Thursday Drops: Big Shop Restock on Roterfaden, Midori, Laban, and Platinum!

It’s move week here at TGS HQ (the new one, pic below!) but it’s still somewhat business as usual as we’re busy shipping orders and entering newly arrived items into stock. The other day we received a full shipment of A5 Roterfaden Taschenbegleiter binders, as well as a case of Profolio Oasis Notebooks and a restock of the excellent Laban Greek Mythology series inks. Those who are fans of the Aphrodite Pink and Artemis Navy will find plenty of those colors in stock! We also have Platinum Pens, Endless Recorder notebooks, and more.

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I picked up several Roterfadens in TGS “Signature” colors black and red, including a vegan version.

Next week we will be traveling to the D.C. Pen Show Thursday Aug. 1 through Aug. 4. While this shouldn’t delay shipping too much - I’ll head home to help ship all orders before flying out to Stationery Fest in NYC that Wednesday - if you have something you would like to arrive by the end of next week, please try to get orders in by Monday to ensure timely delivery. And come see us with Vanness Pens in the downstairs Pen Lounge at the D.C. Show!

The Gentleman Stationer is supported entirely by purchases from the T.G.S. Curated Shop and pledges via the T.G.S. Patreon Program. We greatly appreciate your support!

1. Roterfaden Taschenbegleiter Binders. We have mostly A5 binders in this latest shipment, though we still have some of the recycled leather A4 portfolios in the grey/honey suede combination. We also stocked up on the four-clip version, as that is a popular request. The LTD 020 binder features four standard clips, whereas the LTD015 features four clips with an adjustable elastic that allows you to move the clips between A5 and A6 size refills.

2. Profolio Oasis Notebooks. Fans of multi-lined paper should definitely check out the Profolio Oasis notebook line, which comes in five different colors and three sizes, including A6, A5, and the increasingly popular B5.

3. Platinum Preppy Wa “Modern Maki-e” Second Edition Fountain Pens. Platinum’s brought the limited edition game back to a lower price point with their second Preppy Wa “Modern Maki-e” release, featuring six new designs inspired by scenes from Japanese folklore.

4. Platinum Prefounte Fountain Pens. Potentially my new favorite “first fountain pen” recommendation, the Prefounte takes what’s great about the Platinum Preppy and classes it up, just a bit. It’s also a great everyday writer and work pen for those who don’t want to risk their more expensive pens in open-desk and other setups.

5. Platinum Desk Pens. Fans of the Prefounte and Plaisir will want to check out the Platinum Desk Pen. While the format of the desk pen itself may not necessarily work for you, the extra-fine stainless steel nib is a joy to write with, maintaining a slight bounce. I’ve had good luck transferring it to the other Platinum steel-nib pens, and for those who enjoy the desk pen format, there’s a base unit.

6. Laban Greek Mythology Fountain Pen Inks. The popular Laban
   Greek Mythology series is back in stock, including the hard-to-find Aphrodite Pink and Artemis Navy Blue.

7. Platinum Carbon Black and Pigment Blue Inks. Looking for permanent inks? Platinum makes some of the best, with Carbon Black being a favorite waterproof black option.

8. Hightide Co. Sandglasses. Our most popular desk accessory is back in stock. We have all time increments available, including 30, 15, 5, and 3 minutes, as well as the 15 minute “slim” design. You can read more on how you can use a sandglass/hourglass here.

9. Hightide Metal Book Stands. These folding metal book stands are infinitely useful, as they hold not just books and journals but writing pads, tablets and more. I use them while transcribing notes and handwritten drafts, and keep one folded flat in my briefcase.

10. Blackwing Illegal Pads. We once again have Blackwing’s excellent legal pads in grid, dot, and lined layouts. Some of the best true “legal pads” I’ve used, these are sold in packs of 2 pads each. Though designed around pencils, they also work quite well with fountain pens.

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A work very much in progress, but stay tuned!

New Arrivals: Pre-D.C. Pen Show Roterfaden Restock, Including Four Clip Binders

The 2024 D.C. Pen Show really snuck up on us this time, as we’re just over a week away! Combined with the move to our new space - that’s currently in-progress! - it feels like we have little time to prepare. That said, we did receive a fresh shipment of Roterfaden Taschenbegleiter binders from Germany, which I will list now and plan to take any remaining stock with us to the show. This shipment contains mostly A5 sizes, including several binders with four sets of clips, which is one of the more commonly requested versions. (Note that the LTD_015 model contains adjustable elastic, allowing you to carry not just an A5 insert but the smaller A6.) All of these Taschenbegleiters are ready to ship immediately.

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We also received a restock of Profolio Oasis notebooks, with their specialized multi-lined rulings. The A5 size would be appropriate for Roterfaden, just saying….

The Gentleman Stationer is supported entirely by purchases from the T.G.S. Curated Shop and pledges via the T.G.S. Patreon Program.

New Arrivals: Caran d'Ache Claim-Your-Style, Edition 5 Plus the Endless Recorder Notebooks and Hightide/Penco!

So even though we don’t move into our new space until next week, some recent orders we’ve placed have started to arrive! The most surprising arrival was this year’s Caran d’Ache 849 Claim Your Style Release (the 5th Edition), which features four new Caran d’Ache 849 ballpoints in a matte-gradient finish. I’ve been somewhat underwhelmed by the Claim Your Style Pens in the last couple of years, but these are simply stunning. I think I like the dark blue tones the best. This year, Caran d’Ache also released a special bicolor pencil set to complement the annual Claim Your Style 849, which are sure to be popular as they feature a combination of a dozen different organic, fluorescent, and metallic colors.

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Which one is your favorite? The top two are the ones that speak to me in particular.

We’ve also received our first shipment of the Endless Recorder Notebooks, featuring Endless Regalia Paper. This latest addition to our stock of fountain pen friendly paper has been in the works for some time, and these popular hardbound notebooks come in a wide array of colors and the full range of rulings (blank, lined, grid, and dot). Finally, we’ve restocked on many Hightide/Penco items, including the Sandglasses, Folding Metal Bookstands, and the Drafting Ballpoint Pens.

The Gentleman Stationer is supported entirely by purchases from the T.G.S. Curated Shop and pledges via the T.G.S. Patreon Program.

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We now have Endless Recorder A5 Notebooks in all five colors! Most rulings are available with more on the way as some color/ruling combinations are backordered.

Thursday Drops: Pencils, Pencil Sharpeners, Kaweco, Kakimori and More!

As we approach our move-in date to our new physical location (yay!), we’re in the process of going through our current inventory warehouse and updating our stock. You may see some items we thought were sold out reappear, as with the Kakimori items listed below, and we are also taking the time to reevaluate some lines to make room to bring more in. Anything marked as “Sale” or “Clearance” on the site will likely not be restocked going forward, so take advantage of this opportunity!

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The recently arrived Pilot Hi-Tec-C Coleto Multi Pen is available with dozens of different refills, and we’ve put a lot of time into making assortments of the various color families.

We currently have plenty of pens in stock from Pilot, TWSBI, Lamy, Kaweco, and Caran d’Ache, including fountain pens, ballpoints, and rollerballs, and also an extensive selection of gel and multi pens as well as pencils. We look forward to showcasing all of these with new display options after we move and you can come see us in person!

1. Caran d’Ache Pencil Sharpening Machines. I’ve been looking to bring these gorgeous pencil sharpeners into the shop for a while now. These are heirloom-quality desk accessories well below the price point of something like an El Casco but of similar heft and history! More compact “Mini” versions are also available.

2. Viarco Vintage-Style Pencils. This week we received a large restock of Viarco woodcase pencils from Portugal, made in one of the last European pencil factories. Made in a range of different vintage styles drawn from the companies archives, these pencils all sharpen extremely well and still stay on the darker side for European HBs. Excellent point retention.

3. Viarco Pencil Caps. So these spring-style pencil caps are one of this year’s surprise hits, as I can’t keep them in stock. Sold in packs of 8, they fit most standard woodcase pencils and will protect your sharpened point from incidental breakage in your case of choice.

4. Kaweco Softfeel Clutch Pencils. A T.G.S. favorite, I keep waiting for these to go out of stock as I understand Kaweco doesn’t make them anymore, but for whatever reason I can still get them. (If they’ve started making them again, I’m not complaining as they’re great.) People love the rubberized grip and the black-yellow color combination.

5. Kaweco Sketch-Up Clutch Pencils. We also have the standard metal Kaweco Sketch-Up in multiple finishes, including chrome, matte chrome, and black plated. The Sketch-Up and Softfeel both make excellent dry highlighters, in addition to the classic sketch pencil. Check out our range of refills here.

6. Pilot Hi-Tec-C Coleto Gel Pens. One of our recent large additions was the Hi-Tec-C Coleto Multi Pen line, which features Pilot’s excellent needle-tip Hi-Tec-C gel pen in a multi pen format and a range of colors. There are dozens of different refill options, and we also offer assortment packs if you’d like to try them out before stocking up.

7. Zebra Sarasa Grand Vintage Gel Pens. We recently added a high-end gel pen option to our lineup of available pens, and these “Vintage” Sarasas feature matching barrel-ink options in black-infused colors that are more subtle than many gel pens out there. Don’t sleep on these, as they’re excellent.

8. Roterfaden Taschenbegleiter Covers. I will be bringing all of my Roterfaden stock to this year’s D.C. Pen Show the first week of August, so if you’ve been looking to pick one up online and aren’t attending the show, please get your order in soon. These are made to order, so I’m unsure of the timing of any restock either before or after the show.

9. Stainless Kakimori Dip Nib and Hardbound Notebook. As we prepare for a move to our new space, we’ve come across a few stray items that inadvertently weren’t listed on the site, including a handful of items from Kakimori. I do intend to restock this line but they can take a while to ship from Japan.

10. Blackwing “Illegal” Pads. Many thanks to Mike over at Inkdependence for his video review of the Blackwing legal pads. I really love this paper, especially the old-school traditional legal lined ruling. Dot and Grid options are also available.

The Gentleman Stationer is supported entirely by purchases from the T.G.S. Curated Shop and pledges via the T.G.S. Patreon Program.

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A Mid-Summer Update from T.G.S.: Lots of Changes on the Horizon, Including a Brick-and-Mortar Shopping Option Plus Pen Shows!

Those of you who are Patreon members or who subscribe to the shop newsletter may already be aware of some of these announcements, but I figured it was time to update the general readership since we are now very close to our move date! For the past year, I’ve been searching for a physical location for T.G.S., and given rising commercial real estate costs in the greater Nashville, Tennessee area, it hasn’t been easy to find suitable space that’s also reasonably priced. As it turns out, we have a lease on a location, and will be taking possession towards the end of July.

This is an extremely exciting new development for us (me and my family, who collectively run T.G.S.), and will allow us to expand both the T.G.S. Curated Shop as well as the range of pen-related content we can provide through our various media channels. Currently, I don’t have dedicated studio space for photography and video, which necessarily limits the quantity and quality of content that I can produce. The educational and informational content we offer here at T.G.S. will remain a core part of what we do, and a big part of this move is about expanding what we can offer the pen community in that regard.

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I’ve been attending multiple retail trade shows over the past couple of years preparing to expand the various lines of stationery we can offer, as well as partnering with manufacturers and brands on additional exclusive collaborations.

Will There Be an In-Person Shopping Option in Nashville? Yes! But Not Immediately.

As soon as we are able to move over our warehouse and office/fulfillment operations, we will offer in-person order pickup from a fixed location in the Nashville area. Once we take possession, I will post the address and pickup instructions here on the site, but I can go ahead and let my local customers know that the new location is near Berry Hill and central to most of the greater Nashville Metropolitan area. In the coming months - hopefully prior to the holidays - we plan to have a small retail area set up within our space that will allow people to come and shop our various product lines in person. Store hours will be forthcoming.

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D.C. Pen Show Details: Come See T.G.S. In Person!

Due to the impending move, which is currently scheduled to take place the week before the D.C. Pen Show, we will not have time to assemble a full table’s worth of inventory for either the D.C. or San Francisco Pen Shows in August. That said, we will be in attendance, teaming up with our friends at Vanness Pens to help staff the new Vanness Pen Lounge in D.C.! The Pen Lounge will be located in the downstairs conference area below the main ballroom (which at past shows had been used as the “maker’s area” before last year’s hotel remodel. Stay tuned for further details as we get closer to the main event, but this space will feature an area for attendees to socialize, ask questions from a rotating cast of volunteers, and attend mini-classes and workshops throughout the weekend.

In addition to helping staff the Lounge, I will be hosting a workshop on notebook systems, and will have a small selection of samples from brands including Roterfaden, Lochby, Traveler’s Company, Midori, Laconic, and more. While I can’t commit to bringing items for in-person purchase, since our ability to restock inventory may be limited by the move, I will try to have a small selection of T.G.S. products available for purchase at the Vanness tables. Please let me know if there is something you specifically want to see and I will try to make it happen!

The Gentleman Stationer is supported entirely by purchases from the T.G.S. Curated Shop and pledges via the T.G.S. Patreon Program.