Thursday Drops: Pilot Custom 74 Lavender Fog, Pilot Preras, Colorvent Calendars and More!

Ok, so with the arrival of the 2025 Colorverse Colorvent Calendars, the holiday season has officially kicked off! If you’re looking to acquire a Colorvent Calendar for this year, please don’t sleep on these as we are already more than halfway sold through our allocation, and once these are gone there will be no more. And no, I have not opened mine yet - there will be no spoilers here until December 1!

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I decided to pick a SFM in the Lavender Fog, and a Medium Honey Yellow Prera!

We also received the first shipment of the U.S. exclusive Pilot Custom 74, “Lavender Fog.” I was especially excited for this pen because Pilot has chosen to release it in four relatively uncommon nib sizes: Soft Fine, Soft Medium, Soft Fine-Medium, and Double Broad. (As a huge FM fan, that’s what I picked.) In addition to the Custom 74, we’ve received the latest solid-color Pilot Preras, and have restocked on nearly all Pilot fountain pens and inks!

Our Nashville store is open this weekend from 1-6pm on Thursday and Friday, and from 10-6pm on Saturday. Note that we will be in our current location (Suite 113) before moving over to Suite 107 on the front of the building NEXT WEEK, just in time for our in-store event with Vanness Pens and Newton Pens. Hope to see you there!

1. Pilot Custom 74 Lavender Fog. This year’s U.S. exclusive release from Pilot features a gorgeous translucent lavender acrylic that to me appears to have almost grey undertones. The kicker is the nib selection here. Soft Fine-Medium for the win.

2. New Pilot Prera Fountain Pens. I’ve never been the biggest fan of the clear Prera, but once Pilot announced these vintage-y solid colors (Empress Teal, Honey Yellow, Porcelain White, and Cinnamon Brown), I jumped. The Prera is an excellent mid-range Pilot that should appeal to those looking for a midsized pen that is small enough to be portable yet posts long enough to write with for more extensive sessions.

3. Colorverse Colorvent. Whether you’re an Advent calendar fanatic or simply looking for a way to jumpstart your ink collection by experimenting with 25 different colors, the Colorverse Colorvent Calendar is an excellent solution!

4. Lamy Studio “Orion” Edition (Fountain Pens, Ballpoints, and Rollerballs). The latest Studio release from Lamy features a deep burgundy matte finish. I personally opted for the rollerball this time, and also went ahead and pulled a Royal Red Matte fountain pen because who knows how long those will last….

5. Pilot E95s Fountain Pens. We’ve restocked in all nib sizes of what I’d consider one of the best buys on the market for a gold-nib fountain pen. The burgundy and ivory color combination offers a unique look.

6. Pilot Explorer Fountain Pens and Rollerballs. Pilot’s Explorer line is undergoing a refresh, with some colors being phased out and possibly new colors substituting in. If you’ve been eyeing one of the existing colors, this may be the last shipment before they change over.

7. Hightide Sandglasses. One of our original items offered in the shop remains one of our top sellers! We have these hourglasses/sandglasses in different colors and time intervals.

8. Anecdote Hardcover Notebooks. I love the feel of the buckram covers of the Anecdote A5 notebooks, and these have a nice price point. Most colors are back in stock.

9. Lochby Field Journals and Field Folios. Available in multiple sizes and colors, the Lochby Field Journals (strap closure) and Field Folios (zipper closure) are cord-based journals that can hold up to 6 slim notebooks. The waxed-canvas exterior will patina nicely and makes an excellent alternative for those who don’t want leather.

10. Notsu Index Cards. These fountain pen friendly index cards are available in graph and dot grid layouts, productivity formats, and a large 5x7 foldable size. Notsu also makes a line of accessories to help you carry and organize your cards.

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State of the Shop Update, Part II: Build-Out Progress!

A couple weeks back we celebrated our first anniversary as a brick-and-mortar store, and thought it might be fun to share some progress photos from the ongoing buildout of our new shop area, which will be located on the front of our existing building. Why this new shop? Mostly because our online business is growing and we need to use our current location as pure warehouse/office space. It’s become too difficult to clearly separate the two, and we’ve had issues with customers trying to enter off-limits areas in order to “look around.” As noted below, after we get the store moved over, we still plan to open this space up for special events, but the primary location for picking up orders and in-person shopping will be the new showroom in Suite 107. This location will also be clearly marked and easier to locate on the front of the building. Our first date in the new space will be Thursday, October 16, so until then, you should continue to visit the current location (Suite 113).

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The new space will have a more traditional showroom/pen shop location, with enough space for most of the products that people tend to want to see in person.

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I’m looking forward to the new space being better organized, with clearly delineated “sections” for different product categories.

Don’t Miss Our Nashville In-Store Event Scheduled for October 17-18 with Vanness and Newton Pens!

Lisa Vanness and Shawn Newton will be in-store on Friday, October 17 and Saturday, October 18! Be sure to stop by if you are in the Nashville area, as we will be opening up the new shop (Suite 107, on the front of the building), as well as the existing T.G.S. entrance (Suite 113) which we will continue to use for special events such as this one. Lisa will be bringing rare inks and other Vanness Pens exclusives, and Shawn will of course have a selection of Newton Pens available to see and purchase!

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The shop will be open normal hours: 1-6pm on Friday (10/17), and 10am-6pm (10/18) on Saturday. Though no reservation or appointment is necessary, please do note that the shop tends to be busiest from between 12pm-2pm, so arrivals outside of that time slot may have an easier time finding parking. We hope to see you there!

2025 Colorverse Colorvent Calendars are here!

Yes, it’s that time of year already! The 2025 Colorverse Colorvent Calendars have arrived, with 24 new inks ready for you to open starting December 1 (or immediately). Note that the colors pictured below are last year’s colors, and are solely to give you a sample look at what you can expect from this year’s calendar, which is a mystery…. No spoilers!

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We also have the “Top 3” Inks from the 2024 Colorvent calendar that Colorverse chose to add to the permanent lineup. Two of them are “Glistening” (shimmer) inks while another is a sheener. All are available in full-sized bottles.

Don’t sleep on the Colorvent Calendars because retailers are given a limited allocation and once they’re gone, they’re gone. Colorvent Calendars are currently available for purchase online and any that remain will be made available in the brick-and-mortar store this week, Thursday and Friday 1-6pm and Saturday from 10-6pm.

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The Colorvent Calendars contain 24 individual 15ml bottles of new Colorverse inks. It’s almost like an instant ink collection!

Thursday Drops: New Lamy Studios, TWSBI ECO Carrara + Onyx, and Multiple New Pen Days for Me!

Well, it’s been a multiple new pen week for me, with the Lamy Studio Orion (check) arriving, along with the TWSBI ECO Carrara White + Onyx (check), and I finally pulled one of the Royal Red Matte Studios (check) before they go away. We also have additional stock of the Lamy AL-Star Dark Dusk, and nearly all Lamy 2000 models, so we’re ready for opening hours this weekend!

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Two of Joe’s new pens.

While Traveler’s Notebooks have been in short supply recently due to manufacturer delays, we still have stock of the Passport size Traveler’s Notebook in most colors, as well as similar alternatives such as the Lochby Voyager which will take the same A5-Slim size refill. And as a special update, we have reordered additional stock of the Roterfaden TGS_25, in both the original olive green AND a possible new colorway! Stay tuned for details.

We will be open this week for normal hours, including from 1-6pm Thursday and Friday, and from 10am-6pm on Saturday. You can always check the main store page for updated hours and announcements regarding special events.

1. Lamy Studio “Orion” Special Edition. This year’s 2025 Special Edition Lamy Studio has arrived, and we are happy to offer it in fountain pen, rollerball, and ballpoint! We also have additional stock of the Royal Red Matte Studio and a handful of the “Dark Forest” Rollerballs from a few years ago.

2. TWSBI ECO Carrara + Onyx Fountain Pens. The latest release from TWSBI’s swirled acrylic collection didn’t escape my pen case, and this one gives the excellent ECO Serpentine Bronze a run for its money.

3. New Tom’s Studio Wren and Lumos Pens. Tom’s Studio has released their refillable fineliners in some special release colors and materials, including the new Brass Wren that we received Tuesday.

4. Lamy AL-Star Dark Dusk and Mint Special Edition Fountain Pens. We sold out of the “Dark Dusk” very quickly and are happy to report that it is now back in stock.

5. Lamy 2000 Fountain Pens. Extra-fine and fine nibs are back in stock! The Lamy 2000 remains my “desert island” fountain pen. It’s probably not even close.

6. Lamy 2000 Multi Pen (4-Color Ballpoint). The multi pen version of Lamy’s flagship might be our top seller both online and in-store. Because this pen takes D1 refills, you can outfit it with the included Lamy refills or substitute low-viscosity ballpoint ink like Uni’s Jetstream or Pilot’s Acro-Ink.

7. Traveler’s Notebooks (Passport Size). As mentioned above, Traveler’s Company has experienced production and demand issues, with notebooks in short supply. We currently have the Passport size in most colors.

8. Lochby Voyager. With Traveler’s Notebooks in short supply, attention had turned to other covers with the same A5-slim dimensions. The Lochby Voyager takes the A5-slim “TN” format and translates it to Lochby’s Field Journal system, with four cords and a strap that closes securely. You can fit up to six refills in this cover without using rubber bands.

9. Notsu Rounded 3x5 Dot Grid Index Cards. These ever-popular fountain pen friendly index cards are back in stock, along with all of the various Notsu accessories. While the 3x5” cards are the most popular, we also have…

10. Notsu 5x7 Dot Grid Index Cards. We have more of the larger-format Notsu index cards, since our initial test order proved popular. These large index cards are foldable to a roughly 3.5” x 5” passport size.

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For me there was only one color match for this pen.

New Arrivals: Introducing The Brass Wren Fineliner from Tom's Studio!

I’ve loved watching Tom’s Studio release the Lumos and Lumos Pro Duo Fineliners in a series of special finishes, and now it’s the Wren’s turn! Tom’s Studio announced The Brass Wren, and it arrived yesterday alongside a batch of the Pigment Black Ink and additional Wren colors, including “Iris” (dark purple). If you’re interested in trying out a refillable fineliner that is capable of using fountain pen ink, consider giving the Wren a try. Don’t be intimidated by the filling process - once you get the hang of it, it’s very straightforward. I even did a video demonstrating how to set up the Wren.

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Also, just a head’s up that the TWSBI Carrara + Onyx ECO fountain pens have landed and are ready to ship. I unboxed mine last night! So far I’m enjoying mine, which I promptly filled with Laban Greek Mythology Aphrodite Pink (marble column theme and all).

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We will be open this week for normal hours, including from 1-6pm Thursday and Friday, and from 10am-6pm on Saturday. You can always check the main store page for updated hours and announcements regarding special events.