In this digital age, some might view notebooks as anachronistic. Yet the market for tactile, portable, good-looking stationery is flourishing – so much so that London stationery brand Mark & Fold has just opened a pop-up store on Brick Lane to mark its 10th anniversary. It’s the brand’s second physical opening, following a north London store that founder Amy Cooper-Wright closed after the birth of her second child.
“Trends show younger generations value tactile experiences,” says Cooper-Wright, who founded Mark & Fold in 2015. “Breaks from screens and spending time ‘thinking on paper’ can be a refreshing tonic. Every time I pick up my phone, it’s shouting new information yet my notebook is as I left it: reassuring, a listening surface waiting for my thoughts. It’s a space where original ideas can happen away from all the noise and interruptions.”
Mark & Fold’s notebooks and diaries are clean-lined, modern and often made with sustainable materials. The paper within is carefully chosen: fountain pen-friendly, warm white, 120gsm and sustainably produced, and the books are bound using a technique usually reserved for artists’ publications. “This creates a gorgeously floppy yet robust book,” says Cooper-Wright.
The brand also curates gift sets, desktop pads with tear-off pages and selectively sourced pens, erasers and sharpeners. And it regularly works with well-known creatives, who are enlisted to add personality to the existing product range. One of the latest collaborations is with textile designer Margo Selby, who has dreamed up a new set of characteristically zingy striped notebooks. Another collaboration is with Swiss German typographic designer Catherine Nippe: a 2026 diary covered in hues ranging from aptly autumnal mustard to fluoro green.
The store will also host a series of talks, including a discussion between Cooper-Wright and Selby on November 18, while author Huma Qureshi will share her views on choosing the right notebook to get the creative juices flowing on November 23. And Patrick Grant, a clothier and judge on The Great British Sewing Bee, will be in conversation with Cooper-Wright on November 25. Grant has designed a line of notebooks for Mark & Fold that are covered in 100 per cent recycled denim. “Amy and I will talk about what it means to make things well, support UK suppliers and minimise waste,” Grant says.
It feels appropriate that a brand championing physical stationery should mark its 10th birthday by launching a shop. “It’s a chance to occupy a physical space again, which I feel passionately about,” Cooper-Wright says. “I really value the tangible experience of Mark & Fold. We hope to open a full-time bricks-and-mortar store in the future offering experiential elements, such as book-binding demos.”
Mark & Fold’s pop-up runs until November 25.
Mark & Fold
228 Brick Lane, E2 7EE
Hours
Mon to Sat 11am–7pm
Sun midday–6pm
