(Co-Owner Diana Phillips | Photo by Jeff Spry)
Satisfying a growing need for artisan writing and printing requirements, Fold & Gather is a new specialty stationary store in downtown Sisters that offers a colorful selection of high-end decorative paper, leather-bound journals, writing instruments and luxury notebooks with an emphasis on European-styled products one might not find anywhere else in Central Oregon.
Honoring the art of paper and writing, owners Diana Phillips and Gabriela Vidrio have cultivated a unique retail space that also includes hand-bound books, deluxe patterned papers sourced from Europe and East Asia, fountain pens, small batch inks, letterpress cards and much more.
“We started a year ago in May and I’ve always eyed this little space, it’s a sweet little spot and lends itself really well to this type of business,” Phillips tells CBN. “Because with making books by hand, sometimes it needs to be part studio space. I had a paper store in Boulder, Colorado, and in Santa Fe that’s still there called Two Hands Papery for 20 years and sold it to an employee of mine and her husband. When you love paper and books you always love paper and books. The written word, the book itself, the structure of the book, has never really left me.”
After relocating to Sisters, Phillips hoped to find the ideal location where she could create a mini version of the store that she had before, except filled with the most favorite things she loves.
“We try to highlight local artists as well, that’s very important to me,” she adds. “Mostly the focus of the store is the art of the book, the art of paper and the art of writing, and how that’s expressed through the materials that we carry.”
Regarding some of the more popular items customers frequently purchase at Fold & Gather, Phillips points to their wide array of rare fountain pen inks.
“We try to seek out inks that aren’t just domestic, but also from abroad, as well as writing instruments by small makers that are changing the way the industry is seen. Like Tom’s Studio Pens from the UK. He’s working with creating materials sustainably out of ocean plastic debris and things like that. So our unusual inks are a big draw, unusual colors and types. And then our notebooks. My interest as a bookbinder is how everything functions. I’m very much into aesthetics and materials and patterns. Most people who want a good notebook want it to lie flat and have it be sewn so they can watercolor in it or sketch or write nicely with a fountain pen.”
The business name chosen, Fold & Gather, refers to a bookbinding term when creating folios and making sections, but it also serves as a reminder that this is a community gathering spot.
“We do have workshops coming up,” she notes. “They are classes centered around book arts, bookbinding in particular, and I’ll be teaching those at Studio 6000 in Sisters. I’ve found from living here that there are lots of different people who are either interested in fine art, drawing or painting. The love of the written word runs deep with a literary community. So there’s a great attraction to books and writing, and an appreciation for the history behind the craft that exists in these three main genres that we focus on: papermaking, bookbinding and writing.”
Fold & Gather is located at 351 W Hood Ave. in Sisters.
