As far as shops for the essentials go, this cosy store in Seven Dials certainly isn't the cheapest, but it is an absolute haven for stationery fetishists. It’s entirely possible to walk out of Choosing Keeping having just spent £45 on a stapler feeling like it was the smartest purchase you’ve ever made. The thing with this shop is that everything is just so damn beautiful: dinky rulers shaped like Toblerones, slightly sinister hole punches that look like they were crafted in Soviet Russia, and golden scissors that snap together to form the sleekest of lines. Of favourite of all, though, is the brilliantly bizarre decorations that they come out with each Christmas. From dinky little anthropomorphic toadstools to delicate hand-blown glass flowers, hanging bats and blackbirds to all manner of foodstuffs, we could spend hours browsing its magnificent collection of Christmas baubles alone. Visit when it isn’t crammed with tourists and you might find yourself choosing to keep the lot.
As featured in the 100 best shops in London