things that are cheap, useful and easy to overlook, which is roughly the opposite of what a shop usually puts at the front. If you are placing an order and want one small thing added that you will actually use, the stocking fillers cover the same ground.

Because the collection is small and personal, it is worth checking back rather than assuming it stays the same. What is on this page reflects what one person currently rates rather than what we have most of.

We keep the range in stock. If there is something you would like to see Millie try, or something particular you are looking for that you are not able to find on the website, reach out to us and we will be glad to help.

The sharpeners also last. The blade is set at the angle that suits each of the three holes rather than one compromise angle for all of them, which is why the fine point actually holds instead of snapping at the tip. A sharpener that works properly is the kind of thing people keep for years rather than replace every term.

Because the collection is chosen by one person rather than by an algorithm, it stays small, and it is worth checking back rather than assuming it will not change.