Choosing Keeping began in 2012 as a small shop on Columbia Road, the street in East London best known for its flower market and independent boutiques. Stationery was making a fashionable comeback, a response to the all-encompassing digital age, but for us it was always there: the first fountain pen you used in school, the notebook that kept you company through your teenage years, the rotary pencil sharpener on your teacher’s desk, your grandfather’s filing cabinet. Nostalgic collecting notwithstanding, we also believe objects, pens, glue and the stationery accoutrement, should be appraised for their historical and cultural significance, as well as design and functionality.

Many are often curious about the name of our shop - why “Choosing Keeping”? It’s simple, really: we wish for our customers to be considerate and discerning in their choices, and to honour and care for their purchases for years to come, thus choosing and keeping them.