Crazy Alan's has pretty much everything you could want if you're buying school supplies for your kids: notebooks, pens, pencils, refills, art supplies, markers, and more. If you're into all things fountain pens, you're good here too. They have fountain pens such as Kaweco, LAMY, TWSBI, Cross, Sailor, Pilot, BENU, and many more. They also stock fountain pen ink and rollerball refills. They also have postcards, notepads, binders, stickers, and so much school stuff! Regardless of what you're looking for, there's a great selection of analog writing supplies here. The owners and employees are very nice and helpful, and the prices are great. We came here on a recent Saturday when there was a mini-pen show happening. If you want to go to a big/regular pen show, look for info about the Triangle Pen Show online. read more

It's the kind of store where some of us (who me ;) could go broke! Stationary gore! All the brands you haven't in years too like Rhoia. Fountain pens that are $150 & up I just love this place I come on once a . If you love pop up cards like I do they always have them as well. The pens will go dry before I can ever use all of them that I have purchased here. Please check it out & find things you didn't even know you needed or existed even! read more

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This is the kind of place that could turn you into an office supply addict if you weren't one already. The choices are sumptuous. The service is expert. The prices are reasonable. Don't plan to just drop in for a minute or two. read more

I've been to Crazy Alan's about 3 times and every time I spend wayyy more than i mean to. The options they have for stickers and washi tape for awesome. They have pens and refills that are typically hard to find as well. They open stock items are listed at a good price as well! read more

If paper...notebooks...pens...and all things writing excite you; Crazy Al's is THE STORE! Absolutely the best.

Extremely knowledgeable and helpful staff. We went in to find some high quality pens and the selection to shop from was impressive and not something we've seen in most pen shops. The store clerk graciously helped us try a few different pens and nibs (while also juggling a bunch of other customers) and was great with our questions. We wound up getting some new twsbi's and iroshizuku inks, which were all competitively priced. Highly recommend for anybody getting started in the hobby or even experienced collectors looking for something new. read more

I received a mechanical pencil as a gift and eventually needed to refill the lead, but did not know how so took it to Crazy Alan's. There was something stuck in the tube, which did not easily come out after 15 or 20 minutes of attempts by the sales person, and eventually a second sales person. They offered to let me leave the pencil and receive a call from them when they had solved the problem. The next day, I got a call from Josh telling me that the repair was done and that the pencil was working perfectly. When I picked up the pencil, I received a note with it from a second employee, Jack, who had worked on it to completion. The bottom line here is that the service was way above and beyond the call of duty. All three sales personnel, treated me with Pleasant respect and were not going to give up on the problem to get rid of me. On the contrary, they stuck with it to completion and went to the trouble of communicating with me the details . Even before this most recent positive experience, I've enjoyed my occasional visits to Crazy Alan's. Under its new management, it appears to be aesthetically improved in that the inventory is more neatly organized and displayed attractively. And while the sales personnel were always most helpful and pleasant to interact with, I am pleased to report that they have taken it even to a higher level of professionalism. If writing implements and stationary and assorted office supplies and many things that you do not now know that you need, turn out to be important, then Crazy Alan's is where you want to go. This is a wonderful throwback to a time when face-to-face transactions were the norm and commercial transactions were rewarding. read more

This is a great shop with a huge variety of stationery and art supplies. It's a hard place to leave...

I was in need of a pen refill, which is unavailable at the office supply stores. I needed a Real Stationary Store, and Crazy Alan's is the real deal. They did not have the exact refill in stock, but the clerk said she would check with the owner to see when they might order more. She took my phone number, and I crossed my fingers. She called back within the day, told me when they would be ordering more refills, and let me know when they were in! Unheard of customer service!! Great selection of 'fun art' supplies, inks, papers, notecards, and lots of pens. Not an inexpensive purchase, but exactly what I needed and exceptional customer service. read more

Alan's offers a wildly complete product selection, absolutely! And more, they are extremely accommodating in the use and layout of their store. Great location. great staff. A great resource for the public and business community. read more

So nice to have a real stationery store in the area. Helpful and knowledgeable staff that can help you find what you need. If they don't know, they'll try to find out. Plenty of general stationery products but also carry a healthy stock of fine writing instruments including many fountain pens. Large selection of inks, paper and notebooks too. read more

It was so nice to visit a decent locally owned art shop while we were waiting for our takeout at the restaurant next door. We met the new owner (Michelle?) and she was so kind and helpful. They have a great selection of art and craft supplies as well as some fun toys, cards, books and jewelry. Will definitely be back! read more

This is a fun place to walk around in if you have time. He has a unique selection of stationary items and lovely pens! If you are looking for a practical gift for someone this is a place to stop by if you're in the area. Parking is great and rarely an issue. Its also a good place to stop by if you are short on time because its easy to go in and go out! read more

Crazy Alan's Emporium - Cards & Stationery Near Me - Chapel Hill, North Carolina

This place is under new management since September 2023. They've got all the cool papers, notebooks, pens, cards, and inks that the previous owner had plus more. They are warm and friendly and welcoming, and very knowledgeable. Great selection of pens and inks - both fancy and not-too-fancy. And they have plans for even more. read more

Crazy Alan's is not your everyday office supply store -- as others have noted it's a little bit of a mess inside so it can be hard to find what you're looking for, especially if you're visiting for the first time. But once you've been there a few times this actually becomes kind of charming in a way. And they always have everything I'm looking for, from office supplies to greeting cards and calendars. They also seem to specialize in pens -- this is what always strikes me when I first walk in. Highly recommended -- just plan on having to spend a little extra time getting the hang of what products are where. read more

Chances are you're going to love Crazy Alan's Emporium or you're really not going to like it at all. It's an office supply store that is kind of a mess inside, which makes it difficult to find things and also, at times, makes you wonder if you are supposed to be in certain parts of the store (i.e. the disarray looks like a disorganized back room that customers aren't supposed to see..except it's not). I went with the mission of buying a few particular art supplies: a 9 x 12" spiral-bound sketchbook and some nice black pens for sketching. The pen selection is good: from ultra-fine to ultra-fat markers as well as ink pens, fountain pens, calligraphy pens, etc. Many are in a wide selection of colors and not just black, blue, and red (e.g. burnt umber, olive green, etc.). I purchased a 0.7 mm Pentel gel pen and a Pilot 0.4 mm, both in black, and I'm happy with both. Be aware that Crazy Alan (I feel OK calling him that because that's how he refers to himself, i.e. in the third-person) does a lot of jokey hard-sell and jokey guilt-tripping on his customers. When my son asked about the sketchbook he needed to get for school, and Crazy Alan determined that he did not have that size or style in stock, he quickly tried to upsell my son on another sketchbook, talking about how "nice the paper quality" was and asking my 16yo to feel the paper of the sketchbook that he was basically pushing on him. My son did not appreciate this and neither did I. Be aware that their credit card minimum is $10, which can turn into another opportunity for Crazy Alan to try to sell you some more things. After my visit, I spoke with several people who have shopped at Crazy Alan's and found that extroverts tend to love the store while introverted folks not so much. I applaud this small business for sticking around when big-box stores like Staples and online retail outlets have to be making it extremely difficult to stay afloat. Perhaps that's part of the reason for the hard-sell...? You might be OK with it, and you might not -- it's a personal preference. I may or may not return. read more

This place is fantastic! Alan is a real card and a very knowledgeable pen guy. I was there for more than an hour. He has really high-end pens (writing instruments) as well as cheap, every-day pens. He has a very healthy assortment of inks and stationary. It's obvious that Alan enjoys interacting with his customers and he is really in his element when he's talking about pens. Wow. What fun. I highly recommend his emporium. read more

Wow, this place was awesome! I drove here from the Triad area when I learned they sell Leuchtturm notebooks for less than Amazon. Rhodias and Clarefontaine is here, as well. Alan is so friendly and knowledgeable and truly happy to have you in his store. Worth the drive, for sure. I will be back!! read more

We had such a good experience buying school supplies here that my daughter turned to me and we both said at the same time. You should yelp this place! We waited until the last minute to buy school supplies (like 2 hours ago) and school starts tomorrow. We had gotten a card for this place at my other daughter's school and wanting to keep my tax revenue here and buy local decided to check it out. Since this is the first week of school they are open until 9 pm so we were able to get in and get what we needed. The high school girl who helped us was very knowledgeable and knew where all the supplies were, could decipher our school's list and provide advice on different brands. It was extremely helpful-almost like having a personal shopper. My daughter raved on and on about how nice she was. Their prices are very competitive and they have the lowest priced pens in the nation. Yeah, he said NATION. And who I am to argue with that? At the end of the visit, each school shopper got a piece of candy and a silly band. Way to reach out to the kids and make it a fun shopping experience for them. They also go out to local schools and offer one stop school supply shopping on various back to school nights which makes it even that much more convenient. The store is very well organized, well stocked and great service. We will be using them exclusively from now on. Okay, sweetie, did your mom write a good review? Great. Now go on to bed. :) read more

I went in just to grab a few dry-erase pens for a Yelp event, and wound up browsing for quite a bit longer than I'd intended. If you're looking for variety, forget about the big box stores like Michael's -- this little store houses an incredible array of options. Took me back to my Lisa Frank addiction days when I saw some cool ink-embossing pens. If only I had a use for something like that... maybe one of these days I'll pick up scrapbooking. Beyond pens, they've got binders, note cards, odd gifty items and talking points like the bacon-flavored toothpicks on display near the register. I was curious -- but not quite curious enough! read more

This is a great shop! Their prices are reasonable, their goods numerous and wide-ranging. I went to buy a (fancy-ish) fountain pen today, but the owner had taken most of his stock up to the DC pen show. No worries, I'll be back next week. Which is to say: I experienced a minor inconvenience, but it was a sure sign that I'm dealing with passionate and knowledgeable humans who are giving a great alternative to ordering things online. Supporting this local shop makes me feel good, and their selection is such that I frequent them whenever I can. Whether you're there to spend 200$+ on a fountain pen, or just to pick up an academic planner, Office Supplies and More won't steer you wrong, and will probably cost the same or less than amazon. read more

I decided to review this place on yelp when I learned of the name change. It's an extreme jump to go from "Office Supplies and More" to "Crazy Alan's Emporium" but I actually think it's a much better name to attract the attention of the uninitiated. "Office Supplies and More" is a wonderfully practical name but I understand why you might be new in town and not curious to check out an office supply store, BUT "Crazy Alan's Emporium" might pique your interest. Well I hope it works, because this store is a treasure I'd like more people to experience. First of all, the place is a cult of personality. I'm glad the owner added his own name to the store's name. Alan is truly the soul behind everything that makes this place unique. If Alan ever left the store to someone else, it would lose all it's magic. Ive probably only had a handful of interactions with him over the last decade, but a few things always jump out at me. He's got a great passion for what he's doing and he has integrity. His passion is infectious and you can tell this guy is dedicated to running his business "the right way". So, a little about the store. To the people crazy about pens; consider adding a long layover at RDU during your next vacation. This is a destination for you. Plus if you're absolutely wild for writing instruments, sharing your passion with the owner will probably be therapeutic. Even if you're only mildly interested in selecting a writing instrument, this is a great place to find the one that fits your style personally. There are a ton of options that range in price from pennies to $$$. If you're interested in office supplies or personal organization, you'll be a kid in a candy store here. They do stock all of the regular items, but there are also lots of outlier options here that you wouldn't find in a big box store. Finally, if you're just an admittedly passionless office supply shopper, this place will also work for you. If you want to be lazy about it, just tell Alan what your needs are and he'll do the thinking for you. That's something Staples can't do and as an added benefit the prices are usually CHEAPER than you can find most anywhere online or locally. Alan has been in the business a long time. During the last decade most all independent office supply stores shut down due to competition from the big box stores (which themselves consolidated and downsized in recent years), but this place has remained open, due to Alan's relentless retail drive and a base of loyal customers. I advise you to stop in and poke around the store. You'll find all kinds of neat stuff. And maybe it's time you bought a pen that you like so much, you won't lose it? read more

Buyer BEWARE--this guy is a charlatan! Bought a pen from him at the Triangle pen show. Wouldn't let me try it out first because then "customers wouldn't think it was new." Guess what? IT WASN'T NEW--nib was full of ink that an entire week of soaking and cleaning has barely touched. When I finally inked the pen up, THE NIB IS WORTHLESS AND THE PEN WON'T WRITE. Oh--and the jerk also insulted me by asking me "Is this your first fountain pen???" NEVER AGAIN. read more

I am so glad I have found this store! They have an exhaustive selection of office supplies as well as the high quality pens (Lamy, Cross, Caran d'Ache), and paper (Clairfontaine, Rhodia) that I have been searching for in the Triangle. I am looking forward to returning soon. read more

This is the best office supply / pen&paper store in the Triangle, bar none. They have a full range of office products, and don't feel like a "specialty" store at all. Hand drawn signage gives it a locally owned feel, and the owner / staff are professional and have been helpful every time. All of the pens are cheaper than anywhere, period, and everything else either meets or beats Staples, OfficeMax, w-mart etc (even Amazon especially after shipping). For a writing utensil junky like myself, they have the best pen selection I've ever seen in 2 countries. They also stock notebooks I don't find anywhere else, and cheaper than I've seen online. I shop here for notebooks, binders, pens, pencils, and stationery, and I often choose here for gifts as well. read more

Crazy Alan is so nice and so helpful. I definitely got the feeling he'd give you the shirt off his back, bending over backwards to make his customers happy. read more

I stopped by this place today when I realized that I needed a big sketchpad for a project I was working on. I'm not familiar with Chapel Hill (I'm visiting for a few weeks), so I checked Yelp; the reviews looked good, so I stopped in. There is definitely a huge selection of stuff in this store... everything from pens, pencils, drawing tablets, notebooks, school supplies, art supplies, gifts, office supplies... you name it. The downside is that the aisles are very cramped and it is difficult to know if you've seen the entire selection of whatever it is that you might happen to be standing in front of. That said, the prices are reasonable and the hours are good. I'd recommend it. One note: The name appears to have been changed to "Crazy Alan's Emporium," so don't be too confused if you can't find a sign reading "Office Supplies & More." read more

Like I said in my first review, I usually see Crazy Alan at pen shows so this was the first time I actually placed an order over the phone. Super easy. They had what I needed in stock and I thought it would take a week before I received it in the mail. It arrived way before I thought it would and the contents were secure. I had ordered ink and you never know what might happen. However, the bottles were wrapped in bubble wrap and then the box also had packing. So, whether in the store, at a show or even over the phone....Crazy Alan is SUPER AWESOME! read more

You're crazy if you don't shop here! This is my " go-to" place for Jack George and Baggallini! I always find fabulous writing instruments I must add to my collection; Alan knows pens! I love the eclectic mix of office supplies and fun cards, gadgets, and gifts. Need a smile or quick ' pick me up'? Go see Crazy Alan's read more

Crazy Alan's is AMAZING for all of your office/school supply needs. The selection of pens is unbeatable and you can try all of them out before purchasing! I really love thin pens, like .5mm or smaller, and I've never encountered a better selection. The pilot g-2 .38mm are pretty difficult to find in stores these days, so I'd been ordering them from amazon, but Crazy Al's has got them in black, red, and blue! read more

I have been shopping at "crazy Alan's Emporium" ( note to consumers: new name) fro more than a decade and every time I go in. There I am even more delighted by his cooky but cool selection of office supplies, games, puzzles, and more! Treat yourself to a one of kind shopping experience and check it out . You won't be disappointed Cheers! Yvonne Wasilewski read more

Loved this place and Alan is aweaome! I will be back, well bc I need one of everything here!

Great selection of notebooks and pens at great prices. The staff is very friendly and welcoming.

Amazing store! Has such a wide gamut of products, gifts, and most importantly, pens!!! You will not regret visiting this store! The employees are extremely nice, and can help you with anything and everything! Alan himself is an absolute legend! Go drop in! read more

What stores used to be like--in the best way possible. Quirky owner/manager/salesperson who is passionate about pens and everything he sells, good quality products, decent prices, varied selection (I bought a paper Shakespeare Insult wallet, a Bagalini tote, disposable fountain pens in 5 colors and some lovely cards), hodgepodge display with fun finds galore, the personal touch. Who knew stationary stores could be so much fun! read more

Excellent pen shop. Owner was fantastic -- personable, knowledgable, and took lots of time with each customer. I was behind someone else and I saw how he took care of the customer in front of me, and took the same care in showing me all of the things I wanted as well. Never felt rushed or hurried, but definitely felt his enthusiasm for pens (which I share). The pen store has excellent prices as well, really unbeatable if you ask me. And that includes online pen stores as well. They have lots of specialty items that are hard to find elsewhere. The store seems a little busy but that is totally fine with me. There were tons of other products there along with pens and ink. Look at the other reviews for those items. I will definitely be returning. Please buy locally, especially stores which sell quality products and provide excellent service! read more

I love going into CAE's!! Note to Alan: The team you had in the shop today were awesome! I was in around 1'sh and there was an older gentleman and younger student-ish gal there. The guy was great, we chatted and he answered some questions I had about your Esterbrooks. As always a great experience and the gal running the register was pleasant, polite and helpful. Another awesome experience! ....and I even helped 'yall sell a LAMY Studio to a great CAE's customer. p.s. - I love the iroshizuku "yama-guri" - what a wonderful, rich, brown ink! read more

I've shopped here a couple of times and the way the place is laid out, it's very difficult to find anything. The owner (I assume) was slightly pushy with the upsell. I explained several times that I only needed one thin roll of packing tape but was repeatedly offered a large pack of premium rolls. read more

Stopped in on the recommendation from a friend, and so glad I did! Selection was exceptional, prices were terrific, but Alan is the best part: funny, passionate, insanely knowledgable. I'm a tech guy and order almost everything online because it is a better experience. This place is most certainly an exception! Don't JUST shop here to support local businesses, shop here because they are the most deserving of your business! read more

Most people from my school come here to buy really good quality pens. However everything I've ever bought (pens, pencils, planners, and notebooks) have all been good quality and have lasted as long as I've needed. read more