About the love of paper

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“I want to become a tinkerer!”.

Birgit Elisabeth Holzapfel already gave this clear and definite answer as a little girl. For as long as she can remember, the owner of the small “Papeterie” at Glockengießerstraße 89 has loved working creatively with paper. As a schoolgirl she first came into contact with the ancient art of origami and since then this fever has not let her go. A visit to the certified graphic designer and paper craftswoman Birgit Elisabeth Holzapfel has been on my agenda for quite some time, and that’s because I’m so not good at crafting at all! Yes, that’s only my inner critic, I know. But as we all know, these critics are quite persistent. Reason enough for me to visit the craftswoman in her small store and workshop to find out more about her love of cutting, gluing and folding.

Where did you get this paper?


Born in Freiburg, she trained as a graphic designer at the Werkkunstschule in Lübeck, then lived and worked in Hamburg for 16 years and her compass was “successfully set pointing to the north”, as she puts it. Besides graphic design, being creative with her own hands was her after-work hobby. What started as a private hobby more and more developed into a job alongside the job. Customers at her booth in Hamburg asked her questions about the special paper she used. Mrs. Holzapfel’s living room regularly turned into a presentation and sales room for the most beautiful paper goods. Then she dared to open her first own store in Hamburg Ottensen. For six years she owned a small popular workshop store in Holstentwiete. After the birth of her son, she moved to the countryside of Palingen in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. An idyllic time under thatched roofs and creative work in the construction trailer, and the garden house, the entrepreneur recalls. Their graphics orders from Hamburg were secured by the fast Internet connection via radio from the silo of the nearby farm. But she missed the direct contact with her customers. “What do you see?” was the question asked during a coaching session, which Birgit Elisabeth Holzapfel answered this way: “Me on my bike on the way to my store.”

“I need the store”


The workshop store in Glockengießerstraße has been around since 2014. Specialty store for everyone who loves paper goods. However, the French word papeterie sounds much more congenial. Downright auspicious. So, in addition to craft materials, there are enchanting finished products such as small paper birds or her coveted handmade travel journals, which are bound from nautical charts and, of course, have a noble thread stitching.

Paper silk is a very special product on offer at the Papeterie. Elisabeth makes each sheet in two colours (with or without glitter). The material is perfect for origami work. It’s tue that it becomes a little paler over time, but it is simply wonderful to work with and ideal for covering (gluing) boxes, says Birgit Elisabeth Holzapfel. She offers a wide variety of paper goods, including paper from Nepal, which she buys from a fair-trade family business in Germany. In general, as a person for whom closeness to nature is an inner need, the topic of sustainability is very important to her.

For the fifth anniversary of the Papeterie, artisan friends came to the large work table for workshops. As much as for her own creative projects, Mrs. Holzapfel’s heart beats for the imparting of her knowledge. She therefore regularly offers workshops on the art of paper printing using old printing rollers, and shares her extensive knowledge of origami folding techniques. In the current lockdown situation, printing is not possible, but origami folding techniques will be taught online. The dates will be announced on her website.

In the meantime, the busy designer and artisan has set out to find new sources of income. Rental compartments seemed to her to be a fitting addition to her own offerings. She contacted creative people from Lübeck and the surrounding area and received numerous positive responses. As a result, new customers are now coming into the store, and they are enthusiastic also about the works of the rental store tenants. Lovingly designed treasures from a wide variety of materials, including ceramics, felt work and textiles, which she also likes very much herself. Otherwise, she wouldn’t offer a product in her Papeterie. Birgit Elisabeth Holzapfel has done well in her life by trusting her gut feeling. Her stationery is the place where all her talents come together. It’s her window to the outside world, the presentation area for her products and the direct contact with her customers.

Cornucopia of ideas

Only the stationery alone – no, that would not be enough. The owner has so many ideas that the day should have three times more hours. For example, she has been designing children’s craft books for a Cologne-based publishing house for many years. She writes the concepts herself, and the craft ideas and instructions are also developed by her. She likes the precision needed to describe the individual steps in the creative process. As a graphic designer, she creates fine logos and business stationery for the self-employed. She also has individual wedding and invitation cards in her programme.


And, of course, she exhibits her own handicrafts. She had a booth at the crafts market in Lübeck’s St. Peter’s church for several years. Many still know her from the time in Hamburg when she participated in the spring and Advent fairs at the Haus für Kunst und Handwerk (Koppel 66). Birgit Elisabeth Holzapfel has also participated for many years in the arts and crafts market at the Hanover Chamber of Crafts, where only works of the highest artistic standard are admitted. She is rightly very proud of the fact that she has always been able to meet the strict requirements of the jury.

The great happiness

Birgit Elisabeth Holzapfel has long since arrived in Lübeck. She likes the city and its decelerated atmosphere. She has amazing clients and loves to meet people. By the way, she also speaks fluent Danish, as she tells me in passing. She is looking forward to her new neighbour Simone Gruber, who will offer her upcycling fashion and sewing workshops next door starting in January. A great addition to her own store. What drives her? She is lucky to be able to do exactly what she loves, Birgit Elisabeth Holzapfel answers without hesitation. Are there any wishes left? After all, a Japanese legend says that the gods grant a wish to the person who folds 1,000 cranes. In any case, Birgit Elisabeth Holzapfel fulfills customers’ wishes from Thursday to Saturday in the Papeterie.

> How to get to Papeterie Holzapfel

https://www.instagram.com/holzapfeldesign/?hl=de

https://www.holzapfel-design.de/

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written by:

Barbara Schwartz