Snapshot: King Stationary Prepares for Back to School Season

By: Yitzy Fried 

Being in the second half of August means one thing: back-to-school is right around the corner, and with it comes the furious shopping for pencils, erasers, briefcases, and countless supplies that our children’s schools mandate. This brings us to Kings Stationary on Route 306

Entering the store, one is confronted with an array of every kind of paper, pen, label, stationary items, school supplies, and more. For Nussen Zitronbaum, who founded the business in 2019, this King Stationary is a culmination of a lifelong fascination with all manner of stationery supplies. 

“As a boy, I would walk into the stationary and school supplies stores all the time and talk to the managers and the bosses. I just loved the smell of the paper, and the concept of organizing things with all of these tchachkes,” Nussen tells Rockland Daily. “This is how I got to know the business, and this led to my opening here in Monsey three years ago. 

A truck filled with boxes is parked outside the store, and employees are busy unloading. There are boxes everywhere…because the back-to-school season is upon us. But Mr. Zitronenbaum makes time to speak with us. 

He thinks back to the early struggles of opening the business, and the mistakes that he would make sometimes. In the beginning, we were a bit too easy with some customers. “Some of the schools that we have sold to are not around anymore… some took advantage of our easy terms, and unfortunately we can never get that money back,” he said. 

“But the number one thing in a successful business is a passion for serving clients,” Nussen says, “and fortunately I am in a business that I love.” 

And that passion translates to pride. “When people come in, they loved the service; everything is priced and everything is cheap.  

“The Covid era was brutal,” Nussen recalls. “The government closed us down, and people weren’t really allowed to shop in store. At the same time, the schools still needed supplies. So, in that sense, it was a mixed bag. 

But the real lasting difficulty from the Covid era is the challenge of getting the right supplies for the right prices—a challenge that keeps Nussen busy working for his clients. 

That, and his constantly expanding business: “We are working on expanding beyond the borders of Monsey, delivering to Boro Park and Lakewood—and along with it our same brand of customer service that our Monsey customers have come to appreciate,” Nussen says. 

He leaves us with one episode that he particularly appreciates the opportunity to share. “Last year, a woman walked in and filled up her shopping cart. When we rang her up, she pulled out a receipt from Walmart, where she had purchased the same supplies. She showed us, and the other customers standing in line, how we were even cheaper than Walmart, and said she would be returning the other items to Walmart. 

“It’s something to consider when thinking about shopping in your neighborhood stores,” Nussen tells Rockland Daily.