Thursday Drops: New Inks, Notebooks, and Fourth of July Planner and Notebook Specials!

It’s July, which means that many of us are preparing to take some summer adventures (or, if you’re like me, planning for fall adventures during a less scorching travel season). This weekend we have a bunch of new arrivals, including the new Lochby Voyager Journal, all three colors of the Field Journal Mini, Stálogy Special Release Colors for 2025, and a lot more.

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Through the weekend (11:59pm U.S. Central Time on July 6), grab an extra 10% off all planner products and (planner-style refills and stickers) and certain notebook systems using the code “FIREFLY” at checkout! We still have some Laconic stock, including bookmarks and planner stickers, and we also have new Notsu products such as this desktop calendar pad, which allows you to plan out an entire week on one sheet. Use our code to get a bit more of these and more.

We’re continuing our ink swatching series over on T.G.S. YouTube, in which I’ve posted two longer videos swatching all the inks in the Anderillium Ichthyoformes (“Fish”) inks and the Lamy Crystal Series. People have requested a way in which they can visualize the differences in how fountain pen inks look when wet vs. dry, so these videos are one way I can easily demonstrate that since I have to swatch all the inks anyway!

Come see us in-store! As noted above, we have everything shown here and more. Note that we have special hours on July 3rd and 4th. Saturday hours of operation will be per the usual 10am-6pm.

1. Lochby Field Journal Mini (All Colors). The brown has been back in stock for a bit, but we now have all three colors available for purchase, including the new Charcoal with gold interior (“Bumblebee”) colorway. These are excellent smaller covers that fit standard 3.5” x 5.5” pocket notebooks (the classic “Field Notes” size, and Lochby makes their own 68gsm Tomoe River version).

2. Lochby Voyager Journal (All Colors). Lochby launched an A5 Slim version of its 68gsm Tomoe River refill last month, so it was only a matter of time before they released the matching cover. The Voyager Journal comes in the same classic colors as the rest of the Lochby lineup, including the revamped Charcoal with gold “Bumblebee” interior. The Voyager is designed to fit the Lochby refills but will also work with similarly sized notebooks from Traveler’s Company, Yamamoto (Robiki), and others.

3. Lochby Field Folio in A5 and B5. Lochby released a zippered version of its Field Notebook, with interior pockets and an interior pen slot. If you’re looking for a more portfolio-like option, the larger B5 will hold a standard composition book and even a tablet, depending on size.

4. Stálogy 365-Day and 1/2-Year Notebooks (Special Colors). The Stálogy 2025 colors have arrived, including Cacao Brown, Cloud Grey, and Lake Blue. These are the grid notebooks, which can be set up to work as a standard notebook or as an undated planner if you enjoy crafting your own layouts.

5. Stálogy Undated Calendar Stickers. We recently received a fresh shipment of the Stálogy undated planner stickers, which are now available in both weekly and monthly forms, as well as smaller “To Do” stickers.

6. Laconic Planner Stickers. Many of you have been enjoying the Laconic system, which offers an ever-growing line of notebooks and binder refills in specialized layouts that allow you to organize your notes and information in whatever way works best for you.

7. Maruman Mnemosyne Hardcover A5 Journals. These 240 page journals from Mnemosyne feature even more ink friendly 90gsm paper, in a dot grid format excellent for anything from bullet journaling to planning to standard writing. I chose one of these for my next personal journal, and they come in colors other than black!

8. Colorverse Nebula Note Casual Spiral Notebooks. I’m a fan of what Colorverse has done with their “Nebula Note” line of notebooks. Not only are all the pages perforated (HUGE WIN!) but the paper is slightly textured while remaining extremely ink friendly, making Nebula Note a paper that is excellent for both pens and pencils.

9. Maruman Mnemosyne Softcover A5 Notebooks. Yes, Maruman has also made some of their spiral notebooks in covers that aren’t black!

10. Private Reserve Inks. One of my pet projects is to bring attention to some of the longer-standing “classic” stationery brands, like Private Reserve, which has been around for 25+ years under the ownership of various companies an individuals. The most recent iteration is currently being made by Yafa, and still includes colors such as Supershow Blue, Burgundy Mist, Avocado, and more. In addition to their signature 60oz wide mouth bottles, Private Reserve inks come in standard international cartridge form.

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New Arrivals: Classic Inks from Private Reserve (Bottles and Cartridges!)

I’m a fan of underappreciated brands, especially those that have been around for a long time, and so along those lines, for the past few months we’ve been working to bring in Private Reserve Inks. As of this weekend, they are available for purchase in both bottle and cartridge form! The 60ml Private Reserve bottle is something of an icon, because it holds a ton of ink and has a wide “jam jar” mouth that makes it easier to fill pens with larger nibs. Private Reserve cartridges use the short international format, which means that they will work with any brand that does not have its own proprietary cartridge (Pilot, Lamy, Sailor, etc.). The best thing about Private Reserve cartridges is that they are available in nearly every color, and we’ve instantly been able to nearly double the range of ink cartridges we carry.

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Private Reserve was originally a family-owned brand based in Indiana, and has passed through the hands of multiple owners during its 25 years in existence. The current owner is Yafa Brands, which also distributes Diplomat, Monteverde, and more, and the current version of the ink is very good. Private Reserve tends to be more saturated than other brands, and is known for it’s bold colors such as D.C. Supershow Blue - an attempted clone of the long-discontinued Parker Penman Sapphire that is so coveted by ink collectors. Other personal favorites from this line include Burgundy Mist (which was my first favorite burgundy ink), and “Avocado” (famous for years because the name was misspelled “Avacado” on the label). I’ve had some fun exploring some of these, especially the black-infused “Ebony” line of colors.

Private Reserve Ink is priced at $18 for a 60ml bottle, and $7 for a pack of 12 cartridges. Swatches of all the colors are available to browse online and in-store. Come see us this week, and note that we have special hours on July 3rd and 4th. Saturday hours of operation will be per the usual 10am-6pm.

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Thursday Drops: Traveler's Company Restock, New Blackwings, and the TWSBI ECO Serpentine

I hope everyone is staying cool! It’s been a hot week here in Nashville, and not particularly fun to haul boxes through the parking lot! This week we received a large TRAVELER’S Company Restock, including a handful of Love & Trip items, as well as specialty paper refills, TRAVELER’S Notebook accessories, and diaries that had sold out during the spring rush. We also received new Midori desk and reading accessories, including rulers, restocks of the XS Stationery Kits, and the slim clip bookmarks. Finally, the TWSBI ECO Serpentine Bronze pens are available for pre-order, with pens to ship out as soon as they arrive today (Thursday) or Friday. Finally, we have the new Blackwing Volume 140 Culinary pencils, and a large restock of standard Blackwing pencils, sharpeners and other accessories.

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We have added additional planner stickers, such as these Laconic versions, which enable you to add planner-like functionality to any standard notebook.

My deepest apologies to those who were looking for a TRAVELER’S Company “Love & Trip” Special Edition but didn’t get one. We had a very limited number of Standard and Passport TRAVELER’s Notebooks available, and they sold out nearly immediately. I tried to get more, but distributors were extremely strict with retail allocations this year. If you are planning on attending the larger pen shows later this summer in Washington, D.C. or San Francisco, then you may have some luck if TRAVELER’S Company held some back for their table.

Come see these and more in-shop! We will be open this week from 1pm-6pm Thursday and Friday, and 10am-6pm on Saturday. Be sure to check the shop page for up-to-date hours.

1. TRAVELER’S Company 2025 “Love & Trip” Sticker Sets. Despite notebooks and refills being in short supply, I was able to restock the custom sticker sets from this year’s release. These include all sorts of labels, stickers, and more that enable you to customize your TRAVELER’S Notebook, regardless of which edition/version you have!

2. TWSBI ECO Serpentine Fountain Pens. The latest release from TWSBI’s multi color releases, in which different resins are swirled together during the injection moulding process to create patterns unique to each pen, features a bronze and green swirled result that looks like it will be amazing. Orders to start shipping today/tomorrow morning.

3. Blackwing Volumes 140 Culinary Arts Pencil. This stainless steel-inspired pencil pays homage to the Maillard Reaction, the point at which food begins to brown and/or caramelize when cooked. If you’re into cooking and collect recipes, be sure to check out the companion special release, which is a set of 12 recipe notecards.

4. Notsu Notecards, Notebooks, and Pencils. One of the most well-received brands we’ve brought into the shop this year is Notsu, a brand that specializes in notecards. Whether you prefer standard 3x5 or 4x6 notecards, “To Do” formatted, or Weekly Planners, you may be surprised at how useful classic index cards can be.

5. Midori XS Stationery Kits. While we’re on the subject of stationery adjacent items, these small kits feature miniature desk accessories that are perfect for your bag/briefcase and travel! These have been out of stock for a bit but I was able to get more.

6. Midori and TRAVELER’S Rulers. We’ve restocked all of the various brass and aluminum/wood rulers from Midori and TRAVELER’S Company, including some new colors. These compact rulers slip easily into most pen cases, and in addition to being portable are very durable.

7. TRAVELER’S Company Refills and Accessories. Certain of the TRAVELER’S Company specialty papers and add-on accessories for the TRAVELER’S Notebooks have been on backorder, but we received a fairly significant shipment yesterday and many are back in stock, including pen holders, kraft folders, pocket stickers and more.

8. MD “Thick” Notebooks in A5 and A5 Square. This thicker paper from Midori is more suitable for heavier applications of ink, and even paint. Those who are into fountain pen and ink art have especially enjoyed these products, and customers have brought some amazing artwork into the store that I hope to be able to post sometime!

9. Midori MD Clip Bookmarks. Ok, in response to pressure I brought back these slim bookmarks from Midori, including the cat version. We have a lot of bookmarks and reading accessories now, which is one of my personal favorite categories to shop for.

10. BeGoody “No Smoking” Pencils. Easily the surprise hit of the year, at least on the pencil side of things, these novelty pencils will turn heads at the office! (Don’t let your kids bring them to school.)

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TWSBI ECO Serpentine Bronze!

Thursday Drops: A Lochby Pocket-Sized Restock, Plus Other Top-Sellers from 2025 So Far

After a long, nearly six-month wait, Lochby has restocked both the Field Journal Mini and the Pocket Journal, both of which are sized to fit the 3.5” x 5.5” pocket notebooks (the standard “Field Notes” size, including the Lochby 68gsm Tomoe River version). You can read more about the Field Journal Mini here, but in short it uses the same cord-based system as the Lochby Field Journal and Field Folio (which is now available in B5 to fit the Lochby B5 notebooks and a standard composition book).

The new Lochby Field Folio B5, which per Lochby, can hold a composition book? I didn’t realize that about B5 sizing, which has always puzzled me as an “in-between” size but now I think I get it. (Photo courtesy of Lochby)

Other new releases to keep an eye on are the Diplomat Viper Fountain Pen and Rollerball, the latest Blackwing Volume 140 pencils (plus a general Blackwing restock, including sharpeners), and new Lamy inks. We’re also in the midst of our annual mid-year review, so I’ve added a handful of “best-sellers” to today’s post. Happy shopping!

Come see these and more in-shop! We will be open this week from 1pm-6pm Thursday and Friday, and 10am-6pm on Saturday. Be sure to check the shop page for up-to-date hours.

1. Lochby Field Journal Mini. It’s back, after a long wait! This version of Lochby’s classic Field Journal features the same cords and hook-and-latch system as the A5, but fits 3.5” x 5.5” pocket notebooks. Brown only at the moment.

2. Lochby Pocket Journal. I feared this model would be discontinued, but the zippered Lochby Pocket Journal (which holds 1-2 pocket notebooks in a wallet-style waxed canvas case), is back! Brown, Navy, and Charcoal options, with the Charcoal now featuring the gold “Bumblebee” interior.

3. Lochby Field Folio. The zippered Lochby Field Folio is now available in B5 size, and apparently will also fit a classic composition book. The Field Folio works the same as the standard Lochby Field Journal, only it uses a zippered closure for added security. There is also an interior pen loop. And, yes, the B5 size comes in the coveted Nautical Navy/Cream colorway.

4. Lochby Sidekick. Lochby’s wallet/notebook cover will hold a pen plus an A7 notebook such as these Clairefontaine options. All three colors are back in stock!

5. Diplomat Viper Fountain Pens and Rollerballs. I’m thrilled to be able to add this new hooded-nib fountain pen to our lineup. The matching rollerball has much of the same aesthetic, and takes a classic long capped rollerball refill.

6. Lamy Crystal Bottled Fountain Pen Ink. You didn’t know that Lamy has an expanded line of ten additional inks in more vibrant colors than the standard releases?

7. Colorverse “Nebula Note” A5 Notebooks. A somewhat overlooked line of paper, Colorverse Nebula Note is fountain pen friendly, relatively inexpensive, and comes with perforated pages! I will always promote anything with convenient perforated pages!

8. Lamy 2000 Pens (Fountain, Rollerballs, Ballpoints, and Multi Pens). By far our top selling product, the Lamy 2000 line of pens is a personal favorite of mine, and unsurprisingly, our top selling pen across the entire range of variants.

9. Tom’s Studio Lumos Pro Duo. We just received a box of Lumos Duo refillable fineliners from the UK, and have most colors back in stock. For further reading on how these pens work and why I enjoy them as everyday writers, check out this post.

10. Yamamoto Paper. Yamamoto Paper is known for their assortment of unusual Japanese looseleaf papers, as well as their sampler packs that are organized by paper type and use. Both products allow you to try papers that otherwise would remain largely unavailable to the U.S. market.

11. NJK Long-Point Pencil Sharpener. Our top-selling individual product by volume isn’t a pen, but rather this cult favorite handheld pencil sharpener that takes a simple task and does it well.

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Colorverse Nebula Note: Tactile paper, perforated pages, and a sturdy double-ring spiral.

New Arrivals: Diplomat Viper Fountain Pens and Rollerballs, plus New Lamy Inks!

As you might guess from my love of the Lamy 2000 and the Parker 51, I have a thing for hooded nib fountain pens. An icon of mid-century modern design, a hooded nib allows you to have the fountain pen writing experience in a slightly less conspicuous format, because to the untrained eye, this sort of fountain pen will resemble a standard ballpoint or rollerball. I often prefer this type of fountain pen at work - especially in meetings - because it’s not flashy or distracting.

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I was excited to see Diplomat release the Viper fountain pen last year, and we now have them in our own shop in all three guilloché colors (Blue, Brown, and Black), in both fountain pen and rollerball format. Priced at $100 for the fountain pen and $88 for the rollerball, the Viper has one stainless steel nib option (a fine/medium), and I’ve found my own blue to be a smooth, reliable writer. The rollerball uses a standard long-style rollerball refill, which is Diplomat-branded and comes in a medium black tip size. I did not opt for a matching set, and chose the blue fountain pen and the brown rollerball for my own personal demos. I’m still trying to work out which tone I like the best, but I’m leaning towards the brown.

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We Now carry Lamy Crystal Inks!

Need some new ink to go with your new Viper fountain pen? We’ve expanded our lineup of Lamy Inks, offering the Lamy Crystal line which is inspired by Gemstones. (Peridot and Amazonite are longtime favorites.) Lamy’s standard line of inks, while dependable and a reliably safe standby, is sometimes criticized for being overly… standard. The Crystal inks combine the quality of Lamy ink with a bit more saturation and some fun colors.

We are an authorized reseller of both Diplomat and Lamy products. Come see these and more in-shop! We will be open this week from 1pm-6pm Thursday and Friday, and 10am-6pm on Saturday. Be sure to check the shop page for up-to-date hours.