February 12, 2004

Dewey's New System

Dewey Howard Journals

She was sitting in the window at Starbucks, ordinary in every way but one. Miss Green Tea wasn’t tapping away on her PowerBook. She was writing in a sky-blue journal with bold pink flowers. How charming a jolt of civility.

No doubt she was contemplating things like love, poetry, or English garden roses. Dismissing thoughts that never plagued Milton (“How does she back up her work?”), we were compelled to beeline it to (very politely) ask after her notebook.

“It’s a Dewey Howard,” she explained. Sounds like a genteel publisher. No, a stationer whose bond-paper-filled journals are bound with hand-taped linen cloth and come in nature-inspired patterns like pink mum and lily. The note cards and wrapping paper are as warm, bright, beautiful, and simple.

The nosey parker had to ask: “What are you writing? A sonnet perchance?”

“Nah.” She smiled. “The usual: Call mom. Feed the cat. Buy toilet paper. Pick up laptop from TekServe.”

For more information and to find retail and online stores, go to deweyhoward.com.