One Year In. Becoming a Stationer

About this time one year ago we opened our digital storefront for the Outpost Stationery. Our main objective was to learn. I call it “make a bagel” while other people call it learning by doing. They both mean the same thing but I prefer my version and its anecdotes.

Starting the store, getting suppliers, learning more of the industry, and getting a few transactions in has been central to how we are building The Outpost. But an online store was never meant to be the end game for us. 

Let me take a step back to explain why our end goal is not online commerce.

After deciding to leave Google in 2024, I considered which areas were both deeply interesting to me while identifying signals of significant value being placed over the next few years with the advent of AI.

So, I wrote a manifesto. A statement of intent for what I wanted to do next. If anything, I recommend that everyone should write one every couple of years.

I came up with 5 principles. I won’t go over them in this post (maybe later) but it helps getting the headers:

> Clarity before action

> Slowness creates depth

> Preparation is part of the work

> Clarity welcomes the mess

> Atoms are memory

What we can take from just the headers is that we need to build, actually rebuild, important muscles in order to better navigate a hyper digitalized world. And the way we do that is for people to have the time and space to develop their ideas.

The more we rely on digital tools to help us process our thinking, write for us, and create for us, the more we grow complacent and lose agency to become creators, make our own choices, and navigate the actual world. Even as I transcribe this blog post Google Docs desperately insists on taking over and “help me write”. I don’t mind writing, Gemini; I’ll let you know when I need help, not the other way around. 

I’m not a luddite, but I firmly believe in the power of analog tools to help us be better thinkers and doers. That’s how and why I chose stationery as the avenue to help people regain that power and agency. Build the muscles that make us more efficient in the digital world. 

I knew from the get go that a venture to promote analog tools could not be online-only. At its core, it needs to live in the physical world, allowing people to experience those tools before buying them while also facilitating community building. I knew I needed to become a stationer.

It’s a bit quixotic to think of physical retail as the new frontier but I think it truly is. There is so much distance put between people all in a relentless pursuit of convenience. Is convenience the end goal? What do we do with the time gained with all that convenience? More time to consume synthetic content online?

We can already see the response to an increasingly digital world. More people seek to disconnect, do some things by hand, and talk to other people in person. 

So, from the get go, we knew we were opening physical spaces for The Outpost. People should be able to try a pen before they buy it. People should find more third spaces to hang with like-minded people, or even to hang around every once in a while.

After one year, we finally got a lease and are prepping  to open our first Outpost Stationery store in Seattle’s Pioneer Square.

Stationers are an old profession. The London’s stationers guild has existed since the early 15th century! It comes from the fact of setting up a store that stays in place (stationarius). It meant people could find you in a single place, usually in the town centre. I think that’s so cool, and being in Pioneer Square is also very apt for a Stationery shop. 

We are beyond excited that we are opening the store. Our hope was to do a soft launch in December but we feel we need a bit more time to be ready, we’ll be open in early 2026. You’ll find us in the Washington Shoe Building by South Jackson and Occidental ave. 

Here's Otto checking the street from the store's window. Otto is my Border Terrier and true overlord of The Outpost.

While we finish getting the space ready, we are already loving getting to know our neighbors, other stationers - mainly in the book trade-  that are already open in the area. Please be sure to check out their stores and ours when it opens up!! Here are 5 of our neighbors that we think you should visit in Pioneer Square this December!

Long Brothers Fine and Rare Books. Our next door neighbors also have a beautiful wine and beer bar inside their store.

Arundel Books. Down the road in South Jackson. New, used, and rare books for all, also art!

Peter Miller books. An institution in Seattle for anyone into design and architecture, they also carry some fine stationery. 

Beguiled books. Lovely new store (new to the neighborhood) focusing on romance books.

So, here’s looking into 2026, we cannot wait to meet you in person and to keep growing the Outpost.

In the meantime, make sure to follow us on Instagram and also keep track of our stuff online www.outpost.ink

ps. always remember to show your work