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!

State of The Gentleman Stationer: One Year As a (Brick-and-Mortar) Shop Owner, Plus Upcoming Events!

The other day a customer asked how long we had been open, and it hit me that a YEAR had passed since the physical T.G.S. Shop opened its doors on Kenilwood Drive in Nashville. So how has it gone? Despite an “eventful” 12 months, I have zero regrets about making the decision to start a brick-and-mortar shop and grow The Gentleman Stationer further. It’s not only helped me to fulfill a lifelong goal of operating and running my own business, but has given me the opportunity to create a space in my hometown that I’ve always wanted to exist: a local shop exclusively focused on high-end stationery for actual writing. I figured today I should take a bit to reflect on all I’ve learned over the past year, and also share some exciting new developments and news on upcoming events!

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And to think this is where we were a year ago!

Five Things I’ve Learned from Running a Brick-and-Mortar Stationery Store

1. Your Local Pen Community Is Important. While it may seem as though all hobbies - even analog ones - are moving online these days, I can’t imagine doing this without my regular customers and pen club members who continue to show up every weekend like clockwork. Their patronage and enthusiasm not only supports the shop directly, but directly contributes to growing our local community as a whole. Having regulars hanging out and talking in the store spreads the word about things like pen club, pen shows, new products, and events, which not only translates to return business but a growing local pen community. Middle Tennessee Fountain Pen Club meetings and annual events such as the upcoming Pelikan Hub seemingly draw more attendees every year!

2. My Online Presence Is Equally Critical. Even for local businesses focused on local customers, having an online presence is crucial because even those who want to shop local use the internet to find their local stationery store. And while there will always be a few things I wish I had done differently, growing the retail business online before attempting a brick-and-mortar store is not one of them. Everyone advised me that it would take 6 months to a year for customers to really start to “find you,” and while the physical shop more than funds itself now, having the online business provided a safety net that helped me sleep at night during those first months.

3. Steady Growth Is Better Than “Going Viral.” I’ve intentionally focused on steady growth of the business at a pace that I find both sustainable and enjoyable to run. Yes, I could invest heavily in cultivating a presence on every social media network, attending multiple pen shows and out-of-town events per month while others ran the shop in my absence, and bringing in every trendy new pen or ink line that comes my way, but that’s not the kind of business I want to run. I enjoy being in the shop personally, and my business model is focused on heavy curation and offering those products that I understand and can recommend coherently. We’re expanding, but at a pace I’m comfortable with.

4. I Actually Enjoy Running Events. More on this below, but I really enjoy organizing and hosting gatherings. Every Saturday in the shop feels like a pen show! I’d like to expand the T.G.S. in-store experience to include things like brand takeovers, trunk shows, classes and workshops, and even analog-themed community events like pen club meetups, game nights, and/or book clubs. We are adding additional space and reorganizing our current location to make it easier for us to play host, so look for additional details and announcements in the coming month as we are getting closer to making this a reality.

5. I Need 36 Hours in the Day. For anyone who has ever worked for themselves, this is self-explanatory. Even at a “sustainable” pace, there’s always something else to do, and for me it poses somewhat of a risk to my mental health and stamina because when I’m really enjoying a project I want to work on it all the time. Finding more of a balance - and a true day off - is going to be a focus for the year ahead.

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For our initial event - and hopefully to kick off our new shop location - Shawn and Lisa are coming to visit! They’ve both been invaluable friends and colleagues over the past year, and I’m looking forward to hosting!

A Special Announcement for Next Month: Lisa Vanness and Shawn Newton In-Store October 17-October 19!

So what’s next? Now that the growth phase has slowed down a bit, as mentioned I want to start holding some in-store special events. First up is a weekend takeover featuring my friends Lisa Vanness of Vanness Pens and Shawn Newton of Newton Pens, who will be in-store the weekend of October 17 through October 19 so save the date if you plan to be in Nashville! Lisa will be bringing exclusive inks and other uncommon items from Japan (among other things), and Shawn will of course have his Newton Pens lineup. Please stay tuned for exact details, including possible special/expanded hours.

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Want to Hear More Stationery Talk and Behind-the-Scenes Stories? We’re Launching a Podcast!

Those of you in the T.G.S. Patreon likely already know about this, since you’ve had access to the first two “pre-episodes,” but Lisa Vanness and I are launching a podcast that will be released 1-2 times per month, focused not just on the retail side of stationery but on more in-depth discussion of the stationery we personally enjoy and how we use it. For now, the episodes are Patreon-exclusive but look for a public release sometime during the fourth quarter of 2025.

A special huge thank-you to all of you who have supported the Gentleman Stationer going back to 2014, and who have made all this possible, especially our Patreon Supporters who believe in us enough to provide monthly support via the T.G.S. Patreon Program. Support goes beyond the monetary contribution - simply knowing that there is a dedicated group of people who believe in you and show up every month makes this worthwhile.

Recapping the 2024 Chicago Planner Conference: An Entirely New Experience!

I have a Venn diagram in my head of the greater stationery community, with the classic overlapping circles showing all the different areas of interest, some of which overlap, and some of which barely overlap at all. There are not only "pen people", but "journal people", "planner people", "sticker/washi people", "pencil people", sketchnoters, and many more. The one common thread running through all of these various communities is a love of analog, and while not all hyper-specific passions and obsessions are necessarily shared, I've always felt that this might be more a question of lack of awareness than a true lack of interest.

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I spent the past weekend at the 2024 Chicago Planner Conference, helping my friends from Vanness Pens and the Well-Appointed Desk teach a class on fountain pen inks and paper, and generally exploring this new (to me) area of stationery. It may help to first define "planners". This isn't a Filofax or Plotter convention, though traditional organizers do have a central role. Rather, at shows like the Chicago Planner Conference, Wild for Planners, and other similar events, "planning" is a broader concept that draws in those interested in organizing, journaling, scrapbooking, and art. The planners and personal organizers that tend to take center stage are different from the Plotters and Traveler's Notebooks that you tend to see at pen shows, and include smaller brands catering specifically to a more niche planner community. As an interesting aside, as more "planner people" discover fountain pens, many of the makers and brands that cater to this specific group were wanting to talk to us about fountain pen friendly paper, and how they could make their products more compatible with fountain pens since it's something many of their customers are interested in.

Not your typical pen show hotel.

Planner Conference vs Pen Show vs Stationery Fest

The biggest difference that jumped out at me immediately was the lack of focus on "the consumer." The Chicago Planner Conference has grown rapidly in the past few years, but only in the past two have they offered a pen show-style marketplace where attendees could shop on site. Even so, the event revolves around content and experiences, not shopping: Attendees pay $300+ for admission mainly to enjoy speakers, classes, photo ops, after-hours parties and events, and more. I would say that the choice of venue (the historic Chicago Hilton) reflects this focus, as it was much more comfortable, centrally located, and a touch more expensive than your typical pen show hotel. At least two other conferences were running alongside CPC over the weekend.

Pen Shows and the new trend - stationery fairs or "stationery festivals" - are generally viewed more as buying opportunities, though certain shows (the D.C. Pen Show, the San Francisco Pen Show, and Yoseka's NYC Stationery Fest) have offered an broader range of seminars and workshops for attendees to enjoy. Because the event is focused more on the vendors, and the ability to sell to as many people as possible, there is no cap on attendance and the public shows get very crowded as a result. At a more traditional "conference," where attendees buy an expensive ticket and the number sold is limited to roughly 500, the event runs at a slower, less frenzied pace. There are correspondingly fewer vendors - if there are any at all - and most brands and retailers in attendance focus more on engaging with their customers (and truly meeting new ones) than maximizing profit over the limited number of hours selling is permitted. Sure, the event has a TON of energy, and its still busy, but it's less hoards of people rushing to buy as much stuff as they possibly can from a given table and more pure excitement to be there.

A shot of the vendor marketplace during vendor setup on Saturday morning. Compared to a pen show, the space was absolutely massive.

This to me was the key difference - everyone seemed so happy simply to be at the event, as opposed to the nervous anxiety and "fear of missing out" on purchases that’s so prevalent at traditional pen shows. For example, the vendor marketplace was only open specific hours each day: Friday 4-9pm, Saturday 8-9:30am and 4-7pm; and on Sunday from 8-9:30am and 1-2pm (or something approximately along those lines). Many attendees who came by the table to shop only did so for the first time on Sunday afternoon because they were otherwise occupied and focused elsewhere. For the whole weekend!

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Event tickets are expensive, but attendees walk away with a ton of sponsor swag. For the main sessions on Saturday, attendees are assigned to a table sponsored by specific brands/companies, and each attendee receives gift bags, in addition to your event swag bag that you receive upon registration. This is only a small portion of what I took home!

My Own Takeaways and whether You should Attend

If I had to describe my weekend at the Chicago Planner Conference, the word I would choose is "refreshing". While the content was not 100% on-point with my own personal interests, I often find it helpful to venture outside my own comfort zone and get some new ideas on how to organize my analog life, journal, and collect my thoughts on paper. If you've ever wanted to explore more artistic avenues of expression outside of writing, you'll find plenty of inspiration at this show. And I can't underscore enough how much happier the attendees seemed than at your typical pen show. I found it refreshing to see pure passion as opposed to FOMO.

Should you attend? It depends on why you go to shows and similar events. For those of you who enjoy attending pen shows mainly to shop, maybe not. On the other hand, if, like me, you enjoy pen shows as an opportunity to see your friends, meet other like-minded enthusiasts, trade your extras and duplicates after hours, and perhaps learn something new, I would definitely recommend looking at next year's Chicago event. Especially if you're into planners (you'll know who you are). :)

The Gentleman Stationer is supported entirely by purchases from the T.G.S. Curated Shop and pledges via the T.G.S. Patreon Program. We also have a brick-and-mortar store, which you can visit! See here for hours.

It's Fountain Pen Day Weekend! Here are the T.G.S. Fountain Pen Day Promotions, In-Store and Online!

Happy Fountain Pen Day, everyone! On Friday, November 1 (or the first Friday in November), the international community of fountain pen enthusiasts comes together to celebrate our mutual love of pens, inks, and paper, as well as pencils, desk and reading accessories, and all things analog. And each year, we always have special sales and product offerings to celebrate through the weekend. Without further ado, here are the 2024 T.G.S. Fountain Pen Day specials, both online and in-store:

Online Promotions Available in the T.G.S. Curated Shop

Take 10% off most brands storewide all weekend (Now through Sunday at 11:59pm U.S. Central Time), using the coupon code “FPDAY24” at checkout. The normal exclusions apply, as certain brands such as TWSBI, Roterfaden, Sunderland, Blackwing, and Pilot are not subject to further discounting per manufacturer’s terms. All orders over $75 will continue to qualify for free shipping.

Orders over $50 (before shipping) will receive a full set of Fountain Pen Day swag, while supplies last. The full set includes the 2024 bookmark, button, and sticker. Orders below $50 will receive the 2024 bookmark. If supplies run out you will receive equivalent T.G.S. Swag or such other freebies as I have available!

Now for our online exclusive: We’ve assembled a limited number of Fountain Pen Friendly Paper Samplers and Woodcase Pencil Samplers, all priced at $10. Here’s the kicker - if your order exceeds $100, prior to shipping, you can get one of these samplers FOR FREE using the coupon code “FREEPAPER” or “FREEPENCILS” at checkout. IN THE INTEREST OF ALLOWING AS MANY PEOPLE AS POSSIBLE TO PARTICIPATE, ORDERS ARE LIMITED TO ONE SAMPLER PER CUSTOMER. NO EXCEPTIONS. Please choose either paper or pencils, not both. If both are added to an order, only one will be sent and requests for multiples will not be honored. This is a pure while-supplies-last promotion. Simply add your sampler of choice to the $100 order and use the applicable coupon code to remove the charge.

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If you buy a fountain pen in-store, you’ll definitely leave with some ink!

In-Store Specials! Come By and See Us in Our Nashville Shop

In-store purchases will be eligible for the 10% discount if you mention the FPDAY24 Code, and will also receive Fountain Pen Day Swag while supplies last. We are also going to be running some Fountain Pen Day / “TGS Grand Opening” in-store exclusives, which will only be announced in-store to those who come visit us in person, but they’re sure to be worth your while. See the “About” page for details on our physical location, hours, and how to find us. We will be open on Fountain Pen Day (Friday), from 1pm - 7pm. We hope to see you there!

The Gentleman Stationer is supported by purchases from the T.G.S. Curated Shop and pledges via the T.G.S. Patreon Program. Patreon supporters will be receiving a special offer this weekend, and our meetup will be held Saturday night, so please check the feed for details.

Pre-Fountain Pen Day Giveaways, Plus Details on In-Store Events and "Grand Opening"!

I know Fountain Pen Day isn’t for another two weeks, but since I’ve got to start planning for our first “in-store” Fountain Pen Day celebration, I figured why not kick things off a bit early with a giveaway and promotion that will run up until Fountain Pen Day on Friday, November 1! For those unfamiliar, Fountain Pen Day is celebrated on the first Friday of November, and is celebrated worldwide as a time to embrace, promote and share the use of fountain pens. Read more on the official Fountain Pen Day website.

First Up, Giveaway Details!

From now through Fountain Pen Day, we’re giving away two fun “starter sets”, each of which includes a pen, two pocket-sized notebooks, and a small bottle of ink from Anderillium! The two specific giveaway prizes include:

• Kakimori Colour Liner Brush Pen. In addition to the pen, you will receive a small bottle of Anderillium ink, a Tomoe River Pocket Notebook from Lochby, and a TGS-stamped Pocket Notebook from Scout Books.

• Platinum Plaisir “Aura” Fountain Pen. In addition to the Platinum Fountain pen, which is a .3mm/fine nib and will ship with a converter installed, the Plaisir will also include a small bottle of Anderillium Ink and both pocket notebooks.

Both packs will also include a bunch of T.G.S. Swag, including buttons, stickers, and more!

Giveaway rules are simple: Either comment on this post or like the accompanying Instagram post that will go up shortly. I will number all comments and likes and pick two winners using a random number generator. Giveaway will run through 11:59pm US Central Time on Thursday, October 31. While the giveaway is open to everyone (both those in the U.S. and Internationally), I may ask international winners to chip in on shipping, depending on the cost. The value of each package is approximately $30-40.

You can take a video tour of our shop on the YouTube Channel!

Grand Opening / Pre-Fountain Pen Day Promotion!

From now until Fountain Pen Day (Friday, November 1), we’re also running a sales promo! Any fountain pen purchase of $30 or more from our shop will include a small bottle of ink free of charge. This will likely be a small bottle of Herbin, Anderillium, or other ink that we have in our “sample chest”. The color will be a surprise, though we will do our best to match it to your pen! The $30 purchase limit excludes shipping, but you can reach that number by combining a fountain pen with other items. (i.e., you can purchase a $15 fountain pen and add a $15 notebook, and still have that qualify as a “Fountain Pen purchase” for purposes of the promotion).

We will announce our specific Fountain Pen Day deals closer to Nov. 1, but they will be different from this offer, which ends on October 31. Also, we are planning to host an all-day in-store event on Friday, November 1 (“Fountain Pen Day”), which will feature in-store exclusive promotions, in-store pen and ink testing, free samples, and whatever else I can think of. We’ve only recently launched our brick-and-mortar store so we’re looking forward to welcoming as many of you as possible in-person.

The Gentleman Stationer is supported by purchases through our own T.G.S. Curated Shop, and pledges via the T.G.S. Patreon Program. If you’d like to visit our store in-person, you can view location and hours here. Please spread the word, as we are newly opened in the Nashville, Tennessee area and want people to know where we are!