So I’m kicking off an extended period of pen-related travel with a trip to New York City to attend NYNow and Shoppe Object, two of the largest stationery trade shows in the country. Hopefully I’ll come back not just with lots of fun stories but new finds for the T.G.S. Curated Shop, which I have plans to expand. (See yesterday’s post for the latest arrivals, and I’ll be spending some of my “down time” this weekend updating inventory and listing a few stragglers that arrived yesterday.) Shoppe Object is where I first discovered my friends at WMS & Co. back in 2020, and while I don’t know that they’re attending this year, the ability to meet with these brands in a somewhat more laid-back setting where there’s no immediate pressure to buy (unlike at a direct-to-consumer pen show) is invaluable in finding new additions that might be a good fit for our business.
From left: Conid Bulkfiller Kingsize; Schon DSGN Full Size; Pilot Custom 823; Traveler’s Company Fountain Pen; TWSBI Precision Mechanical Pencil (.5mm Retractable); and Montblanc Classique Fineliner.
Enough Shop Talk, What’s the Travel Kit?
While it could be just a by-product of working primarily from home for the past few years and getting out of a “travel mentality”, the act of prepping for a trip has started to cause me a greater degree of stress than it used to. I decided to keep it simple this time, sticking my journals and an A5 Tomoe River notebook into my Lochby Field Journal, and pulling together some airplane-friendly pens into my Lochby Tool Roll. My Plotter A5 is coming with me as the notebook I plan to carry around the city and to the shows. I just realized I forgot my headphones, but hey, at least I have my stationery!
This is a pretty compact carry for three notebooks and seven pens.
Send Me NYC Stationery Store Recommendations!
It’s been three years since I’ve been to New York City, so my stationery store list is hopelessly out of date. I’ve shockingly never visited Yoseka Stationery, so that’s on my list as a “go visit right away” trip as soon as I hit the ground. CW Pencil Enterprise has sadly closed, and Fountain Pen Hospital is not open on the weekends. I have some time to kill, so give me a hand here!
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