Helanders Stationers has followed the dreams of the Helander family since Axel Helander gave up his job as a chauffeur to open his Lake Forest Music Store in 1922. Selling and installing radios and records and phonographs and appliances, Axel took in a used printing press as partial payment and used it and his experience as a printer to survive the Great Depression of the '30's.
In 1940 his son Orvo became a partner in the business, and the store name was changed to Helanders Stationers to reflect the growing stationery and printing work. Upon his return from Europe after WWII, Orvo sold off the record and appliance part of the business to focus on stationery and office supplies and moved the store to its present location in Lake Forest's Historic Market Square in 1948.
Chuck and MaryLee Helander became the third generation to own the business as they took over for retiring Orvo in 1972. They were proud to welcome the family's fourth generation into the business as son Casey joined the team in 2004, and Casey's wife Stephanie joined the store in 2009. The Helanders were a recent recipient of the Lake Forest/Lake Bluff Chamber of Commerce's "Community Service Award" as shown below.
This website constitutes their first effort to extend their local retailing tradition to a new and expanded clientel. They appreciate your interest.
