Need a Last Minute Gift Idea? Consider a T.G.S. Giftcard! Also, new Pocket Pen Arrivals!

For those of you (us) who might need to come up with a few last-minute gift ideas, remember that we do offer T.G.S. Gift Cards! These will be delivered via e-mail, with the code valid for redemption either online or in-store. Gift cards are excellent options for fountain pen enthusiasts in particular, as we can be picky! If you need additional last minute ideas or gifts for New Years or post-Christmas arrival, check out the gift guide.

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Rite in the Rain hardcover journals are the field notebook of choice for many who work outdoors or simply love to explore.

While too late for Christmas delivery, this week we received shipments of new products from Fisher Space Pen and Rite in the Rain, including “write anywhere” pocket pens and Rite in the Rain’s weatherproof journals and notebooks for all your 2025 adventures!

While our online shop remains open, our physical location will be closed until Friday, December 27, when we will resume normal hours! Happy holidays to all!

Ask TGS: Five Bad Stationery Gift Ideas

Since it’s that time of year again, the T.G.S. hotline has been ringing with questions about gift ideas. While most of our general advice is set out in the annual gift guide, many of you still prefer to write in with specific questions, and that’s ok! I enjoy hearing from readers and talking through potential purchases, though I sometimes find myself talking people down from what I’d consider missteps. Here are five stationery-related holiday gifts that I would avoid.

1. Unsolicited Fountain Pen Purchases. For years I’ve been discouraging fountain pen gift purchases, and this typically comes up in one of two ways: (1) someone looking to purchase a gift for a fountain pen enthusiast; and (2) a fountain pen enthusiast looking to get someone into fountain pens by gifting them a relatively expensive fountain pen. Both, in my opinion, are bad ideas. As to the first point, fountain pen fans have very specific preferences, and unless they’ve requested a specific pen or you understand their preferences extremely well, you risk spending money on something that turns out to be a miss. On the second point, if you want to get someone a nice pen because you think they will use it every day, go with a rollerball or ballpoint. If you truly think someone might enjoy a fountain pen, either choose an inexpensive cartridge pen like a Platinum Plaisir or Prefounte, Pilot Explorer, or TWSBI Swipe, or give them a gift card to a brick-and-mortar retailer near them and let them try pens in person first. It comes down to personal preference - different pens work for different people, and with new users it’s almost impossible to predict what they will like.

2. Pen and Pencil Sets. The picture above is roughly half the Cross Century and Century II pens and pencils in my possession. Between 1970 and 2000, literally everyone alive in the United States received one of these sets from a relative as a “milestone” gift (birthday, graduation, etc.). In my family, they have all been re-gifted to me over the years “because you like pens so much.” While they are classy looking, and Cross has done a great job of marketing these sets as a classic gift option, there are better options out there (including from Cross - try the Townsend, which features a similar silhouette in a more modern, comfortable size). The ultra-slim Century, the still-slim Century II, and the countless clones from other brands, can be too narrow for many people to use other than for quick notes, and modern pen enthusiasts tend to prefer larger pens.

3. Ostentatious Engravings. If you want to engrave a pen for someone, limit yourself to initials. Messages that are too personal make it hard for someone to use a nice pen in a work meeting, since engravings tend to be eye-catching. Finally, DO NOT engrave pens with things like childhood nicknames. (Yes, I still have it. No, the pen will never see the light of day.)

4. Dated Planner Systems. Planner and notebook systems are not bad gifts per se, but not everyone uses planners, and some people prefer undated over dated. (The “personal preference” thing rears its head again.) I might recommend gifting a notebook cover and some blank refills, and pairing with a gift card so that they can choose to add planner functionality later.

5. Colored Sharpie Markers. Especially for a child. I mean, seriously? You know who you are, and yes, you are still banned from our home until we replace the rest of the furniture.

The Gentleman Stationer is supported by purchases from the T.G.S. Curated Shop and pledges via the T.G.S. Patreon Program. For a more serious discussion of stationery-related gift ideas, please check out our gift guide, as mentioned above, or come see us in-person! We’re open this week Thursday-Sunday, and otherwise by appointment.

New Arrivals: Pilot S20 Ballpoints, Uni Jetstream Prime and Edge, and More Giftable Ballpoints

Ahead of the holidays, one of my top priorities was to restock our supply of higher-end ballpoint, rollerball, and gel pens, especially Japanese imports, but we also made room to bring in some new finds. Last week, we received our first shipment of the excellent Pilot S20 ballpoint, which uses Pilot’s hybrid “Acro-ink” and performs similarly to the Uniball Jetstream. A friend from our local pen club gifted me a S20 last year, and I couldn’t get over how comfortable this pen was to use: it sports an hourglass silhouette and soft, polished wood finish in two striated wood grains: red/black and brown/black. We also have a healthy supply of the Dr. Grip “Cocoon” refills, which is that cartridge that fits the S20.

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Other new arrivals include the Pilot Birdie/Birdie Switch: a small format writing instrument from Pilot that comes as either a mechanical pencil or “reversible multi-pen”; as well as additional stock of the Uni Jetstream Prime, the Uni Jetstream Edge, and the Zebra Sarasa Grande Vintage. All colors and tip sizes should be restocked and showing as available.

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The hourglass shape of the S20 ballpoint simply fits very well in your hand!

Store Holiday Hours and T.G.S. Holiday Gift Guide

I’ve updated the shop hours for Thanksgiving week. While we will be closed Thursday, we plan to open Friday (10am-7pm); Saturday (10am-7pm), and Sunday (12-5pm) to kick off the holiday shopping season. Remember that you can always shop by appointment outside of our public hours.

Also, don’t miss our 2024 Holiday Gift Guide, which walks through stationery gift options and recommendations that include pens, pencils, paper, and other desk and reading accessories for those who appreciate analog things! If you have gift-related questions, always feel free to reach out.

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If you come see us in-store, you’ll be able to peruse our growing selection of inks, including the entire range of Teranishi Guitar Inks in over a dozen colors!

The T.G.S. 2024 Holiday Gift Guide is Live!

Our annual Holiday Gift Guide has been updated and is live on the site! The biggest difference this year has been our ability to offer everything in our gift guide for in-person shopping at our new Brick-and-Mortar store, located in Nashville, Tennessee! We plan to have regular hours through the holidays, and will possibly open on a few additional Sundays between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day. We are usually at the shop for a few hours every day, even those days we are officially “closed,” so if you’d like to make an appointment to shop on days that we are not showing as open please do reach out.

A few highlights on holiday shopping from T.G.S., in addition to what is mentioned in the updated Gift Guide:

• Certain Items Are Limited. Roterfadens, Sunderland Pens, Diamine Inkvent Calendars, and some of the new Kawecos that recently arrived, such as the new Classic Piston Filler and the AL Sport Olivine, are available in limited quantities and it’s been hard to get timely restocks this year. If you’ve been considering one of these items, and it’s available, please don’t wait.

• We Have a Ton of New Ink In-Store. All of our recent ink shipments, including new inks from Diamine, Teranishi Guitar, and Platinum, arrived at around the same time! While we’re working as fast as possible to get these listed online, they are all available immediately for purchase in-person.

• Shipping/Delivery Times. While our shipping times have been pretty fast since we’ve moved to our new space (orders are typically out the door within 2 business days), we have no control over carrier delivery times, which always slow during the holidays. I would advise giving yourself 10 days grace if you need something for a gift by a specific date. Note that during the holiday season, due to unpredictable delays, some carriers are not considering a package “lost” until 20 days have passed on a domestic delivery, and up to 6 weeks for international shipments. If you need something expedited, please send us an e-mail and we can explore overnight or express shipping options.

As stressful as it is, I always love the holiday season! Enjoy the gift guide, thank you for your support, and as always, please reach out if you have any questions.

The 2023 T.G.S. Holiday Gift Guide is Live!

Sure, it’s not even Thanksgiving yet, but since I’ve been getting “Black Friday Sale” alerts since the Fourth of July, why not? ;) You can find the 2023 version of the Gift Guide here, and since new arrivals tend to trickle in from distributors through November and early December, I will likely update it periodically.

Each year, I don’t revise the Gift Guide from scratch, since the different categories of recommendations don’t change much. Since the store has grown exponentially in the past year, however, you’ll find new items in each category, most of which are targeted gift ideas for those who you think might appreciate stationery but may not necessarily be as “enthusiastic” about it as many T.G.S. readers.

A Note on Shipping

This looks to be a busy holiday season, so the earlier you get your orders in the better. The holidays always suffer from shipping delays - we have no control over USPS, UPS, or Fedex - so please give yourself time by ordering well in advance of when you will need your package to arrive. Finally, please review our shipping polices, particularly as they pertain to international shipments as those are more delay-prone due to customs issues.

As always, many thanks for your support! The Gentleman Stationer is supported entirely by purchases through the T.G.S. Curated Shop and pledges via the T.G.S. Patreon Program.