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!

Sunday Reading for October 12, 2025

1. 2025 Commonwealth Pen Show Notes (via Line Variation). A nice writeup on one of the many regional pen shows around the country. While a smaller show, Commonwealth had three nib workers and a mix of Modern and vintage.

2. Two Day London Pen Show This Weekend (via Dapprman). The London Autumn Pen Show moved to two days this fall! While it may be over by the time you get this due to time change, if you’re in the area remember to stop by to support your local shows, especially if they are trying to expand.

3. A Visit to Retro 51 (via Pen Addict - Kimberly). What’s the Dallas Pen Show without a post-show visit to Retro 51 HQ?

4. Papa J Studio (via Figboot on Pens). A fun video about a relatively new (to me) maker with some unique resins, including floral-infused patterns.

5. Little Rock Hotel Stream: Looking at My Latest Vanness Order and Some New To Me Typewriters (via dwrdnet). Now that’s a road trip!

6. Most Boring Pen I’ve Used - NEW Muji Pocket Fountain Pen (via Doodlebud). But isn’t boring good sometimes? It is to me.

7. Ink Review: Callifolio Orange Inks (via Mountain of Ink). Another excellent ink brand that tends to get lost among the dozens out there these days. Callifolio inks shade very nicely and work well in most pens.

8. Wonderland 222 Tomoe River Tomoegawa B6 (& Giveaway). Apparently some of their planners still use “old school” Tomoe River Paper, if you’ve been looking….

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In Case You Missed It….

This week on the blog I previewed our new shop/showroom build-out, which is located at the front of our current location and should streamline things for in-person visitors, including making the entrance easier to find. I am moving over inventory this week and should be on track to open in the new location this coming weekend! I also did an especially relevant “Ask TGS” post concerning the Pilot “Soft” nibs featured in the new Custom 74 Lavender Fog, after I received a couple of concerning customer question and online inquiries about whether these should be considered flex nibs. (They’re not.)

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We’ve restocked on Penco Pens and Hightide Desk Accessories, including these slim D1 Multi-Pens here.

New Arrivals in the T.G.S. Curated Shop

This was a busy week, as the pre-holiday shipments started rolling in! We have very few remaining Colorverse Colorvent Calendars, and only a handful of Custom 74 Lavender Fog pens from our initial shipment, so if you’ve had your eye on one of these please don't wait. We also have the new Pilot Prera fountain pens, and we’ve further expanded our written correspondence shop with the addition of Original Crown Mill stationery from Belgium. This excellent laid writing paper can be used for standard writing as well, but it rose to fame as a fountain pen-friendly correspondence paper that’s still relatively reasonable price-wise. Be sure to check out each week’s Thursday Drops post for a full list of new arrivals!

Original Crown Mill

Pilot Iroshizuku

Penco

Pilot Pens

Nashville Event on October 17-18: T.G.S. Event with Vanness Pens and Newton Pens!

The big news is that we will be having an in-store event on Friday and Saturday, October 17th and 18th, with pen maker Shawn Newton and Lisa Vanness of Vanness Pens, who will be bringing 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!

If you enjoy our content (whether here on the main website, Instagram, YouTube Channel or elsewhere), and would like early/extra access to shop releases and special promotions, consider supporting us via Patreon. The T.G.S. Patreon includes early access and discounts on exclusive shop releases, a monthly updates newsletter, and of course our monthly meetups. Patreon supporters also have access to the first two episodes of a new podcast experiment I’ve been working on with Lisa Vanness of Vanness Pens. More on this later, but for the time being the initial episodes are Patreon-exclusive.

Ask TGS: Can I "Flex" a Pilot Soft Nib? What Does "Soft Fine" or "Soft Medium" Mean?

Because I’ve received this question two times in the past three days, in connection with the release of the Pilot Custom 74 Lavender Fog, I figured I would go ahead and answer because it’s important. To be clear, the Pilot “Soft” nibs are not flex nibs, and trying to force these nibs to flex may result in damage to the nib if you press them too hard.

So What Is a “Soft” Nib?

Some Japanese brands, namely Pilot and Platinum, sell a “soft” version of their fine, medium, and fine-medium 14k nibs. These nibs are slightly bouncier than the relatively stiff standard Japanese gold nibs, and will feel springier and put more ink on the page with a wetter line. That said, there is a fair bit of misinformation out there on whether or not these nibs are “flexible”, and whether you can press down on them to get additional line variation. I have to reiterate - do not try to flex these pens as you would a vintage flex nib, calligraphy nib, or even a Pilot FA nib. While they have some give to them, they are simply not designed to “spring back” into shape like a true flex nib.

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I find the soft nibs very pleasant to use to write standard cursive. As you can see, the additional bounce in the nib gives some slight variation to your letters, and the ink flows nicely.

Some of the confusion may stem from the fact that nib technicians advertise these nibs as suitable for conversion to a more flexible nib. For example, I have a pen that I sent to Custom Nib Studio, to which Gena added flex by thinning out the tines. Soft nibs from Pilot and Platinum often make very good candidates for this nib modification, but they are a starting point, not a finished product in that regard.

For the U.S. market, Pilot releases specialty nibs such as the “soft” nib series in specific models - typically the Custom Heritage 91 and the Custom 743. I was thrilled to see these nibs released in the Custom 74 model, which remains one of my favorite everyday writers because it’s nearly the perfect size for my hand. As I noted yesterday, I picked a Soft Fine-Medium in the Lavender Fog because I wasn’t going to let this one go.

The “Ask TGS” series of blog posts features questions from readers and customers that frequently appear in my inbox, social media DMs, and customer questions. When one of the questions has immediate relevance and/or urgency - such as this one - I will bump that question to the top of the list. Some of the most frequent posts are summarized on our FAQ page.

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!