Product of the Month – Biella files and dividers

Stylish Swiss stationery

This is pure Bureau retro. Firstly, a bit of history – for anyone who knew the original Bureau shop in Covent Garden, its early days were identified by solid blocks of colour – yellow, red, blue, green and grey. The colour came from a big wall of Biella stationery, one of the core stationery brands we stocked. Back then in 1995 such ‘exotic’ stationery was little seen here in Britain. The Biella range became a hit because of its colours, and because of the wonderfully tactile, waxy smooth finish to the files. They may only be lever arch files, but sat on a shelf, all in one colour, they make a striking sight.

The Bureau shop when it first opened

Over the years our stock range of Biella may have diminished, but we still do the ultra-smart grey lever arch files and some very classy file dividers to go with them. The grey lever-arch file when combined with the grey-and-white file dividers is a really smart combination, and if you put several files onto a shelf then they look even better.

Biella 7cm grey file

Biella grey and white file dividers

A bit more on our Biella range – we are struggling against a tide of high import costs and even worse exchange rates from the Swiss Franc (not so long ago it was nearly CHF 2.5 to the pound,and recently it nearly dropped to CHF 1.15 – over doubling the cost to us). We also have shipping minimums and without a bigger fan base in this country we are stuck with irregular deliveries a few times a year. Despite this the demand is still there, and there are true Biella lovers out there who will ‘happily’ wait until our next shipment arrives.

If you are looking for a smart, cool and modern look for your filing then give Biella a try, and spread the word. The more people like them then the more we can bring in.

Product of the Month – Rhodia Exabook

The organised notebook and filing system

Rhodia Exabook

Firstly, a word on why we have chosen another Rhodia product for the Product of the Month. Much as we like our Rhodia here at Bureau, we try and avoid choosing the same style of product two months running. However the Exabook has been proving such a popular hit since we brought it in, and particularly over the past few weeks with Back to School in full swing now, that it seemed a shame to delay it a month when it might be the right time to raise awareness of this little gem.

So, on to the Rhodia Exabook. It’s a hard item to fully describe without making it sound odd, and it is versatile enough that it is probably a different kind of book depending on who uses it. Essentially it is a mini folder with a notebook inside as well as lots of additional filing and organisational add-ons. The key is that it can be used according to what you need it for because of the spiral binding which allows for items to moved around.

The 5 dividers (which come with stickers to identify them as filing dividers) can be moved to separate the notebook into sections. Each divider also has a pocket for keeping loose papers in. There is also a ruler/page marker which can be clipped in at any page, and at the back there are pockets for a business card and CD/DVD. The book has a decent sturdy polypropylene cover meaning you can write in the book anywhere, and the spiral binding allows you to open it flat. Finally, the pages themselves are good quality Rhodia 80gsm paper, punched for filing and perforated for easy removal.

Once you’re done, you can simply take the whole notebook out and put a refill in.

Rhodia Exabook - dividers and ruler

Rhodia Exabook pockets

Find out more on the Rhodia Exabook – click here for the A4 book and click here for the A5 book.

Product of the Month – Rhodia Meeting Book

A surprise hit

We’ve been selling the full Rhodia range for several years now, and Rhodia as a brand and a name is becoming increasingly popular. We’ve always stocked some items and made the rest available on special order only, in packs of 5 or 10. Bit by bit we have been adding to the items we keep in stock, as we see some items are selling well despite having to be ordered in bulk.

The Rhodia Meeting Book was one such example. It was selling quite well, and it was a notebook with a clear purpose. We decided to make it a stock item that could be ordered singly rather than a pack of 5, and it has been selling very well since. Well enough to give it a month in the spotlight with the coveted Product of the Month spot.

For anyone who has to be in charge of organising a meeting, it provides a pre-formatted layout which guides the notes. Date, notes, action points etc. It also means that the book is only used for running meetings, and each time you hold a meeting you have the written notes from the previous meeting there, in one book. It is one of those deceptively simple ideas, but clearly there is a real demand for this.

Click here to see more

Product of the Month – Habana journals

Quo Vadis Habana notebooks

For July we have made the Quo Vadis pocket Habana journals our Product of the Month. Apart from a slightly cheesy Olympic link-up (well, they do come in a themed gold, silver and bronze…) we thought they were worthy of the spot light for a few weeks because of how nice they are. We’re keeping it nice and simple this month. They have the usual features you can expect from any of the many Moleskine-like notebooks out there (Leuchtturm 1917, Jottrr, Rhodia Webbie and more) – elastic strap, inside pocket, hardback cover, simple lined pages with no fancy details, but what makes these notebooks stand out is the colour choice and the quality. They have good quality ivory paper (85gsm), but really it is the colours and in particular the metallic colours that grabbed us. We are also selling the lime green and fuchsia for a bit of extra colour, and of course the traditional black Habana notebook.

I feel a blog coming up on the relative qualities of the different notebook papers, but in the meantime take a look at the metallic Habana notebooks.

Click here to see more

Product of the Month – update

Limited edition Moleskine Pac Man and Peanuts diaries

Sadly the new range of 2012 diaries featuring the classic Pac Man arcade game, or the Peanuts strip cartoon of Snoopy and Charlie Brown, have been delayed. We had been promised them by now but it appears that they have been delayed until sometime in July. We don’t have a date as yet, so the only option is to watch this space. If you go on our website you can ask to be emailed when they do arrive back in stock. Sorry for any disappointment – we’re pretty disappointed too! I was looking forward to seeing them today.

Moleskine Pac Man

Product of the Month – June 2011

Limited edition Moleskine diaries

We will be featuring the new limited edition Moleskine diaries as our Product of the Month for June. There are actually two special editions – retro 1980′s arcade game Pac-Man, or the classic Peanuts cartoon with Snoopy and Charlie Brown. We will be offering these in the more popular diary/notebook combination for 2012. I know it is a long way off, but these are limited editions and so we can’t guarantee they’ll still be around in the autumn.

The stock is due in by nex week so we will be publishing more details when we know a bit more, but for now here is a little animation to keep you amused.

Product of the Month – May 2011

JOTTRR notebooks

We have selected the JOTTRR notebooks as our Product of the Month for May as they seem like the perfect item to highlight. We are working on an expanded range of notebooks during 2011, and this is another addition towards that goal. The undisputed No.1 notebook is the Moleskine but there are a lot of alternatives out there and the JOTTRR is an excellent example of what you can have in a notebook.

What makes this different to other books? The main feature is the mix of plain and lined pages – each 2-page spread has a plain page on the left and a lined on the right. It also throws in some grid pages at the back for good measure. In addition, the book has page numbers so if you want that bit of extra organisation this will surely help. Other nice touches include fold-out plain A4 pages at the back, and a fold-flat binding making it easier to write on. Some of the pages are also perforated so you can easily remove them, rather than tear them out messily.

Perhaps the most obvious differences are the colours (currently black, yellow or pink), and the price (£8.95 at the time of writing, for a large/A5 notebook).

All in all, the Jottrr (not Jotter) books are excellent value and we recommend them. Click here to see more.

On the subject of notebooks, we are keen to know more about what notebooks people would like to buy.

Product of the Month – April 2011

Moleskine Passions Gardening Journal

We have chosen the Moleskine Garden journal as our Product of the Month for April as it seems appropriate. The sun is (well, was…) out, the weather is getting warmer, the garden is coming to life and for anyone with a garden, it’s time to start thinking again about spending the weekend sorting it out. For some it is a year-round passion, for others it’s more a case of when the weather is suitable. The beauty of these books is that they allow you to keep everything garden-related in one place, no matter how much time you spend out there.

 

Moleskine Garden Journal

 

 

We’ve all seen things in magazines and weekend supplements that look wonderful, or are really practical  – cut them out and put them in the journal. Who hasn’t bought something at the garden centre, planted it and then forgotten the instructions for how to look after it? Or is that just me? Keep a record in the book of what you plant and how to look after it. Thinking of changing the garden? It has neat pages for laying out a garden design. Maybe you’ve been to a garden somewhere and been inspired, but the inspiration is lost once you’ve forgotten the details. Use the journal to keep a record of what you saw.

 

Moleskine Garden Journal

 

Finally, as with all Moleskine books, there is the pocket at the back for loose items  – little scraps of paper, photos etc – and also some stickers to help personalise the journal.

Click here to see more and buy the journal

 

 

March Product of the Month

Our Product of the Month for March is the Rhodia Webnotebook. For those familiar with the Rhodia range, this is nothing new. After all, the Webnotebook has been around for a few years now. However, due to demand it was updated last year and now features the superior quality 90gsm Clairefontaine paper.  This luxury 90gsm brushed vellum paper was often asked for by customers and so Rhodia responded.

The new 90gsm paper makes this one of the better (the best?) notebooks available. For those who are familiar with the Moleskine books, you might want to take a look at the Rhodia alternative, especially if  you have wanted for a nicer quality paper, ideal for those that write with fountain pens.

We recommend giving this little Moleskine alternative a try. After all, why follow the crowd? Rhodia has its own cult following, with notable users including Paul Smith and Francis Coppola.

Click here to find out more

February Product of the Month

The Havana Presentation Folder

For February we thought we would bring out a hidden stationery gem from deep inside our website. The Havana folder arrived last summer, and is part of the Havana range that includes photo albums, photo boxes and stripy folders. Part of the reason for choosing this folder though was that I needed a folder to take papers and a pad of paper (Rhodia, of course…) to a meeting, and it’s perfect. It is made from a good sturdy card with a very stylish waxy finish, with a simple elastic closure. It is perfect for A4 items such as pads, and papers. Neat little extra details include the scored edges which allow you to increase the capacity if you have a lot to carry round.

As I put my trusty Rhodia notepad into the folder to take to the meeting it made a perfect fit – the black Havana folder and the Orange Rhodia pad. Surely meant to be together?

The Havana folder

Dominic