Traveler's Company Sticker Release Paper — You mean that you can collect stickers on something other than the back of your laptop?

Thursday Drops: Traveler's Sticker Release and Accordion Paper is BACK! Also, More Pencils and Sharpeners!

August 10, 2023

I’m finally through orders placed over the show weekend, with all of those shipped out yesterday! Today I dug into the “new arrivals” pile, which includes the long-awaited Traveler’s Notebook Sticker Release Paper and Accordion Fold papers! Formerly part of the “B-Sides and Rarities” collection, these were recently announced as additions to the regular collection of Traveler’s Notebook Specialty Papers, and are now available in both Standard and Passport sizes. We also have restocks on certain Laconic Tokyo items, as well as Caran d’Ache Pencils and M+R Sharpeners. And I’m not even halfway through the boxes…. Stay tuned!

I know we’ve had a lot of new arrivals lately: To read more about our latest shop additions, check out this post featuring new notebooks from Nakabayashi and some new scissors, as well as this post announcing the arrival of plenty of new Clairefontaine paper products and restocked favorites!

The Gentleman Stationer is an authorized reseller of all brand sold.

Traveler’s Notebook Specialty Paper, Including Sticker Release and Accordion Paper. Traveler’s Company announced earlier this year that they were adding the Sticker Release Paper and Accordion Fold Paper to the regular lineup of Specialty Papers in both Standard and Passport sizes. They are now available!
Laconic Tokyo Zippered Pouches. I love zippered pouches. I move between briefcases, backpacks, and travel bags fairly frequently, and one way in which I do this is by keeping separate pouches packed with different items (stationery, paper, pens, chargers, cords, etc.) so that I can easily move them between bags.
Laconic Style Notebook Refills. While some versions continue to be on backorder, we just received a bunch of the “Spreadsheet” notebooks, as well as more Gantt Charts! These slim softcover A5 notebooks are excellent for covers like Roterfadens and the Lochby Field Journal, which allow you to use multiple refills.
Caran d’Ache Swiss Wood Pencils. I love to see that we’re selling more pencils these days, as one of my goals when I set out to expand the shop was to provide a home for many of the high-end pencil brands following the closure of CW Pencils. In addition to the standard Swiss Wood, we also carry the Nespresso Swiss Wood Collaboration and the Crayons de la Maison Caran d’Ache gift sets.
Caran d’Ache HB Office/School Pencils with Erasers. Caran d’Ache pencils are typically capped and don’t feature an eraser on the end. These are the exception, and quite popular. Available individually and by the dozen.
M+R Pencil Sharpeners. Looking for an excellent German brass pencil sharpener, with replaceable blades? We are restocked on the range of M+R sharpeners, including the long-point Castor and Pollux sharpeners, as well as both classic brass bullet versions.
Caran d’Ache 849 “Black Code” Ballpoint Pens and Mechanical Pencils. My first “signature” selection for the shop - while it’s not a special edition or an exclusive, it pretty much matches my stationery aesthetic perfectly. Mechanical pencils are now back in stock in addition to the ballpoint.
Caran d’Ache Chromatics Bottled Ink. I love the color range of the Caran d’Ache “Chromatics” line, and you all apparently agree since it’s sold rapidly. We now have all colors back in stock.
Pilot Iroshizuku Ku-Jaku Ink. When I brought Iroshizuku into the shop a few months ago, the one that was on perpetual backorder was “Ku-Jaku” (“Peacock”), a favorite of those who love darker teal inks. For a brighter teal, the excellent “Sui-Gyoku” is a new addition.
Lochby Cases and Covers. Following my return from the D.C. Pen Show, all Lochby cases and covers are now relisted in the shop and available for purchase. At last check all colors are in stock but I will likely need to reorder prior to San Francisco.

Still Got It: The Big Show is Back! The 2023 D.C. Pen Show Recap

August 9, 2023

Can a pen show ever be too big? For the first time in many years, the D.C. Pen Show pushed the limits of what a truly international pen show can be, and I loved every minute of it. While I’ll talk a bit more below about whether this kind of expansion is necessarily a good or bad thing, on a deeper level, it was comforting to see the attendance trends from recent years reverse and to feel the kind of energy I remember from 2016 or 2017, when big pen shows were still new and exciting for many people.

Thursday - Friday: Busier than I’ve Ever Seen the Non-Weekend Days

I could tell “something was up” the minute I hit the hotel lobby at 10pm Wednesday night and the bar was packed, with people in town and ready to go first thing Thursday morning. Of course, I had to work for most of Thursday (darned day job), but I did get a chance to skip down to the show and check out the crowd in the main ballroom on what is usually a purely vintage trading day. While there were still mostly vintage traders set up, there was a line of people forming in the lobby waiting to register for admission on Thursday, something I have never seen before at any pen show. Thursday night, the bar was packed, and I began to get the feeling that we were in for a weekend!

Friday morning was fairly typical. This year’s D.C. Pen Show was spread across three hotel ballrooms: the main ballroom with the interior tables and surrounding hallways; what’s become known as the “Maker’s Room” at the front of the hotel as you enter; and the “Alexandria Room” down the hall (which used to be the breakfast area before the hotel remodel). Most shows reserve Friday morning admissions for the “Weekend Pass” holders, who take the opportunity to scour the small-maker tables for unusual, rare, or limited pens and materials that they wanted to see in person before purchasing. The main ballroom stays relatively quiet until around lunchtime, when everyone has made their way through the initial ballrooms and the show opens to the public. By mid-afternoon, foot traffic was what you would expect from a “typical” D.C. Show on a Friday, but at moments you could get a sense of what was to come on Saturday.

Friday Night at the DC Pen Show Bar: Open Bag stuffed with fountain Pens — The things you see at the bar on Friday night at the D.C. Pen Show give new meaning to the term “everyday carry”.

Saturday: Absolute Insanity Erupts

From around 10:00am Saturday morning, when the show opened to the public, until shortly after “close” at 5:00pm, we didn’t get much of a break. Waves of attendees came through, and at times customers were 2-3 layers deep in front of our tables. As I mentioned above, I’ve not seen the D.C. Pen Show this busy in years. To demonstrate how wild it was - I had matched my sales total from Friday by 11am on Saturday morning!

Pilot USA Giant Vanishing Point Demonstrator Sitting on Pilot Table — A GIANT Vanishing Point at the Pilot table!

The show was crowded for good reason! In addition to dozens of small and independent makers - I won’t even try to name all of them here - you had international draws such as Leonardo Officina Italiana, Santini Pens, Toyooka Craft, Nagasawa, Galen Leather, and newcomers NFP Design. American retailers like Vanness Pens (where I was helping) and Dromgooles brought tons of pens, inks, and paper, and Pilot USA even brought a handwriting analysis machine from Japan where you could sign up for a session and learn about your writing pressure, etc. in addition to receiving a recommendation as to what Pilot nib would work best for you. I unfortunately didn’t get a chance to sit down with an analyst, but I did read several of the reports and frankly found them fascinating.

Vanness Pens Good Blue Co Collaboration Pen with Green Splatter over Black Cerakote — Vanness sold a bunch of their latest collaboration with The Good Blue Co, featuring a black Cerakote finish with green splatter.

Vanness Pens SCRIBO Fountain Pens at DC Pen Show — Look, I was good, right? I sat next to this tray of SCRIBO fountain pens all weekend, watching them, and ***almost*** came home with one but maintained my discipline… For the most part.

As to my own “table nook” at the end of the Vanness Pens setup, I brought what I had worried was too much Lochby and some of the remaining Hinze Collaboration Pens and Penwells. I shouldn’t have been concerned, given that I sold out of nearly everything I had by late afternoon on Saturday! As is the usual case at a pen show, the Lochby Venture Pouch was the top seller, and interestingly, people also showed a strong interest in the Lochby Tool Roll. (I think it probably says something about how many pens people were buying - they came to the show and left needing help taking everything home!) Unfortunately I’ve had a few reports of people looking for me on Saturday and being unable to find me due to the crowds. If I missed you, I will likely be more visible next year as I plan to have a full table setup. Everything that I brought with me to the D.C. Show is also re-listed in the shop as of this morning, so if I was out of stock on a Lochby color or you couldn’t find the Hinze Pens, they will be available for purchase until San Francisco at the end of the month.

TGS Table Layout at the 2023 DC Pen Show — The table setup at the Gentleman Stationer!

Gentleman Stationer Table on Saturday Afternoon — All that was left after the table was ransacked by Saturday afternoon. ;)

Sunday: Unless They Had to Catch a Flight, Nobody Was Packing Up Early

Typically, Sunday mornings at pen shows are sleepy. People were out late “celebrating” Saturday night, and many (myself included) simply ran out of most merchandise late on Saturday afternoon. I used the opportunity to explore the rest of the show and to pick up a few things!

Sunday Morning Crowds at the DC Pen Show — Sunday is much easier to navigate. This picture was taken right after opening on Sunday morning, around 10am when some vendors had not even set up yet.

Toyooka Craft Pen Trays from the DC Pen Show 2023 — My two purchases from the Toyooka Craft table: an 11-pen tray in Hinoki Blue lacquer, and a black tray in alder (with red lining!).

OVerall thoughts and Takeaways, and Why You Should Attend the Upcoming San Francisco Pen Show!

After a discouraging 2022, the Fairview Park Marriott rebounded with a beautiful new lobby/restaurant/bar renovation. While a bit loud, there was plenty of space for those who wanted to socialize, and thankfully the old bar space was left intact with tables set up so that those who wanted to take their pens/paper/drinks to a quieter area could do so. The room remodel isn’t quite complete - my room was the same as it’s been for the past five years, though some reported receiving very nice, modern accommodations.

Toyooka Pen tray with Vanness Good Blue Pen and others — Second from left: I brought home one of the Vanness x Good Blue exclusives (with lots of green splatter!)

Were there any negatives from this year’s D.C. Pen Show? Not really! Some might say that the show was too large, with too many vendors for the available space, and that’s certainly something to consider. There’s a balance between the number of vendors and number of attendees that makes for a good pen show: if it’s off, you either have unhappy vendors without the crowd to support them, or a crowded venue that’s difficult to navigate with unhappy customers being unable to move through the throngs and reach the table. I don’t think D.C. did a bad job at all this year - and certainly nobody expected this sort of turnout - but if the show continues to stay this size (or even grow), the organizers will need to pay close attention to managing the quality of the experience.

NFP Design Two-Pen Box with Inlay — A major discovery of mine was NFP Design, a company from Istanbul that makes pen boxes and cases in various designs, ranging from inlaid wooden boxes like the one shown here to lacquered boxes in a range of colors.

The other trend that bears watching is the ongoing corporatization/monetization of the pen show experience. This is more behind-the-scenes stuff, but I’ve been somewhat concerned at the degree to which certain larger retailers and manufacturers are trying to dominate larger shows by buying up tables and/or strong-arming smaller makers and retailers out of prime table space by pressuring organizers to “reassign” tables that the smaller exhibitor has held for years. I’ve heard rumors that it’s part of a larger trend to “squeeze out” the smaller retailers and consolidate the manufacturing-distribution-retail chain under one umbrella to capture profit by selling directly. To me, this would destroy the purpose of shows and what gives them the community feel.

I’ve always believed that stationery is the epitome of a “rising tides lifts all boats” industry - what’s good for one is good for everyone - and heavy handed attempts at monopolization, or turning shows into a bland corporate marketing event, is at the end of the day counterproductive because the diversity of products and curated shops is what draws people to the shows and ultimately drives the industry. The modern pen consumer (and especially the younger modern pen consumer) wants to browse an eclectic selection of goods and see stuff that they can’t order online. Tellingly, company tables are often among the LEAST crowded at shows, and show organizers should carefully consider the attendee constituency when making their decisions on things like floor layout and table caps.

Pens I took home from the 2023 DC Pen Show — From left: Vanness x Good Blue exclusive in black/green Cerakote; TWSBI Diamond 580 Sunset Yellow from my own shop, the new Desiderata Daedalus in Red Ripple ebonite, and the Penquisition x Gravitas “Touchstone” in blue and red.

Pensloth Double-Stacked Nib in Crosspoint Style — My first stacked nib! A double-stack by Pensloth!

Pensloth Double-Stacked Nib Crosspoint-Style — This one is ground in a crosspoint-style (a big architect).

Later this month I’m off to San Francisco for the 2023 San Francisco Pen Show! I plan to bring a full table worth of goods, but will also run it back with all the Lochby cases plus whatever Hinze Pens and Penwells remain. If you’d like me to bring something to San Francisco for in-person delivery, either place an order and select “local pickup” or send me a message with your request so I can make plans to pack or ship it. It’s great to be back at shows!

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 affiliate links or third-party advertising.

Notes From the Curated Shop: Five Desk Essentials for Your Office or Dedicated Writing Space

August 8, 2023

In addition to standard pens and paper, we stock a wide range of desk and reading accessories to make your everyday work and home life more enjoyable! The reason I love this particular product category is that it’s often overlooked by many pen retailers even though it’s a natural extension of an interest in writing. At this past weekend’s D.C. Pen Show - there will be a full recap forthcoming, I promise - I brought along a range of non-pen items that included a handful of cases and desk accessories, and they sold quite well. Here are five of my favorites currently in the shop that can help you build out your ultimate desk setup.

The Penwell Desktop Pen Holder. I’ve long been a fan of the Penwell desktop pen holder, which turns any capped fountain pen or rollerball into a desk pen! Good Made Better, the maker of the Penwell, was kind enough to do a custom run for our shop in a deep “Aged Red” finish.
Quality Scissors. Until I started using good scissors, I didn’t appreciate how invaluable they are, whether it comes to opening mail or packages, trimming photographs or mementos to paste into a scrapbook, or craft projects. We stock several brands of high-end scissors that are both sharp and functional.
A Compact Ruler or Straightedge. I always find myself needing to measure something, and it’s rarely long enough to warrant pulling out the measuring tape unless I’m shipping packages. Rulers also serve as a handy straightedge for formatting plain paper, or when you want to transform a standard notebook into a planner.
A Book Stand. Another long-running product I’ve carried is the Hightide Folding Metal Bookstand. While you can certainly use it for reading, it’s versatility goes far beyond that - I use mine to hold notepads and notebooks as I transcribe my notes or to hold a handwritten draft of a document as I’m typing it into the computer. This particular model conveniently folds flat for easy transport in a briefcase so you can take it on the road.
A Pen Tray. I keep a lot on my desk, and it’s helpful to have a catch-all to hold pens, pencils, paper clips, erasers, sharpeners, bits of paper - you get the idea. These Hightide Marbled Pen Trays are made from melamine and come in either long rectangular versions or a smaller round option.

Nickel-plated hand stamp from WMS&Co. sitting atop a desk

While these five categories are fairly mainstream, other more specialized products to consider include a self-inking stamp, which can be customized to feature your letterhead, return address, or signature to add to written correspondence, or an analogue timing device like a Sandglass. We’re actively adding additional “home office” and reading accessories, so keep checking back!

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

Gentleman Stationer at the DC Pen Show 2023

Sunday Reading for August 6, 2023: DC Pen Show Travel Edition

August 6, 2023

21 Plus 5 Pen Questions (via Fountain Pen Blog). Another excellent round of 21 Pen Questions, plus this particular post has a round-up of many of the “21 Pen Questions” posts that are out there!
42 Answers to #21PenQuestions (via Penquisition). Both Evan and Julian take the 21 Pen Questions Challenge!
Platinum Chou Kuro (via Well-Appointed Desk). How much more black can you get? Not very.
Souverän M600 Art Collection - Glauco Cambon Special Edition (via Pelikan’s Perch). Finally, we start seeing some of the 2023 Pelikan Special Editions emerge! Personally, I really like the look of this pen, and even better, it’s an M600.
Endless Stationery Companion 5-Pen Case (via KraftyKats). A very nice looking leather pen case from Endless!
Platignum Vibe Fountain Pen Review (via Blake’s Broadcast). I enjoy reviews of sub-$20 pens. I’ve used a Platignum fountain pen in the past and found myself relatively impressed by the quality at the price point.
Time Flies, So Do I: Holiday Carry (via A Fleeting Ripple). There are so many considerations that go into selecting pens to take with you on your travels…
A Month’s Worth of Pens: Holiday Carry, Part 2 (via A Fleeting Ripple). Here’s the full holiday load-out!
A Fulfilling Micro Collection (via Rachel’s Reflections). This is a pretty great five-pen selection, if you ever had to limit yourself to just five fountain pens!
Blackwing Natural Extra Firm Pencil Review (via Pen Addict - Jeff). By far my favorite of the stock Blackwing releases, even the “extra firm” Blackwing graphite is slightly darker than a standard HB.

The Craighill Kepler Pen with its retractable D1 refill mechanism.

In Case You Missed It…

This week on the blog, we’re not only getting ready for back to school and back to work, but we’re at the D.C. Pen Show, which for me is a bit of both. Content included a post on how you can use the Uniball Jetstream refills to upgrade ballpoints and multi pens, as well as a short recap of Friday at the D.C. Pen Show with details on where you can find me. (Spoiler: At the end of the Vanness Pens Table!)

Nakabayashi Ruled Paper — Fans of Clairefontaine French-Ruled Paper should check out Nakabayashis’ version!

This Week in the T.G.S. Curated Shop

First of all - through tonight at 11:59pm CT, we’re running a pen show special with 10% off most orders using the coupon code “PENSHOW10” at checkout! Last week saw all sorts of new shop arrivals, including new notebooks from Nakabayashi and more desk accessories, the TWSBI Sunset Yellow Fountain Pens, and new ranges of ballpoints and mechanical pencils from HMM and Craighill.

TWSBI

HMM

Scissors

Craighill

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!

D.C. Pen Show Friday Brief Recap and Some Details on Where to Find Me!

August 5, 2023

It’s safe to say that Friday at the 2023 D.C. Pen Show was the busiest I’ve seen it since pre-Pandemic (and we may be talking about some of the epic shows from 2017 and 2018). While things started out somewhat quiet early on, by lunch the main ballroom started to fill up, as weekend passholders made their morning purchases and the doors opened to the public at 12:00pm. The real rush came to our tables at around 2:00pm, as our table neighbors Pilot started giving their handwriting analysis seminar and raffling off pens (crowd above).

2023 DC Pen Show Table Setup — I brought the remainder of the T.G.S. x Hinze Pen Collaboration fountain pens with me, with both red and black nibs AND the ink and Penwells!

The DC Pen Show is always a smaller show for TGS, as we try to bring a selection of stuff to the show while also leaving enough free time to circulate and take pictures to share with the readership. This year we have Lochby cases for sale, and as per usual the in-person winner on Friday was the Lochby Venture Pouch, the reversible stationery pouch that has two separate compartments that includes a slotted pen case. The Lochby Tool Roll and Field Journal also sold briskly. If you come looking for The Gentleman Stationer, I’m at the end of the Vanness Pens setup to the right in the hallway outside the main ballroom!

The 2023 Release by Vanness Pens and The Good Blue Company — Vanness has released a second exclusive collaboration with The Good Blue, in case you’re looking for a pen to tuck into your new Lochby case! This is “Vanness Green” splattered over black Cerakote! You can read my review of their first collaboration here.

Bags by Rubbertree After-Hours Pen Show Carry — The renovated show hotel has a MUCH better setup this year for after-hours socializing, and each year the “Pen Show Carry” bags you see keep getting bigger, and bigger, and bigger….

I Almost Forgot Our Annual DC Pen Show Promotion! Use “PENSHOW10” at Checkout for 10% Off Most Orders!

Some exclusions will apply (like TWSBI), but most items are eligible for our annual DC Pen Show Sale that will run through Sunday at 11:59pm CT. Use the PENSHOW10 checkout code to claim a discount for those unable to attend the show in person, or for those who came to see something in person but found that I was unable to bring it with me!

Most of my show photos will be posted in my larger show recap next week, and I’ll have lots to talk about, both in terms of reactions to the show itself and a few things I’ll have picked up! Meanwhile, it’s time to go set up the table!

The Gentleman Stationer is supported entirely by purchases through the T.G.S. Curated Shop and pledges via the T.G.S. Patreon Program.