Delivering the Papers

There are two kinds of people in the world, Helen Driscoll has discovered: those who look at her extensive collection of exotic papers and wonder, “What can you do with this stuff?” and those who say, “Boy, what I could do with this stuff!”

Driscoll is owner of Fine Paper Co. in Pasadena and stocks everything from gossamer-like sheets to more substantial weights imbedded with bits of leaves, flowers and grasses, in hues from seashell to madder, indigo and marigold, with prices starting at a few dollars. They line a wall of her Old Town shop, inviting touch and curiosity.

“I wanted to challenge people, to provoke them,” says Driscoll, a former seller of rare books. “Everybody thinks paper is so common and meaningless, temporary. Paper has kind of a personality, and I wanted to make people think about materials and permanence.”

Almost all of Driscoll’s papers are tree-free (made from fibers other than wood pulp) and come from such exotic locales as Africa, India, Japan, France, Thailand and Nepal, as well as the United States and Canada. She also offers custom invitations and letterpress printing services, and stocks ready-made stationery and other items.

“Paper can be imbued with quality, and then people can use it to make something again of quality,” Driscoll says. “I think that’s very valuable to society. It makes our lives richer.”

Fine Paper Co., 111 E. Union St., Pasadena, (626) 584-9804.