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Write Stuff for the Big Apple
With more than 50 years in retail, Lee’s Art Shop on West 57th Street has built an enviable reputation as the go-to place for stationery in midtown New York.
Ruth and Gilbert Steinberg started their business as a small art shop. 
About 35 years ago, they moved the business across the street to its current, four-story home. At first they operated an art supply store on the first floor and a framing business on the second; the other two floors were unused. In 2002, the Steinbergs bought the building and incorporated the lighting and furniture business that they owned in a different part of New York.
Lee’s Art Shop sells a wide range of paper and other stationery materials. It offers a dizzying array of specialty papers, including batik, marbled, Japanese and embossed styles, among others. Customers can also pick up invitations and announcements; the store offers custom printing too.
While Lee’s sells many other products such as glass vases, toys and artificial flowers, stationery is quite a significant part of the business. Merchandising manager Elsie Remy, who has worked at Lee’s for 20 years, says the store does a lot of shopping for its stationery lines at the annual New York stationery show. “It’s an upbeat show, and we always look forward to visiting with old vendors and meeting new vendors,” she says.
Lee’s Art Shop
220 West 57th St.
New York, NY 10019
212.247.0110
