The Write Stuff: Notebooks From Daiso

If it’s a proper notebook you need, there is no better—or less expensive—place to buy one than at Daiso, our favourite $2 store.

CHEAP & PERFECT | Say what you will about the note-taking capabilities of a laptop, smartphone or tablet, sometimes it’s more satisfying—and quicker—to write stuff on actual paper. For me, jotting works best on notebooks that are both attractive and quirky, and the best selection of these kinds of notebooks I know of is at Daiso, my favourite dollar-style store.

Twice a year I make a run out to Daiso in the Aberdeen Centre in Richmond for a pile of notepads and sketchbooks. If I find myself without a notebook and need one in a pinch, I might drop in at Yokoyaya 123 (Daiso’s little sister in downtown Vancouver), but only if I’m desperate because Diaso has the better selection by a long shot.

What I love best about Daiso notebooks after their price—it’s hard to find one costing more than $2—is their novelty. Among my favourite finds are steno-style flip-tops, which are perfect for reporters, and plastic-bound snap-shuts (in neon colours); both of these notebook types are $1 each.

Although some of Daiso’s styles appear to be perennial, if I see a notebook type I particularly like, I won’t take a chance on not seeing it again and stock up, something that’s easily justifiable when their price is dirt cheap to begin with.—Annabel Lee

In Richmond, Daiso is located in unit 1080 in the Aberdeen Centre, 4151 Hazelbridge Way, 604-295-6601. In Vancouver, Yokoyaya 123 is located in the International Village (Tinseltown), 88 W Pender St., 604-682-8073.

Photos, top to bottom: iStock, Casey Phaisalakani