Papeterie Nota Bene

Maruman, Apica, Clairefontaine, Rhodia : Nota Bene stocks up on the best stationery brands and items, and has provided creative workers and students with inspiring tools since 1999. Boasting a wide range of specialty papers, pens, pencils, notebooks and tools, as well as brands you will find nowhere else in Canada, Nota Bene has carved itself out a sterling reputation amongst architects, designers and the like.

"I wanted to offer this very creative city some of the best tools from all over the world," Russell Hemsworth explains when asked why he opened Nota Bene. "When I was younger, I went to Paris and ended up in a stationery. The quality and variety of the products there impressed me greatly," he adds. Back in Montreal, he started looking for similar items and brands, only to realize that no store had a constant inventory or a wide choice of brands to choose from. "I decided to fill this niche myself, and so was born Nota Bene.

"At first housed in a tiny location, the store’s success pushed Russell to move twice in order to properly fill demand, proving he wasn’t the only one having a hard time finding quality stationery items.