[Insta Walk] Dongbaek Stationery Store - Captivated by Handwriting and Brush Pens

Handmade Notebooks and Beautiful Stationery Made by the Owner
Enjoy Copying at a Single-Person Desk
Only Products Verified for Over a Year on Display, "A Place You Can Trust to Buy"

Notebooks personally made by Yuhanbin, the owner of Dongbaek Stationery Store, are displayed by color. Photo by Heo Midam damdam@asiae.co.kr

[Asia Economy Reporter Heo Midam] If you want to put sincerity into a letter, handwriting is perfect. The heartfelt words pressed down one by one with a pencil become a powerful link connecting hearts. Perhaps the reason why crooked handwriting is so charming is that the sincerity written through repeated erasing and rewriting is fully conveyed. Although writing by hand has become less frequent with technological advances, the unique scratchy feeling still evokes a nostalgic sentiment. A space that makes people fall for that charm once again is gaining attention. The protagonist is 'Dongbaek Stationery Store' located in Mapo-gu, Seoul.

If you walk about 10 minutes from Exit 2 of Mangwon Station on Subway Line 6, you can find a signboard catching your eye with a red camellia flower. Although it displays a familiar nameplate saying 'Stationery Store,' the window is covered with purple curtains, creating even a luxurious atmosphere. When you open the wooden door and enter, a soft piano melody rings in your ears and a fragrant floral scent lingers at your nose.

On one side of the store, a wooden shelf neatly organizes various notebooks and pencils. In addition, notebooks and matches decorated with camellia flowers, and fountain pen ink featuring the word 'camelia,' meaning camellia tree, stand out, showing the store’s personality. The single-person desk by the window is also impressive. Customers can sit at the desk and freely try out the store’s writing instruments such as notebooks and fountain pens. It is also quite enjoyable to look at the handwriting left by previous visitors in the notebooks.

The wooden workshop displays notebooks made by Yuhanbin, the owner of Dongbaek Stationery Store, along with the signature product, fountain pen ink. Photo by Heo Midam damdam@asiae.co.kr

This place is a space that CEO Yuhanbin (29) has dreamed of for a long time. As he wished, "I wanted to open a stationery store for those who love handwriting," this place is different from ordinary, run-of-the-mill stationery stores. Typical stationery stores offer various products cheaply, so it is hard to expect a unique experience. However, this store mainly sells specialized products for so-called 'handwriting enthusiasts.' At the same time, it allows customers to fully feel the tactile sensation when writing. CEO Yu said, "Stationery is an experience good," adding, "It is hard to guess how it feels without trying it, so we made it possible to experience it firsthand."

CEO Yu is known as the 'stationery store uncle.' But in fact, the pen name he values most is 'pencraft.' It means 'the method of writing,' referring to penmanship. Becoming famous online for his handwriting lessons, CEO Yu said, "I wanted my work and nickname to be related, so after some thought, I started using this word about four years ago."

True to the nickname Pencraft, his handwriting-related content is already popular on social media. His Instagram account has over 80,000 followers, and his self-run YouTube channel has more than 100,000 subscribers. CEO Yu mainly uploads content of transcribing lyrics or poems. He said, "When I transcribe, time passes quickly and I feel healed. Sometimes after watching a movie, I feel empty, but not when writing. The tactile sensation transmitted to the fingertips when writing with a pencil or fountain pen is pleasant," he added.

Besides the 'taste of writing,' CEO Yu cites sincerity and emotion as reasons for his praise of handwriting. "When writing important documents, people tend to write by hand rather than typing on a computer. It’s probably because sincerity or care comes through in handwriting," he said. He also added, "The feeling of picking up a pencil you used as a child again as an adult is subtle. It feels like returning to the emotions of that time."

Photo postcard personally created by Yuhanbin, owner of Dongbaek Stationery Store. Photo by Heo Midam damdam@asiae.co.kr

He also personally produces stationery items such as pens, ink, and notebooks, which further shows that he is truly a top-level handwriting enthusiast. Many products in the store, such as hardcover notebooks and fountain pen ink occupying a corner of the wooden shelf, were created by him. His pride in stationery production is evident in his words, "If I’m not going to use it myself, I don’t make it."

The reason he started making stationery products is also fitting for a maniac. He said, "I have tried many stationery items while writing, but there were few products I liked. For example, when using notebooks, I was disappointed that if the paper was coated, the writing feel was similar regardless of the pen used. Also, when touching the notebook with your hand, oil from the skin sometimes made writing difficult. I decided to make stationery myself with the idea of preserving both the taste of paper and the pleasure of writing."

All products in the stationery store are carefully selected by CEO Yu. He emphasized, "All the items in the store have gone through at least a one-year verification process. I don’t put anything in the store that I haven’t tried myself or didn’t feel good about."

CEO Yu wants Dongbaek Stationery Store to be a consistently trusted shop. He said, "One of the things customers often say is 'I buy here with trust.' I feel most proud when I hear that. I will continue to work hard to make it a store where people can purchase with confidence."

For those who have poor handwriting and want to improve but don’t know how, he advised, "It’s good to first find handwriting you want to emulate. Then, by naturally copying that handwriting, you can find your own style." Even in this digital age where diaries are kept on computers or even mobile SNS, it is noteworthy how many more people will 'follow' him, who still pursues analog sensibility.