Daily Times

LAHORE: Paper Clip, a leading store that houses over 70 brands of international and local stationery, has taken residency in the provincial capital with an aims to revolutionise the industry through its innovative services, state-of-the art facilities and commitment to promote the standard of education in the country.

The brands housed at Paper Clip, which is a brainchild of Hasnain Ali and Dr Badar Tauqeer of HY School Store, include, but not limited to, Moleskine, Staedtler, Parker Pens, Stickoo, Shah Sons, and Picasso. Gift wrapping services, school textbooks and uniforms are also part of services provided at Paper Clip.

Talking exclusively with Daily Times, Hasnain Ali said the response generated by Paper Clip so far has been overwhelming, which goes on to show the interest of general public towards stationery and education. “We plan to cater to all stationery needs, be it for office, school, or personal requirements and we are very excited to start this new venture amid friends and family,” he added.

Paper Clip was designed keeping in mind all the stationery requirements of an individual, said Paper Clip co-founder Dr Badar Tauqeer. “Our goal this year will be to further establish the brand by providing state-of-the-art facilities, enhancing the number of products we house, and keep on innovating in line the needs of the market,” he added while elaborating the future plans of his company.

Dr Tauqeer was of the view that social media has been of great help as far as marketing of his company was concerned, adding that most of the clients visited the store after experiencing the products on social media.

He said the idea behind establishing the store was to provide an opportunity to the public to enjoy the experience of buying stationary, adding that besides offering all facilities and services related to education and stationary under one roof, the main focus was to promote the culture of quality education in the society.

Both Hasnain Ali and Badar Tauqeer had to face a lot of challenges during their journey towards venturing into an industry that was not tapped before. Most of the people demoralised them but they stood fast to their ground and with a mission to revolutionise the industry, established a one-of-its-kind stationery store that offers services to all segments of the society.

The culture of entrepreneurship is fast changing in Pakistan, Hasnain Ali said, adding that graduates from renowned universities these days are not shy in doing something that they think is below their “status”, which is a great sign for the future of the country; they remain confident of achieving their goals and innovative enough to penetrate into the market. “Pakistan is blessed with talent but the opportunities and extremely limited, especially for the masses where the real talent lies. Limited exposure to opportunities in the past had restricted the budding minds, compelling them to choose safer options rather than experimentations. We, through our store, collaborate with such talented people and help them display their work as well. Most of the locally manufactured stationary items are unique, different yet contemporary, much to the amusement of our customers. It is very important to identify and utilise the talent of our young minds to not only promote the culture of entrepreneurship, but also to streamline the ethics of doing business in the country,” he added.

Dr Badar Tauqeer was of the view that focusing on small businesses is the way forward for young and aspiring entrepreneurs. He advised young businessmen that sticking to one business in this modern day and age is a big ‘no no’, adding that different ideas and constant innovation is prerequisite for success of any business.

Pricing, Hasnain Ali said, is also an important aspect that is kept in constant check at Paper Clip, adding that he dislikes the idea of being unnecessarily expensive, as reasonable and efficient pricing policy makes the product more marketable. “We have devised a strategy to try and cater to the educational needs of the downtrodden segment of the society. Old books that are returned to us are given to the children who cannot afford to buy them.”

Paper Clip, which is a two-storey store occupying an approximate area of 2,000 sq ft, has been designed with faultless finish of woodwork, cosy interior, and simplified parametric design of the ceiling so that the customers always feel at home and welcome. The interior is different in respect of lighting, structure, colour and placement of furniture. The window installations of the store are beautiful to look at from outside since they have been made from newsprints offering the theme of the month. The design has been taken a step further by creating a special place for children with a vibrant layout on the second floor.