About The Paper Mouse
The Paper Mouse is a curated stationery and gift shop in the heart of West Newton Square. We are a cozy nook for exploration and discovery, featuring playful goodies that inspire curiosity and practical tools to fill every need. From our card wall with greetings for every occasion, to our pen and pencil bar overflowing with writing instruments, to our spread of notebooks in every shape and size, we do our best to provide just the thing you need - plus a few you didn’t know you were looking for.
Why a mouse?
The Paper Mouse is named for Jenny, who was born in the Year of the Mouse. We all have a soft spot for these tiny creatures, who are often characterized as helper figures in stories. We’re here to help guide you!
Our Story
The Paper Mouse is the creation of husband-and-wife team Victor Lee and Jenny Zhang. The shop was a new beginning for the couple in 2015 after life changes prompted them to rethink their careers. Jenny had recently settled down in Newton and wanted to connect with her neighbors, while Victor felt disconnected from his community after 20 years spent working in the high tech industry. His father and grandfather had both owned businesses in Newton, and he wanted to revisit his childhood dream of following in their footsteps. A shop in their village square, they decided, could fulfill both their wishes.
And thus The Paper Mouse was born. Victor and Jenny transformed a narrow little space in West Newton Square into a cozy shop and began filling it with the things they love. They wanted to create a unique destination for the community to visit, a place that would bring feelings of joy and fond memories of childhood. Stationery was a natural fit: Jenny has always loved letter writing, and Victor the math-and-science-lover has an enthusiasm for mechanical pencils and graph paper pads. Soon they expanded into gifts to share their love of all things cute, small, and unique.
With his background in engineering, Victor wants customers to feel comfortable getting hands-on and testing the products. Jenny, with her love of small, cute things and handmade items, has shaped the special curated mix of products at the shop. Above all, they both believe in the importance of hospitality and accessibility, and they’ve worked to create a space where everyone will feel comfortable and welcome, with something for everyone to enjoy.
Our Team
Jean Gao
Lead Designer / Shape Shifter
Our reclusive designer, Jean, spends her days hunched over screens and paper, nudging shapes into pleasant configurations. From the website to the window displays to her illustrations of cheerful mice, Jean seeks to cultivate a sense of wonder through the visuals at The Paper Mouse. Though rarely seen in person at the shop, Jean can be found online, running our social media accounts.
Jenny Zhang
Shopkeeper / Goodie Finder
The Paper Mouse was named for Jenny, who was born in the Year of the Mouse. Jenny keeps the shop running from day to day. You can find her there during the week, helping customers and adorning the shop with her delicate paper flowers and origami. She loves sharing her product discoveries and seeing the smiles they bring to people’s faces. Come meet her and say hello!
Sara Israel
Lead Content Creator / Comma Regulator
Sara is the voice behind The Paper Mouse’s newsletter, blog, and web content. She blogs about our goings-on, writes product descriptions and gift guides to help you find just what you’re looking for, and makes sure you’re up to date about what’s new in our shop. Our resident editor, Sara also ensures all our punctuation is in the right place.
Veronica Hanley-Enciso
Retail Specialist / Object Matchmaker
Veronica is a retail specialist here at The Paper Mouse. If you see her on duty, she’s always up for a good chat about stationery, art supplies, painting, or historical dramas and period movies. Veronica is an artist who believes that making art helps people navigate life with more wonder. She sees art as an activity for everyone, whether they share their work or not, and she loves to help people find products to express their creativity.
Victor Lee
Proprietor / The Little Engineer That Could
Born and raised in West Newton, Victor dreamed of owning a business in his neighborhood since kindergarten. After stepping away from a 20-year career in engineering, he has finally realized his dream by building The Paper Mouse through a healthy dose of optimism, a lot of hard work, and the support of his small but dedicated team. You can find him at the shop indulging its patrons with fine paper, writing instruments, and unique gifts, or constructing the next retail display for freshly curated products.
Yulan Li
Assistant Buyer / Stationery Explorer
Enchanted by all the wonderful goodies in the shop, Yulan owns and uses much of our stationery herself and loves to share her experience. She is passionate about every product in our shop and is always happy to help you choose the perfect items to take home. Since joining The Paper Mouse, Yulan has accompanied the buying team to trade shows and shops around the world and now helps to keep our shop chock-full of goodies for you to find.
