Your Support Matters! Consider Becoming a TGS Patreon Member and Help Grow Our Community!

Happy New Year! Those of you who have been following this site over the years know that it’s constantly evolved, and 2024 will be no exception. How do we keep the lights on and fund all of this? Direct reader support, either through purchases in the T.G.S. Curated Shop or pledges via T.G.S. Patreon. While T.G.S. posts multiple pieces of original blog and social media content per week, the site hasn’t relied on third-party advertising and affiliate support to pay its bills for several years now. Whether you’re a longtime reader or only recently discovered the site, I’d appreciate it if you’d take a brief moment to browse the carefully curated selection of goods in the shop, and/or visit the Patreon Page. Last month, I wrote a bit about how we curate goods for our shop, and how it integrates into the larger vision for T.G.S. In short, we highlight well-made pens, pencils, paper, and desk and reading accessories that not only look great but are actually meant to be used in your everyday life.

What Does the T.G.S. Patreon Membership Entail?

I’ve enjoyed building an active community both here on the site and on Patreon, which I think of as an “extension” of T.G.S. for our most dedicated readers and supporters. Over the past year the Patreon program consolidated at two levels of monthly support: $3 or $5, with a 10% discount for an annual pledge so you don’t have to deal with recurring charges. Among other benefits, Patreon supporters receive a handwritten thank-you note from me and some swag (depending on support level), a welcome discount code good for one use in the shop, access to the monthly online meetup, early access to T.G.S. exclusive release products and my periodic “Gently Used” sample sales, and special content. My most recent series of exclusive posts was a series on the 2023 Diamine “Inkvent” Calendar, the first of which is publicly available.

I’m looking forward to 2024, and building on what we’ve been able to do with your generous support so far! I plan to share more about what’s in store for this year in the coming weeks, as I’m constantly exploring new ways to grow our community.

Sunday Reading for December 31, 2023 (New Year's Eve Edition)

1. Creating an Artist Book with Inkvent Inks (via A Gathering of Curiosities). I love seeing how everyone has used their Inks, especially making beautiful gifts like this one.

2. Diamine Inkvent 2023, Closing Thoughts (via Cheryl Lindo Jones). While 2023 did indeed have a bit of a slow start, there were some great colors in this year’s set!

3. Diamine Inkvent 2023 Summary (via Writing at Large). I followed the daily posts over at Writing at Large throughout December!

4. Visiting Stationery Shops in Japan (via Inkredible Colours). Bookmarking this for later this year. (Hopefully….)

5. Bokumondoh Urushi Studio (via Figboot on Pens). Lots of us received pens back from Bokumondoh in 2024, and I’ve enjoyed reading everyone’s reactions.

6. Lamy Cursive Nib: Why Didn’t Anyone Tell Me? (via Cheryl Lindo Jones). One of the best-kept secrets in “nibdom”! We still have several in stock, just sayin’….

7. Papier Plume Iron Lace (via Fountain Pen Pharmacist). I purchased a bottle of this ink during my last trip to New Orleans and absolutely loved it! Blacks and greys with subtle undertones of other colors were my kryptonite this year.

8. Greatest of All Time (GOAT) 2023 (via SBRE Brown). Another post long-awaited by many each year!

9. Personal Fountain Pen Roundup for 2023 (via Dapprman). We’ll likely be seeing many more year-end wrap-ups as people evaluate their collections. I appreciate the trend of people being more deliberate with their acquisitions.

10. A Planner and a Plan (via Pete Denison). I’m still in the process of firming up my own plans, but some of us are well on our way!

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In Case You Missed It….

I’m not a huge “New Year’s Eve Person,” preferring instead to spend my day resting up for Jan. 2. You can read a bit more about what I’m up to in yesterday’s post, and it’s mainly cleaning, reorganizing, and, of course, shipping all your orders. ;) Earlier in the week, I wrote out my personal reflections and intentions for 2024, which hopefully my new journaling/planning strategy will reinforce. More on that later this week!

Last week I also did some 2023 year-end recap content, which you can catch up on here if you’ve been offline due to the holidays.

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

Restocks (finally) slowed down a bit this week, since most distributors are giving their employees a well-earned vacation prior to inventory counts this week! You can also help us out in this regard by shopping our year-end inventory clearance sale and New Year’s special, in which you can take 10% off all Notebook Systems through 11:59pm tomorrow night (January 1, 2024) using the coupon code “NEWYEAR24” at checkout! All orders over $75 still ship free, and many “last call” items have been marked down. That’s not to say there weren’t some new arrivals - we received a fresh shipment of Nakabayashi scissors, Logical series notebooks, and more!

Nakabayashi Paper

Scissors

Highlighter Leads

Profolio Oasis

Help Support T.G.S. in 2024!

If you enjoy our content (whether here on the main website, Instagram, YouTube Channel or elsewhere), there are several ways that you can support us. We do our best to remain 100% self-supported without having to rely on third-party advertisers or affiliates. Of course, the number one way to help is to visit our curated retail shop, especially during the upcoming holiday season! If you enjoy in-person and virtual meetups and having access to more personal content, consider joining the T.G.S. Patreon, which also includes early access to quarterly gently used sales. Patreon support starts as low as $3 per month, and if you pay annually there is a further discount. This month, Patreon supporters have had access to additional Inkvent content, including commentary on my favorite Diamine Inkvent inks and more. The first of these Inkvent posts is public, so please check out Patreon to learn more!

No matter how you support us - even if just with a comment, recommendation, or encouraging word - we greatly appreciate your readership!

Closing Out 2023 and Starting 2024: Five Ways I'm Getting Ready for the New Year

It’s New Year’s weekend already! I had a great 2023 and look forward to 2024, but I still feel as though I have a lot to do before I can dive into next year with as clean a slate as possible. I typically don’t make really rigid plans or resolutions, but most years I do take some basic steps to start the New Year “clean”, such as straightening up my house and office, emptying out my various bags, flushing pens, and taking donations to charity drop-off. For those who are curious about what exactly I’m doing this weekend, here are five things I’m currently focused on.

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**Note that I’ve omitted most of the business-specific things such as starting to pull together tax documents, counting inventory, etc. because they probably aren’t of interest or relevant to other people. If I disappear for a few days around the New Year, it’s likely because I’m working on one of these.

1. Cleaning Out My Pens. By the time December 31 rolls around, my office is in thorough need of a cleaning (including at least three or four pens that I’ve forgotten I had inked). As a general matter, at the end of the year I flush all of the pens currently in rotation and pick five to re-ink (with new inks!) to start January 1. Even though I generally dislike flushing pens with ink still in them - especially if it’s a combination that I enjoy - I can be kind of superstitious and equate starting the new year with the previous year’s pens still inked to waking up on New Year’s Day with the Christmas tree still set up. (People have strong feelings on this, but for me it always comes down 12/31.)

2. Setting Up My Planners/Journals. More out of necessity than anything else, I’ll spend New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day setting up my planners and journals. I’ll write a bit more about this next week, after I truly finalize the setup: I’m currently planning on reintroducing the Hobonichi planners but perhaps using them in a different format than intended. I don’t keep a paper planner and manage my calendar digitally, but I do keep several running journals where I track how I spend my time.

3. Writing Out My Analogue System. Relatedly, I picked up a tip from a book or a podcast (I can’t remember exactly where) that recommended you write out exactly how you intend to use a specific “system”, laminate it, and either carry it with you and/or post it at your desk. It helps ensure you’ll stick to your “plan.” While some might find this rigid and restrictive, I like this idea (especially for the first several weeks of the year) because I’m trying to make some significant changes to how I’ve traditionally done things in the past, and I need to build some new writing and journaling habits.

4. Scripting a Month of Reviews/Content. I use the term “scripting” loosely, but the first few months of the year can be light on both pen shows and new releases, and combined with post-holiday exhaustion/chaos, the time can get away from you. I like to hit January 1 knowing what my first month will look like in terms of the reviews I plan to work on and pieces I want to begin drafting. Towards the beginning of February, I get a better sense of what the upcoming year is going to look like, including months where I’ll be traveling heavily, and then can start building out the full annual content plan.

5. Making My Pen Show Travel Arrangements. As I mentioned in my personal reflections on 2023, I want to rethink my travel strategy for 2024, including spreading out the travel a bit so it doesn’t feel as though I’m spending weeks on the road at a time. There are certain shows I would never miss - both D.C. and especially San Francisco - but what about all those shows in-between? And then there’s the issue of attending at least one international show. This all will take at least an afternoon to think through, both in terms of travel logistics and funding.

Looking for something to help you kick off the New Year? Be sure to check out our ongoing New Year’s shop promotion, where you can snag 10% off all notebook systems (including covers, refills, and related accessories) using the code “NEWYEAR24” at checkout. There’s also several products with clearance pricing throughout the shop! Check the link for details. Several of us will also be discussing our plans for 2024 on tonight’s Patreon Meetup! Patreon members should check the Patreon feed for details.

Year-End Inventory Clearance! Further Markdowns and Specials to Celebrate the New Year!

Through Monday, grab 10% off all notebook systems with the coupon code “NEWYEAR24” at checkout. Eligible brands include Traveler’s Company, Midori, Stalogy, Lochby, WMS&Co and Laconic. This is in addition to the existing markdown on Traveler’s Notebook 2024 Diary Refills - it’s a great time to pick up a Traveler’s Notebook (or any other notebook system of your choice) as you prepare for 2024!

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We’ve also marked down many different items in each section of the shop. Just click on the “Sale” tab at the top of the page to view clearance pricing on items we’re looking to clear out before the end of the year when we have to do an inventory count, which we’d absolutely love to be as low as possible.

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

1. Traveler’s Notebook Starter Kits. We recently received a fresh shipment of Traveler’s Notebooks in most colors, in both Standard and Passport sizes. If you’re looking to set up the Traveler’s Notebook system for 2024, this is a great opportunity.

2. Traveler’s Company 2024 Diary Refills. All 2024 Traveler’s Notebook Diary refills have been marked down for 2024. The year-end discount code will be valid on top of the markdown, as well as on the standard undated refills.

3. Stalogy 365-Day and 1/2 Year Planners. Stalogy notebooks are known for their light grey ruling, with a layout that allows you to use them as an undated planner (great for bullet journaling) or a standard notebook.

4. Stalogy Undated Calendar Stickers. Easily add calendar/planner functionality to your standard notebook or the monthly page of your bullet journal with these stickers. They’re also removable so you can take them out or move them around as necessary.

5. WMS & Co. Calendar Pads. Available in full “desk pad” size, as well as a smaller “Keyboard” size that conveniently fits underneath your computer.

6. Write Notepads Weekly Planners. These week-to-two-pages landscape style planners are designed to sit easily on your desk and allow you to view the entire week at a glance. They also feature Write Notepad’s excellent paper, sturdy chipboard covers and a versatile undated layout.

7. Laconic Style A5 Notebooks. One of the surprise success stories for 2023, Laconic Tokyo’s “Style” series of notebooks (and bookmarks) allows you to build out a versatile planner system tailored to your needs with a wide range of refills.

8. Lochby Field Journal. Looking for a sturdy canvas A5 notebook cover that allows you to carry multiple A5 refills? These Lochby Field Journals close securely featuring a canvas strap with aluminum clip closure. Each notebook includes a single A5 Lochby dot-grid refill, but the system is compatible with any A5 sized notebook.

9. Lochby A5 Planner Refills. Lochby refills feature exceptionally fountain pen friendly 68gsm Tomoe River Paper, in a variety of layouts that includes an undated weekly planner format. Compatible not just with the Lochby system, these notebooks will fit any A5 cover.

10. Midori A5 Codex. Do you write every day? Do you enjoy having enough paper for a full year of journal entries, but don’t want the added “guilt” of skipping a day in a dated planner? Try the Codex.

11. Midori Multi-Year Diaries. Looking for a handsome hardbound diary that allows you to compare your entries from 3, 5, or even 10 years ago? I personally use the five year but the three might be less intimidating. People do LOVE the 10-year, however.

Intentions for 2024: Personal Reflections and Goals For the New Year

“Read more, write more, and drink more coffee.”

I’d say that I accomplished all three of my (simplified) intentions for 2023. I really nailed that third one. In all seriousness, you can distill my goals for the past year into a single sentence: Be more intentional in what I spend my time on, use my pens and paper to actually write and create, and keep in mind that everything I do here is with the goal of being helpful and fostering a sense of community around our shared interests. Because my intentions for 2024 haven’t changed much from 2022 and 2023, I get the feeling that I might be approaching a general “mission statement” for the site going forward.

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One of our most popular post is “Hierarchies of Fountain Pen Friendly Paper.” It - and other resources - could use a refresh.

Intention No. 1: Continue to Organize and Optimize the Back-Catalog of T.G.S. Content

T.G.S. will celebrate its 10th birthday in April, which means that there’s nearly 10 years worth of content available on the site. That’s a lot of writing, considering that I post at least four times a week (4 x 52 x 10 = 2080 posts). In recent years, I’ve made attempts to reduce the amount of obviously dated and/or irrelevant content, such as sale posts and new release announcements for products that no longer exist. However, even with periodic pruning, that still leaves a LOT of reviews, editorials pen show recaps, and how-to guides that can be difficult to navigate, especially for new users. Part of being intentional with my content is knowing when to take a step back from expanding and writing about “all the new stuff”, and when to devote time to making what already exists better. In 2024, for the 10th Anniversary, I’m planning some additional review archives (similar to the Fountain Pen Review Archive), as well as expanded and updated resource pages. Certain new content that I have on tap will look to fill the gaps in what currently exists.

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This year’s acquisitions reflect a mix of new and vintage pens - my personal acquisitions were just that - personal - and they are fewer in number than in recent years.

Intention No. 2: Minimize Personal Acquisitions

Much of the early Gentleman Stationer chronicled my own explorations and efforts to build a personal collection and develop my own base of knowledge about the stationery world. While there are always new products to explore and the learning never stops, after 10 years you definitely reach a point where each new addition to the collection seems less novel and less of an improvement over what you already own, and from a writing perspective, the focus shifts from learning yourself to sharing the knowledge you’ve already acquired with others. In 2023 I dramatically scaled back acquisitions for my personal collection to probably less than ten pens. I sold off or traded away many more, consolidated a large portion of my ink accumulation, and dramatically reduced my paper stash by … actually using it. I’m happier with less stuff, and it’s allowed me to focus funds on growing and improving TGS as a business rather than acquiring more that I don’t need personally.

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Eventually the travel will slow down, right?

Intention No. 3: Balance Pen Show Travel with Building a Presence in My Community

I traveled a LOT in 2023. I attended seven different pen shows, and to that you have to tack on at least five family excursions and multiple trips for my day job. Between all this travel and navigating a job change, I’m bone-tired. While my schedule unfortunately won’t slow down much this year, given my decision to focus more on T.G.S. from a business perspective, I do want to balance pen show travel with expanding my local presence in my community, including continuing to work towards opening a physical location that people can easily visit and browse goods in person. That might mean foregoing one or two U.S. pen shows in favor of holding local events in the Nashville-area. It certainly will mean working on additional content and opportunities for interaction with my online Patreon community. And of course (somewhat incongrously) I still want to make it to at least one international show….

Another year finished, on to the next!

At the end of each year, I publish a series of recaps that include Part I: Five Favorite Acquisitions of 2023; Part II: Five Favorite Products Reviewed in 2023; Part III: Best Sellers from the T.G.S. Curated Shop; and Part IV: Series and Editorials. Today’s post concludes that series with my thoughts looking forward to 2024!