NEIRAD
Back-to-School School Supply Guide
By Nicolas Correa- 09/10
This Neirad reporter seeks out the unknown cache of school supply stores in the area.
NEIRAD enilno edition
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Students may find themselves unready or unprepared for the new school year. If you (or your mother) did not remember to stock up on the necessary school supplies you may want to patronize some of Darien’s own establishments.
If you are looking for a quick convenient alternative to the ubiquitous big-name brand store filled with hectic helicopter parents rushing about grabbing at limited supplies and filling the place with a mad chaos then there is no need to cross town lines.
Darien News Store
The convenient location is perfect if you don’t want to stand in long lines at Stapes for a pen, magazines, or candy. Darien News Store has a central location at 19 Tokeneke Road. This store has a refreshing feel harkening back to a time pre-box megastore with its assortment of supplies and a wide variety of magazines and, yes, newspapers. (Both local and international) The business has been in the Frate family for 82 years.
Darien News Store has survived against the modern-day odds stacked against independent businesses. “It would be great for a Darien kid to shop for school supplies to support the town of Darien. The chain stores don’t do anything for the community. When someone shops there the money goes out of Darien and out of Connecticut,” third-generation owner William Frate said.
The big-box stores also do not offer the same level of personal service. Conversely, students and parents can drop off a school supply list and Darien News Store will gladly fill the order. “We offer service, selection and attempt to accommodate our local community,” Frate said.
This small store also wants to disabuse people of the notion that a non-chain store cannot compete. Some featured items include stretchy book covers for $2.89, glue sticks for 99 cents to pens that range from 45 cents all the way to $450 for a Mont Blanc model. If you find yourself in the town check out this little general store that has given much to the school community over its 82 years.
The quaint shopfront of the Darien News Store
The collection of stuffed animals at Puritan Stationery
Springdale Stationery's slightly obscure storefront
Puritan Stationary
This quaint little store is located at 1985 Post Road in southwestern Darien. Puritan Stationery too has defied the odds in a time of mass national chain stores. It has been in business more than 100 years. Current owner Richard Kim has owned the store since 1985 when he took over the helm.
Kim’s little store offers a nice number of necessary school supplies, such as binders for $4.99 (though only in one size) and pens for $1.99. There is also a shelf where you can pick up your favorite magazines. Need a small, quick gift? There are a few stuffed animals such as the popular teddy bear message bears for $7.99. Of course, as the name suggests there is a selection of cards for your emergency needs, and most are on the cheap side for tight student wallets. Its location near the beach makes it ideal for a quick stop on the way back on those last summer days.
Springdale Stationery
This store is located at 1072 Hope Street is right next to the Darien Ice Rink so it is easily accessible to those avid ice-skaters. However, it comparatively lacks any other luster apart from its location when compared to other so called “office supply stores.” Its binders range from $4.89 to $5.99, but the binders within were covered in dust from disuse… and the fact that it has a cooler full of drinks is undermined by the fact that it is also next-door to a Dunkin Donuts and a CVS. Also, there is the fact that at the time of review it was occupied only by people scratching lottery tickes. Might want to stick with the local Darien stores unless you don’t mind dusting the dirt off your new school supplies.
