The House of Stationery is still the place you want to go in Estevan for your office supplies.
The long-time Estevan business, located in the heart of downtown on Fourth Street, has always been meeting the needs of the local business community with its electronics, desks, chairs and office supplies.
And it’s always been there with supplies for your home as well.
It was closed for about two months at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, but still had some demand through online shopping.
And now that it’s open again, people are eager to equip their office with supplies.
Only now, the office is the home in many cases, as more people shift to working from home during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Electronics, such as computers, webcams and printers, have been selling well.
“The only problem is that it was hard to get the product,” said owner Lincoln Empey. “We’ve been waiting for printers for over two months to get low-end inkjet printers in stock.”
Once they are fully stocked, Empey expects supplies for the home office will grow in popularity.
“I don’t think this (working from home) is going to change any time soon, I think people are going to possibly continue to work from home, or maybe job sharing, with half working from home and half working from the office,” he said.
Customers who are making the shift to working from home can find desks, including sit-stand work stations, chairs, various other electronics related to computers, and everyday office products such as pens, pencils and erasers.
The sit-stand work stations have slowly gained a greater share of the marketplace.
Toner and ink cartridge sales have also sold well.
The customers have handled the situation well, calling to find out what the House of Stationery can do for them at this time.
Empey said they’re trying to hold their own. The staff have been understanding, as they have been working part-time hours every second day. And they’re hoping to open with full-time hours again in September, being open until 6 p.m. instead of 5 p.m., and also being open on Saturdays.
Employees have done a good job of navigating through difficult times.
The House of Stationery is more than just an office supply store. They sell Keurig coffee pods, which, of course, could also be handy for the person shifting to work from home, and they also have board games, puzzles, scrapbooking supplies and arts and crafts supplies that will engage the mind and foster people’s creativity.
And they are also carrying masks as people continue to navigate the pandemic.
