Nashville T.G.S. Special Event Recap, Day One, Plus Saturday Details

It’s taken me about a year to get here, but a primary reason I wanted to open a store was so that I could host events like the current weekend pop-up with Vanness Pens and Newton Pens! While we have moved the main T.G.S. Shop to Suite 107 on the front of the building, making it easier to find, Suite 113 (the “old” store) will be opened for special events like this weekend, and will also continue to serve as our office, warehouse, and fulfillment location. Come see us today (Saturday) from 10-6pm!

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Sign work courtesy of Shawn Newton, Photo courtesy of Lisa @ Olive Octopus!

Friday turned out to be super busy! We kicked off the weekend with normal business hours, and everyone had fun shopping our normal offerings as well as Shawn’s custom pens and specialty inks, ink samples, rare pens, and accessories from Vanness. After the shop “officially” closed we had a special Middle Tennessee Fountain Pen Club event with food and space to spread out. As we get settled into the new store and organize our warehouse, I plan to add additional seating, table-space, couches, etc. so that it’s easier to plan and grow these types of events. If you’re in the Nashville area (or reasonably close by), be sure to join the Middle Tennessee Fountain Pen Club, which now has a website in addition to the Facebook Page, so you’ll receive the announcements.

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Pre-opening setup with some of the stuff from Vanness, including Rickshaw, Galen Leather, Robert Oster Inks, Nagasawa Pens, and more! There is plenty of stock so if you missed Friday you have all day Saturday from 10-6pm to catch up.

For those coming by today, there will be a sign on the sidewalk outside directing everyone to where we’re set up. Many thanks to all of you who came out to support us in the new location, and to welcome everyone who to visit from out of town. I look forward to hosting more of these events in the future and further growing the pen community in the greater Nashville area!

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Also: Diamine Inkvent Calendars Are Here In-Store!

The 2026 Diamine Inkvent Calendars arrived Thursday afternoon, and I was able to swing by to pick them up on our way in to Friday’s event prior to opening. They’re now available both in-store and online, but supply is somewhat limited so please be sure to grab yours while they’re available.

Our regular in-store hours are Thursday and Friday from 1-6pm, and Saturdays from 10am-6pm. Be sure to check our Google Profile or main store page for up-to-date hours and special event details.

Thursday Drops: New Shop, Day One! Traveler's Company Dated Refills, Love & Trip Refills, and More!

Today is the first day in our new location, and thank goodness we have plenty of new stuff coming in to fill the shelves! For starters, the Traveler’s Company 2026 Dated refills have arrived, in Standard and Passport Sizes, as well as the 2026 Sticker Sets, Pencil Boards, and Transparent Folders. We also have a small second shipment of Love & Trip Refills, and an initial shipment of the red pen holders if you missed them the first time around.

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Finally, we continue to expand our correspondence shop, and now offer Original Crown Mill paper and envelopes. Available in both classic laid texture and the “pure cotton” formulation, Original Crown Mill is ink friendly and makes for distinguished correspondence.

We are open in-store this weekend, 1-6pm on Thursday and Friday and 10am-6pm on Saturday, but please keep in mind that the main shop has moved from Suite 113 to Suite 107. We will be using the “old” space as our warehouse and office area, and for this weekend, we will be hosting an in-store event with Vanness Pens and Newton Pens! See Tuesday’s post for full details.

1. Traveler’s Notebook 2026 Dated Refills in Standard and Passport. 2026 Calendars are now available in multiple formats in both sizes, Standard and Passport. My personal favorite is the Weekly + Memo, which allows you to see a dated Weekly Layout on the left page with daily notes on the right.

2. Traveler’s Notebook 2026 Sticker Pack. These sticker assortments are revised annually and allow you to organize and annotate your Traveler’s Notebook however you desire!

3. Traveler’s Notebook 2026 Pencil Boards/Plastic Sheet. I’ve seen these alternately referred to as plastic sheets or pencil boards, since they can serve as a firm writing surface when you’re on the go, a guide sheet when using blank paper, or both.

4. Traveler’s Notebook Transparent Plastic Folder. Possibly my favorite quirky Traveler’s accessory, these folders are handy for collecting receipts, folded papers, travel confirmations, and more!

5. Traveler’s Notebook “Love and Trip” Refills. This year’s themed notebook was a dark red color, so of course it sold out nearly immediately. We have a second shipment of the refills for those who missed the first shipment. Note that this was a small batch as well so there are not many of these.

6. Lochby Voyager Waxed Canvas A5 Slim Journal Cover. Lochby’s Voyager waxed canvas cover fits A5 slim refills with 8.3” x 4.3” dimensions. Lochby’s own 68gsm Tomoe River refill is quite nice.

7. Hightide Desk Accessories and Penco Restock. We have additional stock of all colors and sizes of the Hightide Sandglasses, as well as more Penco Perfection pocket pens and a new D1 Multi Pen.

8. New Pilot Prera Fountain Pens. We’ve restocked on many models of Pilot Pens, and have a shipment of the new solid color Prera fountain pens in Honey Yellow, Porcelain White, Empress Teal, and Cinnamon Brown.

9. Lamy “Dark Dusk” AL-Star and Safari Fountain Pens. The “Dark Dusk” AL-Star and Safaris have definitely been the best sellers of this year’s special releases. We have the Mint and Sunset pens as well, but we’ve had to restock both Dark Dusks several times.

10. Uni Style Fit Multi Pens and Refills. One of my favorite features of the new store is the multi pen station, where you can pick from multiple different pen bodies as well as dozens of refills. The Uni Style Fit is super versatile and we have five-slot pens in ten different colors.

11. Pilot 4+1 Multi Pens. One of the best 4+1 (4 colors plus a mechanical pencil) pens on the market, this pen will take the Pilot Dr. Grip-style refills or the Uni Style Fit gel refills.

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The Multi Pen Wall in the Shop is ALMOST finished

State of the Shop Update, Part III: Almost There and Questions Answered!

I’ve spent most of the past two weeks finishing up the new dedicated shop space that will open tomorrow, Thursday October 16th! I’ve had several questions about how things will work and exactly how the setup will be different from the old T.G.S. location. Here goes:

1. Why Are You Moving the Shop? First, we’re not technically “moving” - we are taking over an adjacent suite that opened up when the former occupants retired. (Suite 107, which formerly housed the natural pet supply store.) I was offered the space, and having a door on the front of the building will make it easier for first-time customers to locate us. Second, since we have a large online business that continues to grow rapidly, we require additional warehouse and work space, and we can’t have customers in the warehouse and shipping area while we’re working on fulfillment.

2. Will Hours Change? Not at this time. The showroom/shop will be open from 1pm-6pm Thursdays and Fridays, and from 10am-6pm on Saturdays. We may consider additional hours in the event we are able to hire additional staff, but that will depend on many different factors.

3. Is Everything Available in Store that is Available Online? Yes. The one caveat is that if you are looking to buy more than 2 or 3 of bulkier items in-person (i.e., notebooks or legal pads), please confirm availability or place the order online for local in-store pickup so that we have time to collect large orders from the warehouse. We get very busy on Fridays and Saturdays, and we may not have sufficient staffing to leave the store area depending on how crowded the shop is.

4. What Will Happen to the “Old Store” Area? Most of the fixtures other than displays, etc. will remain in place. As mentioned above, we need additional warehouse space to hold inventory and fulfill online orders. We also plan to convert a portion of our existing suite into a meeting/gathering area that we can use to host meetups and additional special events, like this coming weekend’s in-store event with Vanness Pens and Newton Pens.

5. What Are You Most Excited About with the New Space? Having better “flow” through the store area, and not having to worry about keeping people out of the warehouse, shipping station, and my office. Everything is also more organized, with some sections built around product categories but also with a selection of items mixed throughout to keep browsing fun. Best of all, we will have a multi-pen station on the back wall with pen bodies such as Hi-Tec-C Coletos, Jetstreams, Uni Style Fit, and all the refills so that it’s easier to assemble your pens in person!

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For those of you who have written in via e-mail and sent messages, I apologize if I’ve been slow to respond this week. I will try to get them in a timely fashion, but for now I’ve been prioritizing those that have to do with orders and scheduling store visits. Our online store remains up and running during our “move,” and there have been no fulfillment delays. And, I’m happy to announce that at long last, the Traveler’s Notebook 2026 dated refills have arrived. You can purchase online or they will be available in-store starting tomorrow. Hope to see you at launch day!

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The multi pen wall is coming together. Probably one more late night but we’re ready to go tomorrow!

New Arrivals: Hightide / Penco Restock, Plus Don't Miss a Special In-Store Event This Week!

At long last, we’ve received a major restock of Hightide and Penco products, including all sizes of the Hightide Hourglasses in 30, 15, 5, and 3-minute intervals! One of my personal favorite desk accessories, my main use is for timing writing/work intervals but you can use them anytime you don’t want the jarring buzz of an electronic timer or a phone on your desk distracting you when you’re trying to concentrate on something that requires true focus. We also have additional stock of the Penco Perfection pocket pens and the Perfection Light, as well as additional Penco Pocket Drafting Pens, Pocket Drafting Pencils, and new Multi-Pens!

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These slim D1 Multipens are portable and functional, containing two ballpoint pen options and a .5mm mechanical pencil.

Don’t Miss Our Special In-Store Event This Coming Weekend in Nashville!

If you’re in the area, we will be having an in-store event on Friday, October 17th and Saturday, October 18th, with pen maker Shawn Newton and Lisa Vanness of Vanness Pens, who will be in-store with many different items we don’t regularly stock! Be sure to stop by if you are in the area as this will be sure to be a fun weekend. We’ll also have some in-store specials such as stamps and stickers so bring your notebooks. If everything goes to plan we will also open up the new TGS retail space, which will be on the front of the building in Suite 107.

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Many thanks to Lisa at Olive Octopus for the graphic!

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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