2023 Travelogue: What I Consider When Visiting Pen Stores and Shopping at Smaller Retailers in General

As you may have seen from my Instagram feed, I took a short trip to New York City to visit family for the long weekend, and as usual ended up with a bit of free time. I have a solid list of 3-5 stationery stores in NYC that I regularly try to visit when I’m in town, including Yoseka Stationery, Kinokuniya, Goods for the Study, and sometimes Fountain Pen Hospital. As someone with fairly easy access to pretty much any stationery products I want to see, I often get asked what I look for when shopping in person.

1. Exclusive Items. These days, so many things are easy to find online that when I’m traveling, I spend most of my time on the lookout for store-exclusive items, including product collaborations. As I’m well-aware, lots of work goes into developing these products - they can require large minimum quantity orders and a huge leap of faith - and I often go out of my way to pick one up if it’s something that even remotely interests me. Consider it my way to do what I can to support other retailers in the community. For example, when I visited Yoseka Stationery back in January, I made sure to pick up one of their exclusive Yoseka Green Stalogy 365 Days notebooks.

2. Products I Want to Learn More About. Sometimes I need to see a product in person to understand it better before I decide to purchase. Case in point: this trip I picked up one of the Uniball Kuru Toga Dive mechanical pencils at Kinokuniya. I’ve been following the hype/controversy surrounding this fairly pricey capped mechanical pencil - which not only includes the Kuru Toga rotating lead mechanism but also an auto-feed that advances the lead automatically - and was hesitant to purchase one “for science” with the online prices ticking up past $100 on the secondary market. (For those who have not been following this “drama”, the pencils first launched in the U.S. at around $60, and apparently were promptly snapped up by scalpers, which then prompted a general price hike by Uniball.) The design of the pencil intrigued me enough in person to pick one up at a price point in between the launch price and secondary, and I’ll be posting a review at some point in the future.

3. Stuff That May Not Be Exclusive, But Not Typically Sold Online. While you can find almost anything online these days, many store exclusives and brand collaborations are more difficult to locate at reasonable prices, and some stores simply don’t list all of their less common stock online. Kinokuniya in NYC often has interesting multi pens (including variations of the Uniball Jetstream) and other versions/colors of the Kuru-Toga mechanical pencils. I’m sure some of the items pictured here have been around for a while, but they’re new to me, and I don’t spend a ton of time in online forums or on Reddit so if I hadn’t visited Kinokuniya in person I might not have discovered them.

I have another day of exploration ahead of me! If you have a favorite NYC-area stationery store that’s not mentioned here, leave a comment and let me know!

This post does not contain paid third party affiliate links. The Gentleman Stationer is supported entirely by purchases through the T.G.S. Curated Shop and pledges via the T.G.S. Patreon Program.

View fullsize

Thursday Drops: Summer Sangria Ink Giveaway, Hinze Crimson Nibs and More!

I’m simultaneously excited and somewhat sad to make this announcement: We are down to fewer than 10 remaining Hinze collaboration pens, and while I originally thought I would be able to bring some with me to the D.C. Pen Show the first week of August, that may not be the case. (I would really be surprised if they lasted until San Francisco at the end of August.) All that’s to say: If you’ve had your eyes on one of these, especially with the red nib, you don’t want to wait. To be clear, this isn’t a limited edition, and I’ll probably do more pens or something similar eventually, but I have other projects on my radar that will get attention first.

View fullsize

Crimson nib options are now available in all sizes!

To celebrate this milestone, we’re giving away one bottle of the “Summer Sangria” fountain pen ink that comes with every Hinze Pen! I ended up with an extra so I’m allowed to give it away. All you have to do is like this Instagram post and on Sunday after 11:59pm CT I will use a random number generator and draw a winner. Enjoy!

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

1. T.G.S. x Hinze Collaboration Fountain Pen. Now available with the nano-plated nibs in crimson! We received a shipment of these gorgeous nibs yesterday, and have enough so that the fewer than 10 pens remaining can ship with either a black or crimson nib. (Note that if you want to take advantage of the pen + ink + Penwell bundle, by default that ships with the black nib, but send me a message and I will substitute the red at your request.)

2. TWSBI ECO “Heat” Fountain Pen. I don’t think there could be a more seasonal release, whether you judge by either color or name. Alternatively, if anything with “heat” in the name is too much for you these days, we also have the cooler Cerulean Blue ECO, ECO-T Mint Blue, the “Ice Blue” Swipe, and more!

3. Midori MD Dip Pen. Midori has expanded their lineup of pens this year to include not only their MD Fountain Pen and 70th Anniversary Fountain Pen and Ink, but this dip pen that includes the same fountain pen nib.

4. TWSBI 580 AL Rose and ALR “Punch Pink”. We’re down to our last few of these two colors that will likely be discontinued in the near future. (They may already have been discontinued - this is the last remaining stock.)

5. Stalogy Notebooks. The Stalogy 1/2-Year and 365-Day Notebooks have enough paper to cover their respective time periods - you can use them as daily notebooks, undated planners, or ignore the “daily” feature entirely and enjoy the lightweight paper and grid or dot ruling.

6. Undated Calendar Stickers from Stalogy and Midori. Looking to add planner or calendar functionality to a standard notebook or undated planner? These stickers create an instant calendar page, and the Stalogy stickers can be moved!

7. Laban Greek Mythology Fountain Pen Inks. We are fully restocked on the Laban Inks, including favorites such as Athena Grey, Artemis Navy Blue, and my favorite Aphrodite Pink!

8. Composition Books. I personally love the classic composition book formats, and we have a range to offer! Mr. Boddington’s Studio makes what most would consider to be a “classic” composition book, while the Rhodia Composition Books contain excellent fountain pen friendly Rhodia paper.

9. Midori XS Mini Stationery Kit. I’ve been keeping one of these mini-sized accessory kits tucked into my briefcase. They include a stapler,

10. WMS & Co. Self-Inking Stamp. Honestly, my single-most-used desk accessory that isn’t pen and paper has lately been my self-inking stamp from WMS & Co. If you receive an order from us, it creates the “letterhead” portion of the note tucked into each order! The price includes both the nickel-plated stamp and a voucher for your custom imprint.

2023 Bag Dump: What Do I Carry to Work?

Bag dump posts are insanely popular, whether on the internet or social media. I think mainly it’s because people (1) are generally nosy, and love to glean insights into other people’s lives via the things they carry with them; and (2) at least in the stationery community, would like some reassurance that they are not the only insane person who carries 12 fountain pens, three pads of A4 paper, a traveling inkwell, and 300 Post-it notes everywhere they go.

The main reason I’ve not done many true “bag dumps” in the past is because they can be difficult to photograph, and also because I have to be careful to protect the confidentiality of a lot of the papers, etc. that I carry with me for work. This is less of an issue recently since I’ve successfully taken a more paperless approach to certain work materials and try not to retain nearly as much in hard copy. More on that later! Meanwhile, here’s today’s bag dump:

View fullsize

Bag: Filson Original Twill Briefcase.

My go-to work carry remains my standard Filson briefcase in Otter Green. I love this bag not just because of its durability - it’s going on at least six years old - I find the interior well-organized and just big enough to fit all of my “daily needs” gear without becoming unwieldy. If I’m traveling for work or there’s a day when I need to carry larger physical files or other larger, heavier items like a bigger computer, I also have a Filson Zippered Tote.

View fullsize

My fountain pen carry from yesterday, from left: Pilot Custom 74 in Blue Stone, Sailor 1911 Large Black Luster, and my personal T.G.S. x Hinze Elementar.

Pens and Pencils: Versatility Is Key

For my workday, it won’t surprise you that I use many different pens, pencils, and highlighters. Currently, I’m carrying either a Rickshaw Bagworks three-pen sleeve or six-pen roll (both my own customized designs), or one of my Nock Co. Sinclair pen cases. As I’ve mentioned, I keep a lot of different fountain pens inked up, so if I want to switch out what I’m using on a daily basis I’ll typically just grab a different pen case that has new pens in it and rotate between them throughout the day. This week I’ve been carrying my Rickshaw Bagworks 3-pen sleeve with a Pilot Custom 74 in Blue Stone, a Sailor 1911 Large in Black Luster, and my personal T.G.S. x Hinze Pen Elementar (complete with the now-available Crimson nib).

View fullsize

Subtle matching.

Permanent residents in my work bag include a fistful of Pilot gel pens (currently Frixions, which I’ve enjoyed using, especially in the .4mm tip size), a Penco “Prime Timber” leadholder in Navy Blue, two Anterique click ballpoints, a Caran d’Ache “Black Code” ballpoint, a Caran d’Ache striped Paul Smith collaboration (no longer available, sorry!), and a pack of Kokuyo “Beetle-tip” Highlighters, which are a specialized Japanese highlighter that allows you to highlight in different line widths.

View fullsize

Notebooks and Paper: Paring it Back

One major difference you’ll notice is that I’ve pared back the number of notebooks I carry with me to work. Not only did I find that I wasn’t using them during the workday, but I felt less enjoyment mixing work and play by bringing my personal journals, etc. to the office, which isn’t really a “happy place” for me. I have a dedicated “work planner,” which is my William Hannah A5 in Agave/Mustard. While I plan to do a fuller write-up of this particular notebook system in the future, I generally love ring and disc-based planners/notebooks, and this one is mostly compatible with the Levenger Circa and Filofax refillable systems I use to archive work papers.

View fullsize

View fullsize

My Cortex Brand “Sidekick” covered notepad has been traveling to and from home with me, and it typically sits under my keyboard and serves as a repository for fleeting ideas and action items that I need to archive elsewhere. Once the page fills up, I’ll transfer these notes to another notebook/planner or digital app. I also carry one A4 pad (currently a Midori MD Grid) and one A5 pad (currently one of the Color Pads in blue), and I tend to burn through these pretty quickly so there is a lot of turnover.

View fullsize

I’ve really been leaning hard into the blue stationery lately, especially blue paper. From left, two Patreon thank-you notes on the way courtesy of G. Lalo Vergé de France, and the recently arrived Midori Soft Color Pad.

What I won’t get into here in any detail is tech/electronic products that I carry. It’s beyond the focus of the blog, though I may talk about it over on the Patreon in the future. That said, the computer sleeve (for my 2020 MacBook Air) is a Rickshaw Bagworks Horizontal Sleeve. My tablet of choice these days is a Remarkable 2 with the Typefolio (which I’m enjoying so far).

View fullsize

It looks like my last detailed bag dump post was from 2021, and while certain pieces of stationery I carry have been rotated out (probably not permanently), it’s comforting to see general overall consistency, which I take as an indication that I’m sticking to stuff that I use and not chasing trends. I’m on the road for a long weekend starting tomorrow, so Saturday’s post may look at my travel carry!

The Gentleman Stationer is supported entirely by purchases from the T.G.S. Curated Shop and pledges via the T.G.S. Patreon Program. This post does not contain paid third-party affiliate links.

New Arrivals: More Midori! MD Soft Color A5 Writing Pads

More new arrivals from Midori! This week we receive a shipment of A5 Soft Color writing pads featuring 60 sheets of dot grid paper in the same colors as the popular Soft Color A5 soft cover notebooks. As you know, I really enjoy mixing things up by using fountain pen friendly paper in colors other than white, especially blues and greys. If this is something that interests you, we also offer G. Lalo laid writing paper and are actively working to bring in more!

View fullsize

The Gentleman Stationer is an authorized retailer of all brands sold, including Midori. Please visit the T.G.S. Curated Shop for the full range of fountain pen friendly paper and notebooks.

Sunday Reading for July 16, 2017

1. Journaling Series: An Introduction (via Writing at Large). This looks like the start of an excellent multi-part series on journaling. The first installment, Journaling for Mental Clarity, is available.

2. 21+5 Questions Answered to Celebrate 8 Years of Writing at Large (via Writing at Large). Congratulations on the bloggiversary! Also, I enjoyed reading answers to the five additional questions - personal stories about how people came to this hobby and why they stay fascinate me.

3. Ink Review: Sailor x Tinterias Inks (via Well-Appointed Desk). They got me. Blue Corn and Agave are on the way.

4. Aurora Optima Auroloide Green (via Dapprman). I’m very happy with my own Optima in Green “Auroloide” material, and I consider it to be one of the better materials Aurora offers.

5. If Not a Fountain Pen, Then What? (via Line Variation). The Pilot v5 needle-tip rollerball is an excellent, and often overlooked, option.

6. Meet My New Brother (via KraftyCats). While I have a few typewriters, I’ve so far resisted the urge to get into full-on typewriter enthusiasm. Space and all!

7. Galen Leather Everyday Notebook (via Blake’s Broadcast). If you’re looking for a leather-bound Tomoe River Paper notebook, and don’t mind blank paper, these Galen Leather notebooks are excellent options.

8. Two Fun Nibs for Lefties (via Fountain Pen Blog). The Delike bent nibs have come highly recommended as an inexpensive option. Should I check one out?

9. Endless Explorer Refillable Journal Review (via Pen Addict - Sarah). Fans of the larger-format Endless “Storyboard” notebooks may want to consider this multi-refill cover system.

10. Top 10 Under-Appreciated Ink Brands (via Well-Appointed Desk). There are many good recommendations on this list. Just because an ink’s not trendy, or the brand has been around for a long time, doesn’t mean it’s “boring” or not worth pursuing. To the contrary, I consider that a sign of quality.

11. P.W. Akkerman #8 Diep-Duinwaterblauw (via Fountain Pen Love). I don’t currently have any Akkerman inks in my collection. I truly miss the bottles. Is No. 8 a possibility?

View fullsize

In Case You Missed It…

This week on the blog, I reviewed a pen that’s been in my “to review” queue for quite some time: The Newton Hale fountain pen by custom penmaker Shawn Newton. I also asked a question that I’ve been curious about: Do people intentionally match their inks to pens? How much thought goes into the process of inking pens?

Finally, a new episode of “Currently Inked” hit the YouTube Channel Friday afternoon! Don’t miss this up-close look at our Hinze collaboration pen and ink!

View fullsize

This Week in the T.G.S. Curated Shop: Crimson Nibs on Hinze Pens Now Available!

Ok, so the big news that many of you are apparently waiting for: The Crimson nibs from Hinze Pens are on their way! I have re-upped the stock of TGS x Hinze Pens that are available for purchase with the Crimson Nib, and these should ship out to you mid-week. I do have one ask: If you have been intending to purchase a Hinze Pen, but have been waiting for the Crimson nib to come back in stock, I would be forever grateful if you “preorder” this weekend. The nibs are being express shipped to me tomorrow, which means that if I have an accurate count of how many Crimson nibs I need, it will streamline/simplify things for both me and the team at Hinze Pens who are currently working to anodize these and get them in the mail.

As noted throughout the week, we’ve also received several restocks recently, including A5 Stalogy Notebooks and Midori MD Dip Pens, among other things. Stay tuned, as we are bringing more stock in each week as we prepare for both the D.C. and San Francisco Pen Shows!

Stalogy

TWSBI

Platinum

Anterique

Other Ways to Support T.G.S. and Gently Used Update!

Everything that didn’t sell to Patreon members, including some older limited edition Baron Fig items and notebooks, is now available for general purchase on the “Gently Used” page! If you’re interested in early access and a right of first refusal for the periodic sales, consider T.G.S. Patreon, which features not only access to meetups and the early gently used sales, but more exclusive content. Patreon support starts as low as $3 per month, and if you pay annually there is a further discount. In addition to purchases from The Curated Shop, Patreon allows us to continue to grow the site without relying on advertisements and affiliate marketing. If you’re interested in meetups and exclusive content, or simply supporting the site, we greatly appreciate your support!