If you want to understand the true dedication of the analog community in Ontario, look no further than a rainy weekend in April.
As the founders of My Analog Heart, an upcoming stationery boutique based in Oakville, my partner Yuki and I recently headed downtown for the Toronto Stationery Show at Parkdale Hall. Our mission? To connect with the community, scout new Japanese stationery trends, and continue building the foundation of our brand.
Here is a recap of the event, the incredible community we met, and a few major behind-the-scenes milestones as we prepare for our 2026 launch.
The Toronto Stationery Show Experience:
Creating warm connections in the cold
(High of 10c, Low of 5c, Rain all day, Highway Closures, 2.5 Hour Long Lines & Stationery)
This past weekend, we attended the Toronto Stationery Show at Parkdale Hall. Navigating into downtown Toronto was a gamble—the Gardiner Expressway was closed, and simultaneous Toronto FC and Blue Jays games meant we were bracing for heavy congestion. We risked driving and miraculously hit zero traffic. However, upon arrival, the line was already wrapped around the block all the way to Queen Street. Facing a three-block wait in 7°C pouring rain is a nightmare scenario for most, but for those dedicated to fine stationery, it’s just part of the journey.
Yuki and I got in line first. Given my ongoing health journey, I had to set a firm physical boundary: if I hit my limit in the cold, we would abandon ship. But looking at the hundreds of people waiting, I knew I was exactly where I needed to be as a fan and a founder. My mom and godmother, acting much wiser, went to find parking and joined us an hour and a half later when we were finally at the halfway mark.
This wait highlighted the most beautiful aspect of the analog community: it forces genuine human connection. While freezing in line for over two and a half hours, we spent the time talking with two incredibly kind attendees, Selina and Pamela. We bonded so deeply over our shared interests that by the time my mom rejoined us in line, she assumed we were old friends. To her surprise, we had just met right there on the sidewalk. It was the perfect reminder of why we are building this brand: stationery brings people together.
Inside the Event: Japanese Stationery Finds and Vendor Highlights
The venue itself was pure chaos—a clear sign that the stationery community in the GTA is huge. It was overcrowded (which explained the two-and-a-half-hour line outside) with about three rows of vendors. If you are a fan of feline-themed goods, this was your paradise; almost every booth was packed with cat merchandise and stickers. (Sadly, not a single owl to be found—I really like owls, if you couldn’t tell!).
But the absolute highlight of the show was the Paper Plus Cloth booth. They had a massive table fully stocked with the newest Japanese stationery releases. Let’s just say my entire small budget evaporated right there at that booth. I was able to get my hands on:
Another standout was a fantastic table doing quick, 5-minute doodle “photos” of attendees—a brilliant, tactile touch that perfectly captures the spirit of the event.
My biggest takeaway for the organizers? The demand for high-quality analog tools and stationery in Toronto is massive. You definitely need a bigger venue or a multi-day event next time. Please have mercy on us stationery nerds!
Behind the Scenes: Securing Wholesale and Bootstrapping My Analog Heart
While I was enjoying the stationery show as a consumer, I was also making massive moves behind the scenes as a founder.
This week, we officially locked in our first wholesale order with Pilot. Our first batch of Pilot Kakuno fountain pens is already on the way! Even better, we were officially approved as a retail partner by Sasaki & Co., which opens the door to stocking our highly anticipated Midori MD notebook inventory.
Building the digital infrastructure for My Analog Heart has also required some strict boundary-setting. When a freelance graphic designer went completely silent on us, I had to put my TV producer hat back on. I set a firm 48-hour deadline and pivoted to a leaner, $100 minimalist logo strategy with a backup designer to ensure we didn’t lose our launch momentum. And guess what? It worked perfectly. He submitted revised, brand-new designs within a day. What do you guys think of the potential of this logo concept?
Finally, we had to make some hard financial calls. We were approached about a Futurpreneur loan, but looking at the math, taking on thousands of dollars in debt and stressing over monthly payments goes against the entire grounding, low-stress ethos of this brand. Instead, Yuki and I are choosing to bootstrap our initial $750 launch. We are keeping our overhead at absolute zero so we can build this business on our own terms, without a lender breathing down our necks or adding unnecessary stress to the journey.
Finding Balance: Analog Journaling and Weekend Recovery
Between the business pivots, managing my dialysis schedule, making sure the tarantulas are fed, and freezing on Queen Street, I spent the rest of the weekend aggressively recovering on the couch. We watched Cold Storage (pure, unadulterated fun with Liam Neeson and Joe Keery) and Crime 101 (exciting, even if I had to do some mental gymnastics to ignore the massive plot holes—though the cast with Mark Ruffalo, Chris Hemsworth, and Halle Berry was absolutely stacked).
Sometimes it feels like I didn’t do much. But looking back through my analog journal, I can’t believe we accomplished all of that. We survived another week. The inventory is coming. The foundation is set. Now, we just wait for the mail.
Thank you so much for reading. <3
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