Stationery: Paperista

A browse around this 50th & France shop almost makes you wish e-mail had never been invented. If you're into the art of correspondence, you'd be off to a strong start with notecards designed by Kate Spade or Christian Lacroix, as well as some others you won't find elsewhere in town. What draws the most raves, however, are its custom letterpress invitations ($35 for 20 cards and envelopes), distinctive and sophisticated but never fussy. "Spat Balls" (a pair of pea shooters sold with a supply of handmade paper balls) offer an elegantly humorous touch, but a true test of grace and style is stocking appropriate cards for people battling cancer: "I admire your tenacity" in a beautiful script.