A different kind of notebook

The answer is a definite "yes," according to Penny Lee, a young Chinese-Australian who opened her first store "Ipluso" specializing in designing notebooks four months ago.

The small store is tucked away behind phoenix trees on a tranquil street in the former French Concession area. A combination of Oriental Zen and Italian modern luxury lifestyle, the store is more like an art studio than a shop selling all kinds of paper works.

"When I was a little girl, I liked very much writing on the notebooks with pencils," Lee says. "However, it was rather difficult for me to find a nice notebook at that time."

That's why Lee opened this small demonstration store as soon as she had the opportunity. It sells wrapping paper and unconventional stationery as well as chic gifts that Lee brought back from Thailand. Most of the products are notebooks.

Designer Lee has discovered novel ways to show people how unique and practical a notebook can be. For example, a square notebook is wrapped up and bound by a lengthy elastic strip so that it can be carried as a cute pouch. Special bamboo material from Thailand is used as the cover while the pages are made of traditional Chinese rice paper.

Lee makes all the paper at her own factory in Wenzhou, Zhejiang Province, and she guarantees that the paper doesn't contain any fluorescence, which is harmful to the eyes.

The customers are also encouraged to design their own notebooks and experiment with their own combinations of the covers and the inner pages. For example, you can choose leather or traditional Chinese silk brocade as the covers, and hand-made rice paper, brown paper or paper of a bright rainbow palette as the inner pages.

The finished products for sale are priced from 38 yuan (US$4.8) to 130 yuan, according to materials and sizes. The customized notebooks cost 180 to 250 yuan and orders take about two weeks.

Ipluso
Address: 202 Wukang Road
Tel: 5465-0931

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