Popular is a chain bookstore that originates from Singapore and has locations in several Asian…read morecountries and Hong Kong. This location is on the third floor of Pioneer Centre in Mong Kok. The store is moderately sized, not on the scale of Eslite. The books sold here are in Chinese, but some of them (ex. cookbooks) have English translations in them. I did not see any magazines or newspapers, so don't come here for those. They do carry a selection of music and DVDs though it is not on the scale of HMV. Though these days, the selection there is getting smaller. And the offerings do not seem to be the most current. Since I can't read Chinese and the entertainment selection did not appeal to me, what garners three stars is their selection of stationery. The stationery here seemed mostly imported from Japan or Japanese inspired. What appealed most to me is their selection of imported Japanese pens. There is plenty varieties to choose from and they have test papers for you to scribble on to see if the pens are for you. They are slightly marked up, but not by much. Certainly not double the price like at one bookstore here in Seattle. If you are looking for Japanese stationery, check out Popular. It is the main reason I would come here.

We were actually in pursuit of a greeting card to send to someone for their birthday. Yelp guided…read moreus to this bookstore. On a Sunday, we had to make it through the maze of sales guys pushing condos before boarding the escaltors to get to the 3rd floor, but other than that, the bookstore provided what I was looking for. Not a big selection of greeting cards, but some. This store is half bookstore (not in English for the most part) and half gift/office supply store (wrapping paper, notebooks, pens/pencils, pads, toys, themed product lines of stuff, music CD's, puzzles, etc). Not a bad bookstore, but not the best either. Seems to be a chain of sorts.

This is an absolutely amazing store. They have virtually everything... office supplies (they have…read moremore types of pens than I knew existed), greeting cards, ribbons, bows, gift bags, decorations, lights. You name it, they have it. Don't be put off by the relatively small space for so much merchandise. If you don't see what you want, just ask and one of the staff will find it for you. I've been going here for 25+ years and have never found a more service-oriented store in Hong Kong.

Sam and Company is a veritable treasure trove of stationary loveliness. Despite its excellent…read morelocation on Stanley Street, and the affect of this prime location on their rent demands, the store is not as jam-packed as many of its competitors in the area. They have struck a pleasant balance of a well stocked store, with plenty of products to browse, but enough space in the aisles to turn around without taking out half the shop. As is expected, Sam and Company sell pens, notebooks, printer paper, craft supplies, card board, red packets, greeting cards, as well as some rather random items like inflatable Hello Kittys, paper lanterns, plastic fruit and footballs. In fact, so good is the stock in there, that when I was recently looking for a non-self inking customisable 6 digit number stamp - yep, that specific, and had already flustered most as though I had asked for a left handed mug, the lovely owner/sales lady didn't bat an eyelid and just asked what size. I kid you not, she had an entire box of non-self inking customisable 6 digit number stamps. The point to the story is that Sam and Company have a lot of stuff. It's on shelves, piled on the floor, hanging off the ceilings, nine out of ten they will have what you are looking for (unless it is the aforementioned left handed mug). If you don't see what you want, ask the staff, there is so much more stuff secreted away behind the counter or out back. My only grumble is the staff can be a bit pushy. If the product you want isn't quite right, they get a bit shirty if you don't to buy. They also follow you around the store, but maybe that's just me and my dodgy looks? A definite must for anyone who needs anything craft or stationery.

Log-On is a great store to kill time in. They call themselves a lifestyle store with trendy…read moreproducts that includes stationery, gadgets, photography accessories, fashion, travel accessories, beauty and wellness products. Currently there are 13 LOG-ON stores in Hong Kong and this location is conveniently located inside the iSquare building in Tsim Sha Tsui. The store is clean and organized and there are plenty of employees around but do not pressure you to buy. I came into the store to just browse, but walked out with some beauty products that I think are slightly cheaper than what you might find at Sasa. It's a great store to find small gift items and greeting cards, they even offer snacks and drinks from around the world.

Cutest store EVARRR. I'm so sad we don't have one of these in America. There were so many wonderful…read moreand useful things, it was hard to choose what I needed to make room for in my bags. Also, be aware that not all Log-On stores are the same. Like any chain store, some have more loot than others. We went to one and thought it couldn't get any better, then went to another one and were even more wowed. This location was WOW number one. Aside from having things like pens, backpacks, phone cases and cameras, it also has somewhat of a drug store. They even have supplies for work/lunches for adults and children. My friend likened it to a smaller, cuter, better Target. Just GO!

Now, this....this...is a stationary store... I came in here…read moreto specifically look for letter size filing folders. To my dismay, the nice man at the counter told me that they don't have letter size folders and that letter size is only a USA size...Well...there goes my plan.. But aside from that, this place would have it all... Any type of office supply in all sorts of types... I'm glad it's in Central.

Stationery stores are all to often underrated. I mean who do you know that has ever went on about…read morehow awesome a time they had in a stationery store? No one is the answer... until now! There are many stationery stores around Hong Kong because, let's face it, they are an essential part of our lives. But not all stationery stores sell every bit of stationery, so I've come to realize. Some sell paper but no ink, others sell everything except envelops. It's a real source of frustration. Reliance Stationery Centre's name tells you that whatever you need you can rely on finding it here. That is to say, everything that I've needed I've found here, anyway. The bottom floor is big in its own right but there's even an upstairs to is as well with even more stationery. I walked in looking for stickers, which I found within 3 minutes, and I walked out with a whole bag of other stuff. A couple pens (why not?), a world map - something I've been looking for for quite some time, and a business card holder. I did not check if they provided printing services, if I had noticed that it would easily be given a five star rating. It's also in a very accessible location between central and Sheung Wan, closer to Sheung Wan, so picking up something between lunch breaks is an option. The morale of the story is that the next time you are fretting because you're missing a pen, printer cartridge, stamp collection folder, world map or some such you now know where you're most likely to find it.

Do you like books? I like books! Do you like books in English? Yes! I love books I can actually…read moreread! Swindleton book store is almost an entire store filled with books all in English! I came here specifically for a HK hiking trail book. The store front is adorable, it looks like it belongs in Britian! I loved it from the first sight! Located a street right off of the iSquare building and Peking Road on a one way street. You cannot miss the store because you will see all the mopeds parked nearby and there's a ton of little stores down this street! Overall, the store is well organized and offers a lot of genres of books as well as magazines, greeting cards, and small gift ideas. There's also an upstairs with more books! The only think missing is comfy chairs and tables! But I guess that would only encourage shoppers like me to sit, read, hangout and probably not buy (books) but ask where my latte is?? Ohh right, I'm totally missing my Barnes & Nobles and their coffee shops right about now! While I don't think I would come here to buy magazines, I priced a "normal grocery store check-out stand magazine (Marie Claire)" out at $112 HKD/$15 USD!! Normal books varyng from travel books to cook books were around $115/$14 and up. It's safe to say that this will probably be my only soft cover book that I'll be buying because I don't want to ship more weight back later on! Unfortunately they didn't have my hiking book in stock but the guy at the checkout was kind enough to call another store and they had one left and held it for me. I'd definitely come back here just in case I do need something or even to buy a simple gift because they had a great selection and we're so helpful. Save the book...Stores! They're a dying species!

This on always our last stop in Hong Kong. I adore Swindons. It is jam packed with the most…read moreincredible reading materials in Cantonese, Mandarin and English. Unique items. Small hand-sized books, larger reading volumes and a nice array of stationary and cards. Due to luggage constraints, I could only buy 2 small books but they are keepers. A must go to if you enjoy reading unique books, and hard to find authors. My favorite bookstore on the planet.