by AJ Bafer
The Papirum storefront, displaying utensils and reading "Fundada en 1800" as an ode to the age of its craft.
Barcelona’s Gothic Quarter is a colony of craftsmanship. Yet one of the most impressive among them boasts no flashy signage, nor promises of a discount or English translations to draw in swarming tourists.
Papirum reflects its product; the writer’s paradise is like a finely bound notebook, its elegant exterior offering no more than a small window into its old-fashioned commodities like quill pens, ink, wax and compasses.
Above them, stylized text declaring the shop’s name with Gucci-like confidence. Whereas the Italian designer was compromised by corporate interests, Papirum is still a family business after 31 years.
Magnifying glasses, brain busts and other oddities add to Papitum's scholarly aesthetic.
You’ll find a woman donning gray bangs waiting for you after stepping through the wooden doorway. Dolors Crespo will greet you with muted gusto, allowing the tiny marvel to speak for itself.
The store’s scent may overwhelm you well before the staggering stock of leather goods. Think that new-car smell, only if it were as intoxicating as a fresh bouquet of carnations.
Coming back into focus, you’ll find the shop’s left and back walls stocked ceiling to floor with a vast variety of notepads, glasses cases and blank books. The items featured on display to passersby are impressive on their own.
But the interior’s assortment is the fruit of Crespo’s true artistic gifts, a storied craft undeniably intertwined with centuries of Spanish culture: bookbinding.
Table of Contents
Papirum sits on Carrer de la Llibretaria 2 — “bookstore street.” The quarter’s stone alleyways have literary roots. It’s where booksellers made their living. The building itself dates back to the 1500s, while its status as a business began at the beginning of the 19th century.
Crespo integrates the alley’s legend into the property and her products with a proud, personal touch.
“It was built in 1-8-0-0,” she said, emphasizing each digit with dutiful clarity. “We redecorated the whole thing.”
To her left behind the store’s humble counter, she forges the sleek ledgers bound with Spanish leather. The building’s purpose prior to 1981, of which Crespo herself can barely recall after making it her livelihood a page at a time, is emblazoned by the sign of the Old Casa Rubió, just outside the register area’s rear window.
The view from behind Papirum's counter, where ring-ups and gift-wrapping unfold.
Crespo bears the torch passed to her from Josep Rubió i Lluch, a Catalan printer and bookseller who promoted the practice as a means of furthering Spain’s industrial arts. Soon she’ll pass it to her son, Flavio, who can be found covering his mother’s off days.
The Works
While these bindings are not Papirum originals, they are a more affordable alternative to its expansive selection.
Papirum continues Lluch’s cultural mission with its handbound volumes. Spanning speckle, marbled and water sheets, opening any notebook on the shop's shelves is an invitation into dignified times of old.
The stuff is far from standard stationery. Run your fingers across a page, and you’ll be greeted with minuscule grooves as satisfying to gawk at as they are to write on, with options catered to both water coloring and storytelling.
Though it isn’t overseen by a machine, nothing in the process is rudimentary. The books are squared off with remarkable precision, fitting seamlessly into their leather shells. You will have your pick of a cartographer’s color palette; chestnut browns, boot blacks, even muted magenta.
Papirum prices, displayed with simplicity, run steep for the work that goes into them.
If that decision doesn’t leave your head spinning, prepare to be floored by the fundamentals. Blocky books, tie-around clasps and decadent floral designs compose just a few of Papirum’s perfections.
Other accessories complement the main attraction to fulfill Papirum’s status as a writer’s favorite getaway. It would’ve been a perfect pit stop for Hemingway before an evening sipping absinthe at Bar Marsella.
Shelves near the storefront hold a font of fountain pens, from wooden to feather. The instruments match their destination; these tools, like the books, are odes to elegance in their symmetry.
Traditional feathers and marbled patterns are among the other pen options at Papirum.
Crespo’s passion complements her talent. She’ll tell you her reasons for committing to the craft are complicated, but she’s always onto the next page of creation. Her most basic reasoning is the pure joy that weaving stationery brings to her urban routine.
Victoria, her other pupil, is just as enamored.
“It’s a fantastic job,” she said.
Papirum’s craftsmanship hasn’t gone unnoticed, either. You are likely to compete for space as curious streetwalkers drift in and out of the tight space, gawking in awe at window displays or sifting through book stacks.
A man admiring Papirum's products through the store's window display.
Ask Flavi, and he’ll proudly direct your attention to an orange sticker on the front door’s widow, which reads: “Fodor’s Choice.” It was named an essential Barcelona destination in the travel guide’s 2008 edition. This trend of recognition continues into the 2020s through trip advising sites, which are home to a stockpile of positive reviews.
Papirum's front door and sunburst logo.
Artistic success doesn’t come without troubling realities. Victoria holds reservations about the Gothic quarter’s deterioration outside their wooden window into old Spain. It’s the last of its kind on bookstore street; Paprium’s past contemporaries have evolved into shabby clothing stores and tourist traps. Modernity is all the more a reason to bring papyrus to the present.
It certainly won’t stop Cresto from heading over to Tostaderos Bon Mercat Llibreteria on break for a cup and a quick chat with the neighboring baristas. She has found a home both on the corner and in her art.
“We love it,” Crespo said.
The Next Chapter
Flavi Crespo at the Papirum register.
The shop originally specialized in marbled paper but, after about 20 years and a trove of prints, turned its focus to binding. Any visitor hoping to get their hands on a more personal piece can request a custom work if they provide the cover.
Those without a specific bind can explore their leather works, which Flavi said are sourced from a saddler and designed in-house.
“It’s hard work,” he said.
Flavi has been privy to his mother’s expertise his entire life. He is deeply aware and devoted to Papirum’s past and is its future. Hair slicked back while hand-writing information on business cards, his presence suggests he is well-prepared to take the helm.
He acknowledges its small size with warmth, vouches to continue it and believes it transmits love with every sale.
“This shop is a very rare find, anywhere,” Flavi said.
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