paper stories is your go-to creative haven tucked away in Gipsy Hill, South London.

 

Choose one of our collaging packs off the shelf, and we’ll set your table up with scissors, glues, crayons, punches ready for you to snip and paste to your heart’s content! All while sipping a delicious coffee or cheeky glass of wine.

 

By night, we offer riso printing workshops and creative craft workshops, so keep your eyes peeled on our events page to see when our next craft workshop is happening.

 

paper stories is your local creative cafe to sip, make and unfold.

paper stories was founded by Milly, a South Londoner who always felt the lack of friendly, affordable creative spaces on the high street.

 

After ten years in marketing for arts and crafts companies, she began her business plan, enrolled in a free startup course and saved every penny. Milly applied for a small business loan, and searched for the perfect location. Being a woman in business with no previous retail properties, she faced repeated rejections. 

 

Eventually, she secured a lease for a charming former post office in Lambeth, London. It felt so right! Taking a bold step, she handed in her notice. With the support of her skilled partner, James, (hello talented carpenter @newshamdesign) Milly devoted every waking hour in the following months to transforming the space into the creative sanctuary she had always envisioned.

Milly founded paper stories on the belief that art helps us live better. It can breathe new life into us, bring people together, and help us slow down in this hectic world. paper stories is more than just an arts and crafts space. paper stories was built on the idea that the coffee (and wine!) would be as good as the crafting; a place you want to hang out, day or night. It’s a place for the community to come together, and where crafting is accessible to everyone.

paper stories has hosted several free workshops, including the successful zine-making courses working with groups of local students from low-income households to produce riso-printed zines. In the words of one of their teachers, "the entire project has meant so much to them."

We work with Old Spike Roastery, based in Loughborough junction. A social enterprise, Old spike puts 65% of its profits back into their mission to reduce homelessness. we’ve worked with them to train and employ people at risk of homelessness.

 

Not to mention, the coffee is great. we serve up Benedict blend, seasonally changing, always chocolatey rich, with a sweetness and body that makes it bangin with or without milk. and when it comes to quality, old spike source grade green coffee directly through producers. this means higher quality beans and a better price for the farmers (often 4-5X more than the fair trade minimum). sweeeet!

We love nothing more than collaging and crafting, but you’re always welcome to swing by just for a cosy coffee, a warm drink, or a delicious pastry.

 

we’re laptop friendly, so if you want an alternative creative space to work from, swing by - we just ask you laptoppers might need to share a table if it gets busy!

 

so come hang out with us, whether you’re in the mood to create or just relax.

paper stories opened in Spring 2022.

 

We go big on birthdays and love to celebrate! Every year feels like a major milestone in the small biz world.

 

So keep your eyes peeled on our socials to help us celebrate our next birthday.

If you’d like to collage, you pay for a kit. The price of a collage kit starts at £5, with no limit on how many people can join in, or how long you can stay.

 

Our kits for littlies and biggies are £5 for a mixed collaging pack and you get a couple of riso printed animals / or a card envelope with it.

 

Or you can choose one of our wonderful templated kits for £15 which comes with 5 designs inside.

 

They can also be shared, there’s no table cost or person cost. We're passionate about keeping the cost of crafting affordable. It’s very relaxed so you can have one kit or many, and coffees and cakes while you craft. Pop by and we can show you how it all works so you can get ready for some paper craft fun!

If there are more than 3 of you, especially if you’re coming Friday-Sunday we recommend dropping us an email to make sure we can save you a table.

 

Usually a couple of you are fine to rock up without a booking, you might just have to share or wait for a bigger table to become available.

 

For anyone coming with a buggy, please be prepared to leave it outside if we’re busy! We have a couple of highchairs for littlies 🙂

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​Like we always say - we’re small and cute!

Our collaging kits are suitable for humans aged 2 - 102!

 

We’ve had toddlers as young as 2, enjoying our “odds and bods” collage kits. You choose and animal and a pack of collage papers for £5. We have lovely pastels to use too and a little help from the grownup cutting some shapes and away they go! We also provide toddler-friendly scissors so little can practice their cutting skills from an early age. Some littlies become completely captivated by cutting, eager to transform their pieces into magical creations! With babycinos and a welcoming team, we absolutely love inviting young creators into our space!

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Teenagers and grownups will love our collaging cafe too, it’s the perfect space for all ages to get creative, cut and stick while you natter.

 

We have a huge fan group of 3 to 9 year olds, but honestly, all ages will love our collaging cafe! teenagers and grownups too will find it a great space to cut and stick while they natter. We encourage everyone to come along for a hot drink and chat to our team about collaging.

Paper Stories craft cafe is wheelchair accessible, please ask if you require our wheelchair ramp (there is a small step up to to the front of the shop).

 

Unfortunately our toilets are not wheelchair accessible.

 

Please feel free to email ahead, especially if you are coming in a group - our space is small so to reserve a table it’s best to book ahead.

Yes! We absolutely LOVE hosting kid’s birthday parties! Our two-hour parties include private space hire, a dedicated party host, fun papercraft games and activities, plus hot chocs all-round. If you'd like us to take care of some of the extras too, we can organise tea platters (or doughnut stacks!) and eco-friendly party bags.

 

Usually, we host parties on Saturday or Sunday afternoons from 2.30-4.30pm. That way, you'll have the whole space to yourselves. We've designed our parties around 8 kids, but smaller parties are welcome too, we can fit up to 15 littlies.

 

Usually we say 5 years and up is a good age, but we’re adaptable and depends on how crafty your little makers are! Please drop us an email and we can send over our party brochure and chat details. If you have something specific in mind we’d love to make your littlie’s creative dreams come true.

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Here’s what one parent had to say, “thank you once again for a super birthday party last weekend. Albane and her friends had a brilliant time, and admittedly, us parents did too! ...By far the easiest birthday party we have ever thrown…” ~ Marie

Yes, you can hire paper stories for your grownup party!

 

paper stories, south London's creative cafe-by-day and wine-bar-by-night is available for private hire for your special occasions. our cosy and chic bar is the perfect place to celebrate your special occasion. enjoy our carefully sourced wines-on-tap, Old Spike espresso martinis and delicious small plates to match.

 

whether you're planning a birthday shindig, a hen party, a baby shower, a creative team building or corporate away, or perhaps just a fabulous night out, we'd be thrilled to help you create the perfect evening.

 

There's no venue hire charge, and we don't ask for a minimum spend on the night. instead, we have a few party packages to get your night off to a fabulous start. There is space for up to 20 seated guests, 30-40 standing.

 

Our typical Lates hire is from 5 - 10.30pm, but we can accommodate you if you’d like to party later too. Just drop milly an email to find out more!

Getting to paper stories is easy! We are located in Gipsy Hill, South London near Crystal Palace, West Dulwich, Sydenham and West Norwood.

 

If you're coming by public transport, Gipsy Hill train station is just a short walk away, or Sydenham Hill providing easy connections to London Bridge and London Victoria.

 

Several bus routes are nearby including the number 3 and 322 from Brixton.

 

If you're driving, there is street parking available nearby, but please note the parking restrictions directly outside the shop!

 

There are bike stands outside paper stories too, and eclectic scooter bays and e-bikes nearby - yay!

In March 2024, founder Milly, launched a second site Walcot Stores, in Kennington. Walcot stores is a creative cafe, with a focus on delicious coffee, weekday sarnies and lovely curated stationery to browse.

 

Walcot Stores is situated in a former 19th-century corner shop, in Walcot Square. Walcot Stores is a place for neighbours to socialise, sip good coffee, and join creative workshops by night.

 

Keep your eyes peeled for workshops on their Instagram and check our sista's website here.