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May 2024 by Normandy Helmer
If you love cards and paper and writing by hand, this is the place. Exceptional selection of cards, journals, wrapping paper. Antique pen furniture, ink bottles, letter openers.
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May 2024 by Alvin Epstein
One of the finest stores of its kind anywhere with exceptional selection of beautiful stationery and related antiques. It is worth a visit just to enjoy seeing it. A work of art.
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November 2023 by George Brewer
My wife and I have been vacationing in the Wellfleet area for more than 30 years. We always looked forward to a trip to Jules Besch - first in Wellfleet, and later in Truro, and we have made many purchases of notebooks and stationery. Until this past September. During our last visit, while we were browsing and I asked the owner how his summer had been. He quietly said "Why do you care?". Unsure if I had heard him correctly, I asked "Excuse me?". He said "You're obviously not going to buy anything. You don't support me. You don't care about me. Why do you ask how my summer has been? Why don't you just leave?". I quickly found my wife and told her we should leave, and she was shocked. As we were walking by his checkout counter, he waved his fingers at us and quietly said "Adios". After 30+ years of patronage, he lost two loyal customers in one 30 second rant.Over the next few days, I wondered what we had done wrong to set him off. Then I read some Google reviews. One suggested that he's agist, but we are in our 60's. Although we were wearing biking shorts and I have tattoos on my calves. After reading other reviews, I came to the unavoidable conclusion that he's just nuts. Please read other recent reviews and see what you think.I would hope that he would read some of his reviews, and get the help that he obviously needs. But after his comments to one reviewer, I'm pretty sure that he doesn't spend much time "online".My final suggestion - visit only if you enjoy being abused.
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November 2023 by George B.
My wife and I have been vacationing in the Wellfleet area for more than 30 years. We always looked forward to a trip to Jules Besch - first in Wellfleet, and later in Truro, and we have made many purchases of notebooks and stationery. Until this past September. During our last visit, while we were browsing and I asked the owner how his summer had been. He quietly said "Why do you care?". Unsure if I had heard him correctly, I asked "Excuse me?". He said "You're obviously not going to buy anything. You don't support me. You don't care about me. Why do you ask how my summer has been? Why don't you just leave?". I quickly found my wife and told her we should leave, and she was shocked. As we were walking by his checkout counter, he waved his fingers at us and quietly said "Adios". After 30+ years of patronage, he lost two loyal customers in one 30 second rant.Over the next few days, I wondered what we had done wrong to set him off. Then I read some Google reviews. One suggested that he's agist, but we are in our 60's. But we were wearing biking shorts and I have tattoos on my calves. After reading other reviews, I came to the unavoidable conclusion that he's just nuts. Please read other recent reviews and see what you think.I would hope that he would read some of his reviews, and get the help that he obviously needs. But after his comments to one reviewer, I'm pretty sure that he doesn't spend much time "online".My final suggestion - visit only if you enjoy being abused.
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October 2023 by Barbara Noble
Avoid at all costsMy family was excited to return to what was once a favorite stop on the Outer Cape. What happened was so surprising and upsetting. We were browsing the store and looking at all the different rooms and were the only customers in the store at the time. My 18 year old daughter was pacing around the front of the store and quietly talking to herself. Out of nowhere, the owner became quite upset and asked me if we were going to buy anything because SHE was driving him crazy and he gestured to my daughter. He then said that I should put her on a leash and he had his hands at his head and looked unnerved. I was shocked and confused and said that I was sorry our daughter’s pacing was bothering him and she has autism. He responded "I don't care. You need to put her on a leash." Understand that she was truly just pacing and not touching a single thing in the store! He continued to yell at us and told us to get out of his store, that we needed to find a playground, and that we weren't going to buy anything and we needed to leave. He followed us to the door and I took my daughter's hand not because she couldn't leave on her own but because I was starting to worry that the owner was going to go after her. As the rest of our party left the store, he looked at them and yelled at them "Oh great - there are more of you here. Just leave my store."We spent the next hour talking about what happened and trying to figure out what could have possibly caused the reaction. When we came home, we looked online for reviews and found so many similar stories that have happened to others by the owner. The other reviews were almost exactly what happened to us - out of nowhere the owner started yelling at the customers, to a point where people were concerned for their safety. And apparently this has been going on for over 9 years. To say that a special needs individual needs to be put on a leash is borderline discrimination and shows someone's true side. Please read the reviews before visiting this store.There are cute card shops all over the Cape. Avoid this one.
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September 2023 by Patricia Hansell
A bitter angry old man who takes his insecurities out on customers depending on their age. If you are young steer real clear of this place unless you are up for giving him a run for his money. He has no right to be running a public business - he is real mental.He has nothing in terms of his product that you cant get elsewhere. I am a grandparent who was in this shop when he read the riot act to my grand daughter and her friend. I was shocked and disgusted.He is truly pathetic.
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September 2023 by kyra weaver
I walked in with my friend and grandparents we have been into this establishment more then once. This was the first time me had been treated so poorly! We were walking around minding our business. We did go through a few piles of the products and items were stacked on each other. The shop keep began berating us! Told us we were messing with his stock and that he couldn’t believe we were so disrespectful. Told us that was 30 minutes worth of work for him.. my friend purchased 2 items, only because he began yelling at us in the middle of the transaction and she felt too afraid to say never mind to the purchase. We put the rest of our product down and walked out. The owner then began cursing us out telling us to never come back….. then followed it up with you c..t. Needless to say we will not be returning to this establishment nor would I recommend shopping here.
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September 2023 by Alane R.
Hostile owner. DO NOT GO IN. I am not one for leaving reviews but my experience was so horrid that I need to warn other consumers to NOT go in. My friend and I went in to look for some cute planners and cards and were doing fine until check out came. The owner, Michael, was too distracted talking about absolutely nothing to the older couple who were in there before us to recognize that we had entered the shop and were looking around for 10-15 min. No greeting or simply saying hi to us. There is a room right behind the counter that has notebooks in it and it was our last stop before checking out. My friend grabs a small notebook that she liked and didn't see on top of the shelf from what looks like a second shelf. We head over to purchase our products and I go first but as soon as I put my cards down he rudely and loudly says that the notebook she picked up was from his back stock and it was already out on the table (which it wasn't) he continues scanning my cards and keeps on getting ruder and aggressive at my friend that she has no common sense and is now making him have to reorganize his inventory which will take hours. She then just says quietly to me that she isn't buying her things now and he is now yelling at her to get out of his store and she's band and never to show her face here again! She leaves not saying anything back to him and we are both in utter shock on what is happening. I give him cash and he slams my change down on the table and tells me he hopes he never ever sees me again here. I'm silent to because at this point I was afraid he was going to get physical and assault me. I said nothing and started walking towards the door. As I was leaving he was literally yelling like a kid having a hissy fit and went back into the room behind the counter and says what a f-ing c*nt and how dare she. Worst Service EVER. I have no idea how he's staying in business treating people like that. He had no problem with the older couple who were putting cards back all in the wrong places but god help you if you are young! -10/10
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September 2023 by Kyra W.
This post has been put on both google and here. I walked in with my friend and grandparents we have been into this establishment more then once. This was the first time me had been treated so poorly! We were walking around minding our business. We did go through a few piles of the products and items were stacked on each other. The shop keep began berating us! Told us we were messing with his stock and that he couldn't believe we were so disrespectful. Told us that was 30 minutes worth of work for him.. my friend purchased 2 items, only because he began yelling at us in the middle of the transaction and she felt too afraid to say never mind to the purchase. We put the rest of our product down and walked out. The owner then began cursing us out telling us to never come back..... then followed it up with you c..t. Needless to say we will not be returning to this establishment nor would I recommend shopping here.
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September 2023 by George D.
This is a little gem of a store. We had an extremely positive experience with the owner. He greeted us with a smile and offered advice on where to shop and have lunch near by. An overall great experience and definitely worth a stop.
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August 2023 by Galina Smith
Before I detail today's experience, I'd like to give a suggestion to shop elsewhere— Customs House in Wellfleet and Chequessett Chocolate in Truro are local and also have high quality stationery. This store is only impressive in the quantity of paper goods, not the quality.I had a terrible experience with the shopkeeper here— he came up behind me and my fiance, raising his voice and insisting that we need to be respectful of the products, which we had been. He stormed off, so I asked him to come back and provide some clarification about what exactly we'd done wrong. He began to aggressively shove cards back into the rack, again ranting about being respectful of his products (which, at the same time, he was not doing.) I again asked for clarity; he then mocked me and said that our behavior was "typical of our age" and that he "has been in business for 29 years and didn't need our pennies" and told us to put down the cards we'd picked out and leave.As far as I could tell, we hadn't been disrespectful of his store or products— browsing gently, keeping our voices down, etc. This shopkeeper is mentally or emotionally unwell and clearly operates on a system of logic that is accessible to only him. Steer clear unless you want to be belittled and verbally accosted.
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August 2023 by Jayne Vitale
One of my favorite places to shop anywhere! I look forward with delight to my annual visit with Jules to stock up on his exquisite note paper, cards and candles. It is an experience of the senses. Jules knowledge, guidance, and love of what he does is contagious. He turns communication into an art form. The appreciation of paper and the importance of delivering heartfelt messages into something personal. Letter writing and sending cards sadly is becoming a thing of the past. Something so beautiful and the memory of my nana waking for the day and sitting at her desk first thing to send all her correspondences. Letters I have in jewelry box still, yellowing and dry at the edges are more valuable to me than the jewelry they sit next to. Thank you Jules for being there to greet me every year. Ox
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August 2023 by Rachel Roberts
Beautiful store & a fantastic store owner
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August 2023 by Galina S.
Cross-posted on Google:Before I detail today's experience, I'd like to give a suggestion to shop elsewhere-- Customs House in Wellfleet and Chequessett Chocolate in Truro are local and also have high-quality stationery. This store is only impressive in the quantity of paper goods, not the quality.I had a terrible experience with the shopkeeper here-- he came up behind me and my fiance, raising his voice and insisting that we need to be respectful of the products, which we had been. He stormed off, so I asked him to come back and provide some clarification about what exactly we'd done wrong. He began to aggressively shove cards back into the rack, again ranting about being respectful of his products (which, at the same time, he was not doing.) I again asked for clarity; he then mocked me and said that our behavior was "typical of our age" and that he "has been in business for 29 years and didn't need our pennies" and told us to put down the cards we'd picked out and leave.As far as I could tell, we hadn't been disrespectful of his store or products-- browsing gently, keeping our voices down, etc. This shopkeeper is mentally or emotionally unwell and clearly operates on a system of logic that is accessible to only him. Steer clear unless you want to be belittled and verbally accosted.
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August 2023 by Shannon F.
I have been going to this store for decades (from when it was located in Wellfleet). We have a home in Wellfleet, and it is one of my favorite places to go and take visitors to. I have always enjoyed banter with the owner, who seems to be the only person that works there. I had a very bizarre experience there today. I pulled into the parking lot and was finishing up a work call, so I idled for about 5 minutes. At one point, the owner came out and it looked like he was shooing me away. I was confused and didn't know if he was gesturing to me or someone else. I entered the store a minute later and asked him if he had been gesturing to me, and he responded in an angry way that I was "pumping exhaust through his store" (mind you this store is just adjacent to Route 6, but that's neither here nor there). I was shocked at his aggressive tone, and responded that it was my favorite store and I went there every year (I was also shocked that he didn't recognize me as a frequent patron). I spent about 10 minutes in the store, and had actually picked out a card, but I couldn't shake the negativity and instead left. When I reached my car, another patron of the store who was outside asked me what happened and said "what a jerk that guy is," and we shared a laugh at how weird the whole thing was. At this point the owner came charging out of the store and started screaming at me to never come back to the store, and to get off of his property. I immediately put my car in reverse because I was legit afraid he was going to strike me or the car. The other patron yelled back at the owner asking what I had done wrong, and the owner retreated to the store. I am so saddened by this scenario, because I always enjoyed this store so much, and even more so, I enjoyed the owner. We would always share a laugh about the cards that he kept behind the desk. I don't know if he has a mental health issue, or I just caught him on a bad day, but it was a jarring experience, and I will not be going there again (which is convenient, given I have been banned).
