Thinking about the mails from my German grandmother made my eyes sparkle with joy. I was the first one to get her letters, written on striking paper and greeting cards, sealed with wax, from the mailbox. And to this day my beat misses a beat, when handwritten letters and invitations arrive. I still enjoy writing letters and responding to them. I can strongly recommend the stationary store “R.S.V.P. Papier in Mitte” (it’s been there for 11 years!) where you’ll find hand-printed invites and cards – mostly printed using classic techniques, such as silk screen printing or letterpress by hand in small editions. There are the classic writing utensils too: Koh-I-Nor from the Czech Republic, Kaweco from Germany, Caran d’Ache from Switzerland or Ohto from Japan. Making up your mind between the most beautiful notebooks, calendars, letter and wrapping paper from Korea, Japan, USA, Portugal or Poland is not easy. And if that’s not enough, there are steel rulers, bone folders, thimblettes, and stickies. I’d love to call them all my own – knowing that I’m not the only letter writer out there – répondez s’il vous plaît!
R.S.V.P. Papier in Mitte, Mulackstr.14, 10119 Berlin-Mitte, map
Mon-Thu 11–19h, Fri&Sat 11–20h
Milena Kalojanov is a landscape architect living in Berlin and hails from Bulgaria. (Fotos: Andrea Kroth)
Published in Cee Cee #71 on 23.8.2012
