Ask TGS: Five Reasons I Love Fountain Pen Day Weekend!

I say “Fountain Pen Day Weekend”, because the celebration always starts early and keeps going through Sunday night. Today’s post might be relatively brief, because we’ve seen a steady stream of customers in the shop on Thursday and Friday, and I’m looking forward to a busy Saturday, which is always our busiest day anyway! It’s always fun to go to work with this particular business, but here are five reasons why I feel Fountain Pen Day is important and why I continue to support the annual event:

1. Building a Greater Sense of Community. I truly do hope that Fountain Pen Day remains something more than just an early “Black Friday,” because it’s important to take a day to remember that there’s a large community of enthusiasts around the world that values writing by hand and what it represents. While those of us who are able to visit a pen show or two (or seven) annually get this fix in person, for many that’s not possible, and Fountain Pen Day might be the next best thing.

2. A Reason to “Go Shopping” in Your Own Collection or Stash. I personally choose three or four pen and ink pairings from my personal collection that I haven’t used in far too long, and rediscover why I enjoy them. It’s a bit of an annual tradition during the week leading up to Fountain Pen Day to clean out everything I currently have inked and choose a fresh set that will close out the year. Do you have any Fountain Pen Day traditions?

3. An Excuse to Try New Writing Styles. Another “tradition” is that I choose a new-to-me writing instrument, ink, paper, or other writing-related accessory to broaden my horizons. This year it’s been the fine fibre-tipped brush pen. While I’ve spent most of the year getting deep into the refillable fineliner category, I recently inked up the Kuretake Karappo fine brush pen and really enjoyed it. It’s slightly firmer than a traditional brush pen, so you can use it for actual writing while still maintaining a touch of line variation.

4. Save Some Money. Yes, sometimes it’s nice to get a price break, especially if you’re trying a new brand or style of pen. While I always offer as much of a discount as I can for Fountain Pen Day, this year I wanted to do something to help beginners find their way in the increasingly crowded and confusing paper segment. Customers have asked for a fountain pen friendly paper “sampler” that allows them to try out various brands without having to purchase full notebooks or writing pads, so I assembled a limited number of them containing some of our more popular paper offerings. If this product gets a good reception, I’ll try to expand the selection and add it as a regular item.

5. An Opportunity to Support Your Local Artisans and Retailers, and Smaller Manufacturers. While it may seem self-interested since I’m a retailer and business owner in this space, I feel an obligation to remind everyone that this is a hard business. Margins are low and smaller retailers and makers face competition every day from bulk sellers, discounters, and the online giants of the world that encourage indiscriminate buying of “all the things” as opposed to more considered purchases of items that are both useful and well-made, and will serve you well for a long-time. I’ve always tried to focus both the site (and later, my shop) on this latter category. Every holiday season, whether it’s Fountain Pen Day or Black Friday, remember that where you spend your dollars matters, and if there’s a brand or maker that you love and want to remain in business, be sure to support them when it counts.

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While our supply of Fountain Pen Day Swag is running very low, we do have a few buttons and bookmarks remaining. I will continue to add these to orders placed through the weekend. Be sure to check out this post for all of our Fountain Pen Day specials.

Our brick-and-mortar location is open today from 10am - 6pm, and we’re continuing our 10%-off promotion on most brands through Sunday night at 11:59pm, U.S. Central Time. Keep your eye on this page here for updated hours and details on our location. Our door is along the walkway behind the “Flex Alarms” office!

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.

Thursday Drops: Planner Time, the Lamy 2000 Pine, and An Ongoing Promotion/Giveaway

Wow, that was fast. The Colorverse “Colorvent” calendars may have vanished in an instant, but those who missed the drop can still take part in Diamine Inkvent, which will give you 24 days of inky surprises to open in the lead-up to Christmas (or whenever you want). We also have the Lamy 2000 58th Anniversary release, Traveler’s Company limited edition items, a bunch of new arrivals and restocks from Blackwing, and more. We will continue to restock through the holiday season, but we are also entering the “shipping and restock delay” timeframe, so if you see something you like, please don’t sleep on it as resupply timelines may be unpredictable!

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Now is a great time to pick up a fountain pen, along with your notebook system of choice for 2025!

Don’t Miss Our Ongoing Giveaway and Pre-Fountain Pen Day Promotion!

This week and next, we are giving away two gift packages including a pen, a bottle of ink, paper, and T.G.S. Swag - visit this link for details on how to enter. In the run-up to Fountain Pen Day, we’re also running a pre-promotion, where any fountain pen purchase of $30 or more will receive a complimentary small bottle of ink, no coupon necessary. (“Fountain pen purchase” means any order $30 or more that includes a fountain pen, even if the fountain pen itself costs less.) This is a great opportunity to get set up to write with a fountain pen immediately, especially if you’re exploring fountain pens for the first time.

Our physical shop is open this weekend, starting today! Come see us from 1-6 on Thursday and Friday, and 10-6 on Saturday.

1. Lamy 2000 58th Anniversary “Pine” Fountain Pen Gift Set. The latest limited edition release from Lamy in “Pine” green Makrolon ships with two bonus items: a luxurious green Lamy notebook featuring 90gsm paper and a biography of designer Gerd A. Müller.

2. Diamine Inkvent Calendar, “Black Edition”. The 2025 Inkvent Calendars are on sale and shipping. Our allocation of the Colorverse “Colorvent” Calendars sold out in hours, but we have the latest Inkvent release in stock and ready to ship!

3. Traveler’s Company 2025 Dated Diaries. As I mentioned in yesterday’s post on my anticipated setup for 2025, I expect to use one of the Weekly+Memo refills for my personal journal/techo. We also have full stock of the 2025 Traveler’s Notebook Limited Edition Accessories, including limited folders, pencil boards, and stickers.

4. Stàlogy Special Edition White 1/2-year Notebook. We’re almost down to the last handful of 2024 Stàlogy special edition white notebooks, for those of you who prefer undated planners. If you use these as a traditional planner (they can also be used as a notebook), you will need two of the 1/2 year notebooks to get you through the year, or opt for one of the 365-day versions.

5. Stàlogy Calendar/Planner Stickers. These removable/replaceable planner stickers from Stàlogy allow you to customize a standard notebook or bare-bones planner to include a calendar or to do list. They can easily be moved from one page to another.

6. Write Notepads Weekly Planners. These undated spiral bound planners are conveniently printed in a “Landscape” orientation with a week to two pages, allowing the planner to show a full week lying open on your desk, or half the week underneath your keyboard. You can read more on how these work here.

7. Pilot Custom 823. As mentioned above, we’re running a fountain pen promotion it the run-up to Fountain Pen Day, and we have stock of the new Clear Pilot Custom 823 fountain pens! These pens are sold with a bottle of Pilot Namiki ink, so taking into account our current promotion your pen will come with two inks to get you started! Read our Workhorse Pens writeup here.

8. Pilot Custom 74. One of the most underrated pens on the market, the Pilot Custom 74 offers an excellent 14k gold nib at less than $200. Taking both cartridges and a converter (one of which is included), this pen has you ready to use bottled ink immediately. Read our writeup of the “Stone Blue” version here, which is an underrated stunner.

9. Lamy Studio Royal Matte Red. Lamy continues to kill it with their Studio releases. Between the Royal Matte Red, the Glacier Blue, and the All Black, the Studio continues to be one of my favorite workhorse recommendations.

10. Lamy Studio Piano Red. As with the Pilot Custom 74, the Lamy Studio “Piano” series, with the 14k gold nib option, is an excellent sub-$200 introduction to gold nib pens. I have the Piano Black and it’s a rotation regular.

Last year we did an unveiling of the day’s Inkvent each day, and we’ll plan to do the same this year!

New Arrivals: Are You Ready for Inkvent/Colorvent? How About a Green Lamy 2000!

It’s calendar season! And not just time to pre-order your 2025 planners, but it’s also time to pick up the Advent-style calendar of your choice. This year, we’re fortunate enough to be able to offer two limited edition “ink calendars”: the Inkvent “Black Edition” Calendar from Diamine, and the new “Colorvent” Calendar from Colorverse! If you recall, last year I had an absolute blast working my way through the 2023 Inkvent set, and I ended up recording a short video of each ink as I opened and swatched it. I plan to do the same this year, though I’m still trying to decide whether to pick one of the two calendars or try to do both. Any suggestions?!?

I will add that if you have your heart set on a Colorvent Calendar, these are in extremely short supply. We have a fairly large allocation of the Inkvent Calendars but don’t sleep on the Colorverse as they are rapidly selling out. Our allocation should arrive later this week or early next and will ship immediately as soon as we have them.

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The 58th Anniversary Lamy 2000 Lands in the Shop!

I’m personally tempted on this one, but I also need to pay inventory bills for the holidays! We’ve received a number of the latest Lamy 2000 limited edition fountain pens in a dark “Pine” green color. Each pen ships in a luxury gift set, featuring a matching dark green notebook and a biography of Gerd A. Müller, designer of the Lamy 2000 and other products. The pens are in our hands and available to ship immediately, and can be seen in-person at our brick-and-mortar location.

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Don’t Forget About Our Ongoing Free Ink Promotion!

From now until Fountain Pen Day (Friday, November 1), we’re also running a sales promo, in which 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, Diamine, 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). See the full details, as well as the details of our pre-Fountain Pen Day giveaway, here.

Many thanks for your support! If you are in the Nashville, Tennessee area, please come say hello in person at our new physical location. View details and hours here.

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!