Curated Shop Spotlight: Desk and Reading Accessories from Craighill Co.

Many of you who visited our table in San Francisco commented on our selection of accessories from designer and manufacturer Craighill Co., which first came on my radar back in 2019. Craighill’s timeless, functional design and overall focus on office and small personal accessories kept them on the short list of brands that I wanted to add to the store, and this summer I received my initial allocation of the Kepler Pen (which incorporates a D1 refill into a retractable knock mechanism), the Desk Knife and Plinth (a combination letter opener and utility knife), and reading accessories such as the “Perch” Bookmark and Page Indicators.

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Craighill Desk Knives on the four different cast concrete plinths.

Based on the reaction in San Francisco, we will likely be expanding our selection of Craighill goods, in addition to restocking those we already carry. Are you a fan of Craighill? Is there a specific item that you would like us to stock? Several of you offered some suggestions at the show, and those are already in the works. Happy Tuesday!

The Gentleman Stationer is an authorized retailer of all goods sold, including Craighill.

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Check out the unique grip on the Craighill Kepler Pen!

Thursday Drops: Mnemosyne A4 Notebooks, Midori Multi-Year Diaries Back in Stock!

I had hoped that a few of these restocks would arrive before the San Francisco Pen Show, but as it turned out, I wouldn’t have been able to fit much into my already-overweight bags anyway! We once again have Mnemosyne spiral-bound notebooks in A4 size, as well as B5 and A5, in most rulings. Also, Midori 10, 5, and 3-Year Diaries are available. Several new shop arrivals are queued up for later this week or early next, including the new TWSBI ECO Indigo Blue with Bronze Trim that’s now available for pre-order. Happy shopping!

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TWSBI’s latest ECO release features bronze trim.

The Gentleman Stationer is an authorized retailer of all brands sold.

1. Maruman Mnemosyne Spiral Bound Notebooks. Stocked in A4, A5, and some B6, Mnemosyne spiral notebooks are among the best out there in terms of fountain pen friendliness. The pages are perforated, which is a huge plus for me personally.

2. Midori MD 10-year, 5-year, and 3-Year Diaries. These excellent hardbound multi-year diaries allow you to view easily view your prior-year’s entries. As you record the events of the day or previous day, you can review what you were doing on the same day as far back as 10 years ago.

3. Laconic Tokyo A5 Notebooks. These slim softcover A5 notebooks come in an array of specialized layouts, ranging from calendar formats to oddball (yet versatile!) rulings such as “Spreadsheet” and “Gantt Chart”. These notebooks will fit standard A5-sized notebook covers such as the Lochby Field Journal.

4. Traveler’s Company Notebook Covers and Refills. We have Standard-sized Traveler’s Notebook Covers back in stock in nearly all colors, including the newly released Olive. Specialty Paper refills such as Lightweight (Tomoe River), Sticker Release, Watercolor, and Sketch are also available.

5. Nakabayashi Notebooks. We’ve gone all-in on Nakabayashi’s excellent paper, including the Logical Prime, Logical Air, and the Yu-Sari variants, all of which handle ink beautifully and feature unique rulings. Their lined ruling is reminiscent of French-Ruled (Seyes) paper!

Return from San Francisco and TWSBI ECO Indigo Blue + Bronze Pre-Orders!

As of (very) late last night, I’m back from the San Francisco Pen Show and, despite the physical tiredness, totally energized from getting to spend time with the members of this wonderful community in person! I will have a full show recap tomorrow or Thursday, and while I didn’t get out from behind my table as much as I would have liked, I still brought home fun stuff to share. More to come. :)

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TWSBI Indigo Blue and Bronze Pre-Orders Are Now Live

Pre-orders for TWSBI’s latest ECO release - the Indigo Blue with Bronze Trim - are live as of August 28, 2023. I expect the pens to arrive later this week, potentially early next, and they will ship as soon as I have them in stock. You can reserve yours now!

The Gentleman Stationer is an authorized retailer of all brands sold.

Thursday Drops: What's Coming to San Francisco? More Than I've Ever Taken to a Show!

So as I write this I’m in the Delta Skyclub at LAX, with an hour or so to burn before I make my connection to San Francisco. Thankfully, the Delta App tells me that both of my bags made it as far as Los Angeles, so there’s that! This week’s Thursday Drops will focus heavily on what I’m bringing to the show with me - a selection of products that I think tend to be underpromoted at pen shows, either due to vendors thinking they are too “common” to take to a show despite being excellent (i.e., the Lamy 2000 and Pilot Custom 74), or simply because they aren’t widely distributed (i.e., Lochby cases and paper refills).

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Some items (Pilot Custom 74 fountain pens, certain TWSBI models) are available in limited quantities and therefore will be taken out of stock in the shop later tonight before going live at the show tomorrow. Other items (such as most Lochby goods and the Anterique pens) will remain in stock in the online store AND available in person at the San Francisco Pen Show. Our table is located between Vanness Pens and Enigma Stationery, so we’re in good company. Come see us!

The Gentleman Stationer is an authorized retailer of all brands sold.

1. Pilot Custom 74 Fountain Pens. We will have at the table the excellent Custom 74 demonstrator in all colors and nib sizes. Read our recent review revisited here.

2. Lamy 2000 Pens (and Pencils). A personal favorite across the board, ranging from the iconic fountain pen to the matching rollerball, ballpoint, and mechanical pencil, the latter of which I reviewed yesterday.

3. TWSBI Diamond 580 Sunset Yellow. We have a handful of the latest TWSBI release, in this excellent gold/light orange color. I plan to restock once I return home, in time for the Navy Blue + Bronze Eco release!

4. TWSBI Diamond Mini AL Grape. TWSBI is doing more with the pocketable Diamond Mini lately, and I love it. The cap threads onto the back of the barrel when posting to create a full-sized writing experience.

5. TWSBI Diamond Mini White and Rose Gold II. Like the White and Rose Gold II Diamond 580, only smaller!

6. Lochby Field Journals. At the last few pen shows I’ve attended, it’s been a toss-up between the Lochby Field Journal and the Lochby Venture Pouch for most popular table item! This go-round I will also have the Lochby refill notebooks to allow you to build out your ideal planner/notebook setup at the table, and you will also be able to add-on accessories such as a pen case or roll.

7. Lochby Venture Pouch. One of those surprising products that sells extremely well in person but struggles online - or maybe it’s not so surprising! A stationery pouch that incorporates a four-slot zippered pen-case into the design is a bit hard to show off without an in-person demo. I did try.

8. Lochby Tool Roll. I failed the DC show crowd by only having a handful of these available for purchase at the table. I’m bringing more to San Francisco!

9. Lochby Quattro 4-Pen Case. The classic four-pen zippered case with offset slots so your pens don’t touch! All three colors will be with me this weekend.

10. Anterique Ballpoint Pens. Finally, the Anterique Ballpoints are one of my favorite discoveries from the past year, and I can’t wait to take them to a show. Everyone who buys one ends up getting more.

I hope to see many of you tomorrow!

Shop Update: Olive Traveler's Notebooks Are Back in Stock!

Late last week we received a small shipment of the Standard Olive Traveler’s Notebook Covers. Since Traveler’s Company sets up their own table at the San Francisco Pen Show and sells directly there, I probably won’t be bringing these with me unless someone places an order for pen show delivery. We also have a few of the matching Olive Pen Holders, as well as Sticker Release and Accordion Refills in both Standard and Passport sizes, as these were recently added to the standard Traveler’s lineup. Orders will ship until close of business on Wednesday August 23, and even though we’re traveling anything placed over the weekend will probably still fall within the 2-3 business day time frame. Many thanks!

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The Gentleman Stationer is an authorized retailer of all Traveler’s Company products, including the Traveler’s Notebook system as well as the Spiral Ring Notebooks and Watercolor Sketchbooks.