One great thing I love about Community High is the open campus, and with Kerrytown right across the street, many options are available to us as students. Sparrow Market, Sweetwaters Cafe and Kosmo Restaurant are all places where you’ll find Community students crammed together at lunch time.
What most Community students don’t recognize are the other stores and shops located in Kerrytown. At the very back of Kerrytown, among the likes of toy shops, spice merchants and jewelry stores, is Hollander’s, a book and paper binding store.
Tom and Cindy Hollander started making handmade boxes and desk accessories from their home in 1986, and in 1991 opened the doors for their current Kerrytown location.
Each of the three floors of Hollander’s has a different function for customers. The bottom floor is used for workshops and a work studio. The main floor, the floor from which most customers enter, has most of their common merchandise, including stationery, note cards, photo albums, journals, address books, gift wrap, and ribbon. Their newly-expanded third floor offers customers a wide range of eclectic kitchenware and appliances. Hollander’s offers year-round classes specializing in papermaking and bookbinding from their School of Book and Paper Arts right up the street.
The main reason why Hollander’s is one of my favorite shops in Kerrytown is because of their attention to detail. Thousands of varying types of wrapping paper are sold there, and with each sheet you’ll find ornate details that you won’t see in a last-minute gift dash to CVS. In any pattern, design or picture imaginable, it’s almost a shame to even consider stretching, folding, taping and eventually ripping these pieces of art. You could literally frame one if you wanted to.
Hollander’s also offers products from other companies. They sell elaborately designed journals made by Paperblanks, as well as cards, candles, mugs, handbags and more from the popular company called “quotable.”
While chatting with my peers, I’ve found that Hollander’s is a local favorite around the holidays for purchasing gifts and trinkets to give to loved ones. I’ve found this to be true for me as well. I discovered Hollander’s the summer of my freshman year, when I was unearthing Kerrytown for the first time with my cousin Alisha. We were amazed by all the beautiful novelties hidden in such a historic building, and swore to come back.
Sure enough, I did. Last year, I brought each of my immediate family members to Hollander’s to show them my proud discovery. I purchased my mother’s Christmas gift from Hollander’s: a smooth, white mug with a beautiful quote by Honore de Balzac, “May you be happy always.” It seems I also made it a favorite of my family; as part of my 15th birthday present, my parents wrapped my present in a sparkling pink paper from Hollander’s. Instead of the usual rip-and-toss routine one goes through when unwrapping a present, I gradually eased the tape off of the paper, and saved it.
If you’re stumped on where to get a holiday gift or are looking for a chance to explore a new part of Kerrytown, you should definitely check out Hollander’s.
