Such a fun little paper + gift shop in Santa Cruz. This place is packed with the coolest cards, game boards, quirky toys, and playful finds you didn't know you needed. Everything is well-organized, so it's easy to browse without feeling overwhelmed. Located on a lively, busy street that's great to walk around, with street meter parking nearby. Perfect spot to pop into while exploring the area and looking for a unique card or gift. read more

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On 06/19/21, The dude calls Station businesses "Princess Places" as I have an obsession with stationary - it's my hobby (that's what I tell myself to feel better a out it xD). I love everything about it. I was hesitant on coming in as I had my mind set on getting cookies a block away and he convinced me to stop in so we can look for Princess things for me and my bestie!! I was ALL in at that point. Upon entering in, I knew I didn't want to go. They had cute cards you can mail out which I'm so old school I love it. I spent a good 30 minutes trying to find the perfect Santa Cruz card!! I grabbed so many and started narrowing it down and down. I ended up not picking any of them and found a really small unique card I fell in love with which was perfect for the theme I was going for!! This place has so many hidden TREASURES. I was rummaging through everything from vintage games, books, puzzles, trinkets, unique items and the dude found a mermaid shell the actually hatches a mermaid. I knew that was the perfect item to pair with my cute card!! A unique find in Santa Cruz which was awesome. While I was in awe of the store the dude found a Coney cup *insert love emoji eyes* I literally squealed my princess skirt off!! There was no way I was walking out the store without it. I think the dude and I spent about an hour in the store until I realized we had to go pick up my hat that was being done. The line wasn't too long for check out and the owners informed us that they barely put the Coney Line Friends cup out two or three days ago!! Just my luck. I let them know they need BROWN BEAR - CONEY'S true love! So they were pleased that someone bought it. The owners were incredibly friendly, knowledgeable and helpful. Their store made me fall in love with Santa Cruz and make the trip very special! It was clean organized and such unique items you won't find! I highly recommend you come and check it out. Something for everyone! read more

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purely pleasing paper this place has a rowdy cool selection of cards for all occasions. yes, they have a giant store full of other things as well...but the cards, oh, the cards. from local artists and creatives not to mention artful post cards and more. beyond more. read more

Paper Vision - the vision - Cards & Stationery Near Me - Santa Cruz, California

Loved it !!! They had Sonny angels that my friend and I were looking for at the time and they had them at very affordable prices as well. Cashiers were very friendly and polite. I always come here when I'm in the area. read more

Terrible experience. Rude staff. Supervisor doesn't know how to treat customers. Will not be returning.

I was there fews weeks ago. Costumer service was great.Bought a few posters. I'll will definitely be returning.

Crotchety Old Man got upset with me when he handed me the wrong change and I confronted him. This is after he threw the items I was asking to look at to me. I've never been treated this terribly while shopping here. read more

Fun find! Lots of good gifts and collectibles, beautiful cards, anime posters, vintage type calendars. read more

Paper Vision - Beautiful puzzles - Cards & Stationery Near Me - Santa Cruz, California

This has been my favorite store for journals, cards, calendars and stationary for over 20 years. It's one of those places I would be devastated to see leave our community. Great selection of puzzles, magnets, and TShirts too! read more

This is an awesome card paper collectible shop! I always find something when i go here. Super quiet and kind shop keepers. Had to do a receipt exchange and it was easy no problems. Thank you read more

If I could have I would have bought the entire store (and my review score would've been different!) but apparently I have some self control for once and managed to leave without bankrupting myself. This place is super cute and full of all the wonderful stationary and toy items your little heart desires, just remember to go in with a budget. read more

Love this store. Stopped by on a whim. Brought a notepad and set of wrapping paper. Could have brought a lot more. Love the collection of unusual and original greeting cards - including cards celebrating birthdays up to 100 years old. Came to SC to celebrate my friend's 90th birthday. They had a card for that! Definitely recommend. read more

A great place to buy cards! They have a great selection of greeting cards, birthday cards, thank you cards, anything you could want. They have a section with cards designed by local artists featuring santa cruz, seabright, westcliff. prices average $3-5. Staff was friendly, and its in a good location in downtown. They have toys, small gifts, and souvenir tshirts also. read more

Card shop, toy store and art ... you can find it all here. I walked in because I love greeting cards, and then I saw the stickers, and the toys. I must have spent 25 minutes going though the different options they offer. I loved seeing the local art, the puzzles and the TOYS. My husband is a Rubix cube player, When I saw that they had the Rubix Void, I had to buy it. And then I saw that they had the coloring books that aren't childish. I LOVE those. So I bought 2. Now I'll have something to do on the flight home! read more

This is one of my favorite stores here at Santa Cruz. Please stop by if you need cards, posters, postcards, art work, random toys and things, and basically anything paper. Everything is fairly priced, but especially their posters. I've gotten a lot of my posters from here for under 8 dollars each (usually they're 6.95) and they're beautiful! The customer service is ehh, because they tend to stand at the desk and not move around. If you ask for help they're very monotoned but not rude. Totally not the place if you need someone to cater to you while you shop--but that's not the point of the store. read more

This is a great store for stationary, cards and gifts in downtown Santa Cruz. You walk in and the store is filled with racks of cards. And these are the cards you get at the big stores. These are interesting, unique, beautiful cards. This place also has everything you want to write in. They have stationary sets, postcards, greeting cards, thank you cards, journals, planners and more. If you need a calendar or a planner or any such device, this is the place to go an get them. I found some amazing, unique post cards here by a local artist that I've never heard of before. There are also lots of gifts, toys, and the like. There was a selection of yo-yos, and juggling balls and old-fashioned type toys. In addition, there were puzzles and games and all kinds of toys that spur the intellect. This is a great place to find one-of-a-kind gifts in Santa Cruz. read more

This is one of the finest gift shops on pacific avenue and also puts hallmark to shame. Parking is street only which means there is no parking unless it's 7 am or something. There are a number of garages and surface lots scattered a block or so away in any direction however. This is a larger then expected store. While the primary stock in trade is stationary- cards and suchlike-about half the stock is dedicated to whimsy. There are a fairly large amount of art prints and posters in back, There is also a decent toy selection both for children and emotionally immature adults, masks, t shirts, collectibles, mugs, and yes tourist ticky tacky (think refrigerator magnets.) Pricing is if anything lower then you'd think given it's location on the main downtown strip in a town that makes a lot of money off destination tourism. You can get something totally fun from less then ten to around fifteen dollars. If you cannot find a gift here for yourself or for others, you just aren't living. Oh , and they also have a dragon. That's worth five stars by itself, the rest is just gravy. read more

Amazing selection of greeting cards, posters, stickers, and cute souvenirs. Staff was so kind and helpful. Definitely worth a stop while walking down Pacific Ave! read more

If I could give this a place zero stars, I would. My family and I have shopped here for many years and bought many things. Tonight, I went in with a specific picture in mind for my step dad's birthday. I walked over to the counter and asked the young woman if it was still in stock and she snootily replied "no" and then went on to say that they no longer mounted pictures either. But I didn't let it phase me and continued on with my search and I started taking pictures of posters for my mom, who lives out of state. Not even 10 minutes later, the second young woman working walked over to me and said "no photography allowed." And walked away. So I walked up to the front counter and said "excuse me, I was just trying to shop for my step dad's birthday present. My mom lives out of state, I was just getting her opinion. I didn't think it was a problem to take pictures" and she looked at me and said "okay. Well, it would've been nice of you to ask permission. We have signs that say 'no photography' ". So I angrily walked out of the store and took my business elsewhere. My mom then hung up with me and called them herself to explain. Then the woman who answered said "thank you. Bu- bye" and rudely hung up. I am very disappointed with how my family and I were treated tonight. I will DEFINITELY be taking my business elsewhere and I recommend you do too. read more

Super cute store, terrible staff! Used to like this store with a good collection. Went with kiddo last Saturday to get some gift. The staff didn't even care to look at us when paying, and looked firmly away with her stone face when returning credit card slip to sign, not a word uttered, totally ruined the experience. I always teach my kid manners, the staff here doesn't seem to know what manners are. Shop owners should select their staff more carefully!!! I like to support local business, but next will just go straight to Amazon. read more

Paper Vision is always a must visit for me when I'm in Santa Cruz. They have unique gifts of the creative genre for all ages and many tastes. Calendars, coloring books, fun photography coffee table books and California mugs are among some of the happy little surprises in this shop. I spent a good 30 minutes just browsing and then settling on a color penciled set and 2016 calendar. This is the place to for for quirky, one of a kind gifts. Nice staff and very fair prices round out this great little shop read more

This store is an amusement park to a paper lover like me. I have spent countless hours over decades in this store. So much to look at! Whether buying anything or not, it's a wonderful place to look. It feels good in here to an art lover. Has Santa Cruz charm throughout, like you went to Paper Vision, now go the beach to celebrate! Or, you just got done with the beach and the wharf, now polish up the day by looking at all the pretty cards and things in Paper Vision! Maybe even buy something! This is a great place to treat yourself to something really cool, and maybe even necessary. They usually have a decent selection of sixties rock icon post cards. At least, Elvis, Jimi, and Janis. Even the Stones. A great stop for a sticker collector, as well. They also have a vast selection of high-quality artsy workbooks and coloring books for different levels. If I wanted to, I could find something to buy absolutely every time. If you're in the market for a truly special, unusual greeting card and don't have the time nor talent nor supplies to make your own, and wouldn't maybe know what words to write even if you could make your own, Paper Vision to the rescue. They have all kinds of cards here. They're not cheap, but they are memorable. This is the type of retail store I would love to own because customers are happy in here even when they're not buying. A very happy place. This store makes Santa Cruz a happier place. read more

When my mother was alive, she would ALWAYS stop in here to look at pens, paper, cards and those cheesy toys. Getting stuff for Christmas for her was always "easy" in the sense that they have a great collection of those heavy bottle openers in the shape of monkeys and nuns. They have cute little knick-knacks, educational toys, and random pop culture items for purchase.... while going through her things we found the stationery she bought.... which over the nine years I have been in Santa Cruz...added up to a lot. Every once in a while I will peak my head in and remember when mom and I used to go in here and ditch "the guys." read more

This is such a great, unique and fun shop. I've gotten some of the best cards for birthdays and what not. They have everything from the typical cards, to blank famous photographs for cards, artsy to inspirational. They have everything from actual unique papers, cards, t-shirts, nick nacks, journals, magents, pens, toys and tons of other stuff. For either real needs or just browsing, you are bound to find something you either want or need here. I know I've bought cards I've needed, magnets I didn't, speciality papers I've needed and a Hello Kitty Coin Jar I couldn't live without. Staff is friendly and helpful. The store is simple and clean, great since you aren't looking at that, you are looking at all the interesting and sometimes bizarre little things. read more

Had to get something for my 4 year-old nephew in a hurry. No time to ask what, I ducked into Paper Vision to start with a birthday card. Their selection is huge! You'll find a card for anybody, any age, at this place. Looking for more, I found the sticker racks. He loves stickers. Down the aisle were these interesting looking colorful boxes. Hmm, what I could put in here? The next aisle over had lots of little trinkets but none to my liking for a little boy. Then I saw these tiny formula 1 racing cars, about an inch by an inch. Their wheels were like wind up toys so when you pushed the car backwards and let it go, it would race 20 feet across the floor. Just perfect. And it fit in the colorful box. Before I left, I took note of all the potential small gifts I could get someone, big or small. Such as the stationary selection and the photos, prints in back. read more

Looking for a gift for a writer, artist, or book lover? Here you can choose from handmade journals, postcards, letter sets, and just about anything to do with paper and the ancient art of marking upon it. The retro posters and prints are pretty cool too... read more

I was walking down Pacific the other day, thinking about what happens if I leave Santa Cruz. I saw Paper Vision, and I was sad. I think Paper Vision captures a little of the essence of what makes Santa Cruz unique-- at least as much as a store can without selling drug paraphernalia. I'm not a big fan of card stores in general. But I always know that Paper Vision has something for whoever I'm looking for, and I've wound up buying many cards and gifts for folks here. The prices are a little high, but the variety makes it forgivable. read more

Think the Santa Cruz version of Papyrus + Spencers with a playful twist. This place is a great to find a one-of-a-kind greeting card, post cards and even full sized posters. Their cards are plentiful for every occasion with designs and content that you can't find at your local grocery store. I'm also a fan of their black and white post cards which I use as "instant art." They have some pretty entertaining B+W cards that I use to decorate my bathroom and they usually add new selections every month allowing me to change out my post card art. You can also find some cool room art pieces to give your room that extra color or groove. Posters, mini sculptures even paintings galore! Paper Vision will have you seeing art vision in no time. read more

You'll find everything here for gifts....love this place. makes me feel like a kid. plus i love all their cute little calendars, stationary, even the erasers U_U If you re in town and like something different definitely make a pit stop here. read more

What a fun store. I enjoy stores with greeting cards, trinkets, little gift things, toys, books, etc. This store has them all. And the ironic thing about this store that makes it pretty cool is the name. When I see the word vision I think about the future and what could be different or coming. This store has a lot of retro charm from the decor to the merchandise they sell. I saw things I haven't seen in years, decades. Its a fun place to browse. read more

Best little store for anything paper related and novelty bandaids. Here you can find: -greeting cards -note cards -the best selection of posters -wind up toys -children's books -puzzles -lunchboxes -whole-head horse masks?? -art postcards ...and more! This is definitely a fun places to poke around. It was the source of all the posters that decorated my dorm room in college. Every time I come back, I always walk out with a little something I couldn't resist. read more

The main thing I come to Paper Vision is for the cards. While this place has an awesome selection of posters, action figures and even books their selection of cards are amazing. Years ago, when I was in high school, I went through a phase of hating greeting cards. There was just something about them in which I felt was purely fake and unoriginal. However, over the years I've slowly started to realize the beauty in buying a card [not as cool as making one, but seriously, who has the time?] and after I realized what a gem Paper Vision is, there has been no turning back. The selection of cards is really great with one for any occasion. All of them range from the quirky and funny to the deep and sentimental. the most expensive cards are over $7 [they are pop out cards] but they're actually worth the price. I dig the cards here because they are much more unique then if bought from Target or Borders. Plus, the store is just a sweet environment. read more

A few months ago, my roommate and I was looking for a birthday present for our housemate. After hours of mindless wandering in and out of shops, we finally came across Paper Visions thinking there wasn't anything. But we were wrong. We found a cute little piggy bank and decided to buy it for her. Funny thing is that we ended up liking more than she did. (Laughs) We finally went up to the cash register to pay for it. During the transition of payment we both panicked about how to wrap the present and deliberated over a wrapping paper purchase. WHEN the clerk said he would be happy to wrap it for us. I excitedly said out loud "REALLY?" He chuckled and walked to the back and gladly wrapped it for us. ***Recommended: Check out all the posters in the back! **Highlights: Super friendly service *Low points: Kind of pricey but reasonable read more

I love PaperVision. Its one of those places that are quintessentially Santa Cruz, I've shopped there for almost two decades. Its my go to place for unique cards, wrapping paper and posters. They have a great holiday selection of cards and decorations. Its one of the few places I can get the traditional German advent calendars from my childhood. And they have great and unusual items for gifting or rounding out that stocking stuffer list. And they have wrapping paper that I have used as wall art due to its unusual print or photos. The staff is always super friendly and helpful as well.. read more

I have to admit, this is one of my favorite shopping places, I really like to go to if I want to buy a birthday, Christmas, Easter or whatever kind of card. Anyways they also have an interesting collection of toys, gags and gifts, posters and other kind of stuff. It is really cool. Anyways hmm the prices well they are a bit high, but then again it is Santa Cruz and a mom and pop store so it is going to be retail value. Also, they do get some stuff that comes from other countries as well. The service can be good or okay depending on who works there. Anyways if you are looking for a birthday gift this is the place to go to. read more

This is where I purchased, besides many cute birthday cards, my Jane Austen action figure. I love this store just for that. I also love that it's locally owned and has a nice dry paper-y smell when you walk in. On a more practical and less whimsical note, in the first months of the year they sell their calendars at decent discounts. read more

I always find something cool at this store. I love the cards and stationary. They usually have unique gifts that other stores don't have.

Great place or out of the ordinary cards and stationary. Tons are small toys and gifts (think stocking stuffers) and a fun collection of european papers and gifts. Best place for unique gifts (of the small variety) Besides in a world of computers and emails, getting something on a pretty piece of paper is a treat! read more

It's a store for girls, boys, and their adults. Anything you can think of, notebook, journal, map, postcard, cards of all kinds, calendar, toys, wrapping materials, just anything that you might want in a store like Papyrus (which is way over-priced but good selection). read more

Fantastic place to browse and shop. An impressive selection of cards, prints, toys, games, puzzles, Tin-Tin books! + others, and all the little knick-knacks that I love. (journals, stationary, bags, the list could go on and on) This is a great store that I frequent often for cute and fun work supplies, gifts for my little friends and cards for my adult ones. Owners are Japanese, I believe, so they also carry a small selection of Japanese goods including Totoro items, packages of stickers, pens, etc. read more