On the Future of Fountain Pens (via SBRE Brown). A timely topic, especially in light of the attention that the Lamy Dark Lilac “controversy” has recently drawn to the community. I would ask a broader question - is this a niche community drawn to antique-ish writing instruments? Or does the renewed interest in fountain pens (and related analog things) indicate a broader social movement?
Mitsubishi Buys Lamy (via Lamy Press). The other Lamy news is that the Company was acquired by Mitsubishi, which owns, well, Uni-Mitsubishi and many, many other brands. While I want to await additional details before offering my thoughts, I suspect not much will change, and those changes that do occur will be for the better (i.e., better distribution, more consistent availability, and fewer consumer relations foot-faults).
Fountain Pen Adventure (Denali!) (via Inky Rocks). Community interviews are always fun, especially when they offer some insight into the people behind popular accounts.
A Portable Sanctuary (via A Gathering of Curiosities). I completely relate to this. Even if I can’t use them, taking a handful of pens on a work trip - especially if it’s a difficult one - has a grounding effect and centers me, knowing I can come back to something I care about at the end of the day.
2024 California Pen Show (via Pen Addict - Kimberly). I know we’re a ways out from CAPS, but this was a great show and Kimberly always has a thorough write-up. The number of new attendees was astounding.
Journaling: Paper or Digital? (via Stationery Pizza). Do you use digital journaling apps? I’ve found I could never get into them properly. Part of it is the fact that I have a hard time thinking as freely on the computer as I do on the written page.
Business Hours: Pentel Calme Multi-Pen Review (via A Fleeting Ripple). I’ve not tried the Pentel Calme - it must be a relatively new multi pen release, but then again, it’s been a while since I’ve delved into the multi pen world.
Even More Indie Makers (via Rachel’s Reflections). Rachel does a great job of keeping track of all of the new indie makers entering the community, and I look forward to these posts.
Ensso XS Minimalist Fountain Pen Review (via The Poor Penman). Ensso is getting some renewed attention after the launch of their retractable pen Kickstarter.
Kaweco Sport Royal Amethyst (via Figboot on Pens). A beautiful new release from Kaweco via Goldspot!
In Case You Missed It….
This week I took a break from Pen Shows: The 2024 Baltimore Washington International Pen Show is ongoing (Go Sunday if you can!) but I couldn’t make this one work, not after Philadelphia, CAPS, both a work and family trip next week, and the Arkansas Pen Show in Little Rock coming up at the end of the month. Instead, I’ve been working on orders, listing a ton of new shop arrivals, and catching up on content/reviews. This week I reviewed a new stationery product I’ve shockingly never used: the Tombow Mono Graph mechanical pencil featuring a “shaker” mechanism, and I also answered the #17inkquestions challenge.
We’ve also received additional TWSBI 580 ALR pens in matte black!
This Week in the T.G.S. Curated Shop (Pen Show Flash Special and Clearance!)
March and April are gearing up to be big months for us. We’re winding down the Winter/Spring pen show season, but we have a lot of new arrivals in the queue, including a new 849 release from Caran d’Ache, a bunch of new pens and notebooks from Lamy, and what I’m personally most excited about, the arrival of NJK Long-Point sharpeners in our Pencil section. We also received a full restock of Caran d’Ache and M+R favorites, Kaweco Clutch Pencils and Highlighter refills, and more!
Since it’s a pen show weekend, a few of you reached out to see if there were any specials. We did announce earlier this week that we have a lot of older items on clearance, which will be marked as such in the shop pages.
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If you enjoy our content (whether here on the main website, Instagram, YouTube Channel or elsewhere), there are several ways that you can support us. We do our best to remain 100% self-supported without having to rely on third-party advertisers or affiliates. Of course, the number one way to help is to visit our curated retail shop! If you enjoy in-person and virtual meetups and having access to more personal content, consider joining the T.G.S. Patreon, which also includes early access to quarterly gently used sales. Patreon support starts as low as $3 per month, and if you pay annually there is a further discount. Patreon supporters also get access to any pen show-exclusive specials and promotions, such as that offered to course attendees this weekend.
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