Thursday Drops: Roterfaden Returns, Kuretake Inks, Pilot Elite 95s, and the Last Inkvents

Many thanks to all of you who supported us last week during the Thanksgiving/Black Friday/Small Business Saturday events, and an especially big thanks to those of you who came to see us in person! Our holiday shopping opportunities continue, with certain pens, paper, and desk accessories on clearance, as well as a full Roterfaden restock. We have Taschenbegleiter binders available in all sizes (A4, A5, and A6). We also received Burgundy Pilot E95s fountain pens with fine nibs.

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The Pilot E95s is restocked, shown here in black with burgundy/silver also available.

Finally, we are down to a single T.G.S. x Sunderland mk1 pen (take it home for the holidays!), and two or so Diamine Inkvent calendars. I’ve been posting the first few Inkvent inks on Instagram, which you can follow along in the stories. Don’t miss other new ink releases such as select inks from the Diamine standard line, the 160th and 150th Anniversary inks, and two separate series of Kuretake inks.

Domestic U.S. orders over $75 ship free. Please review our shipping policies and time estimates prior to placing an international order. Orders to Canada may be delayed due to the ongoing postal strike, and UK orders are subject to a minimum due to VAT rules. We are open this week Thursday through Sunday! View up-to-date hours here.

1. Roterfaden Taschenbegleiter Organizers. The clip-based Roterfaden system has become one of our top sellers over the past year, and we were fortunate enough to get a fresh restock in the door before year-end.

2. Pilot E95s Fountain Pens. The burgundy E95s has been a favorite of many, and we’ve had them trickle in gradually over the past several months as Pilot works through a bit of a backlog. We currently have a limited quantity of fine-nib pens.

3. TWSBI ECO-T Jade and Rose Gold Fountain Pens. I still have a handful of these pen sets, which come with a small bottle of midnight blue ink. These pens were a special holiday release from last year and a couple of them emerged during our move.

4. Kakimori Hardcover A5 Notebooks. We still have some of these gorgeous Kakimori notebooks, which would make great gifts as they feature beautiful Japanese fabric covers.

5. Traveler’s Company 2025 Dated Diary Refills. Now is a great time to grab your 2025 dated journal/planner refill for the Standard and Passport-sized Traveler’s Notebooks.

6. Traveler’s Company 2024 Limited Edition “Tokyo” Refills. We stocked up on these MD Paper Refills, which accompanied the 2024 Tokyo Special Edition Traveler’s Notebooks. These would make a fun gift this holiday season but they likely will not last.

7. Viarco Vintage-inspired Pencil Gift Sets. These gift sets from Portuguese pencil-maker Viarco include six dozen Viarco pencils, each dozen a reproduction from Viarco’s extensive back catalogue. Viarco is one of the few remaining European pencil manufacturers still in operation.

8. Tom’s Studio Mechanical Pencils. I’ve had several requests for interesting mechanical pencils “that don’t look too technical”, and these comfortable, front-weighted machined pencils from Tom’s Studio are designed for both writing and drawing.

9. Kaweco Collection Perkeo “Infrared”. Kaweco introduced the Perkeo as a full-sized pen that could accept both short international cartridges and a full-sized ink converter. This transparent red color was a 2024 special release.

10. Teranishi Guitar Inks. I can’t sing the praises of these inks enough. They flow well, and show a moderate amount of sheen and color-shifting without being high-maintenance. Read about five of my favorite colors here.

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Come see us in-person, and view all of this an more for yourself! we’re constantly restocking and have plenty for both online and in-person holiday shopping.

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.

The 2022 T.G.S. Holiday Gift Guide is Live!

As part of my recovery from last night’s Pelikan Hubs festivities, I updated the annual T.G.S. Holiday Gift Guide this morning! Each year’s gift guide is slightly different from the last, featuring an annually updated selection of stationery-themed gift ideas. As you’ll discover in the guide itself, I generally don’t give fountain pens as gifts, since fountain pen lovers are hard to buy for, so the guide tends to focus heavily on accessories and other items with a wide appeal to those who appreciate analog-living in general. Enjoy!

P.S. - for those who missed out on the Pelikan Hubs, I have some of the “Pelikan Passion” magazines and the T.G.S. party favors left over. I’ll plan to add them to orders over $50 until they’re gone (with the price threshold set due to the higher cost of shipping the magazines). They are nice magazines and I don’t want to just throw them out, plus the T.G.S. goodie bag will get you a store coupon and a button + sticker.

Pairing Items for Stationery Gifts: Different Ideas for Different Interests

Let’s face it: We’re all scrambling for last-minute gifts. Whether it’s a friend or family member, there’s always at least one person who I either forgot or who is impossible to shop for. In these situations I always appreciate suggestions, so I thought I’d put together a series of proposed stationery gift pairings targeted to different interests, drawn from the full range of items available in The Curated Shop.

For the Journaler

Consider pairing a Midori MD notebook with a refillable cover that your recipient can continue to use long after they fill the notebook. Not only are the notebooks themselves high-quality, featuring 176 pages of fountain pen friendly Japanese paper, but the covers present a range of options, from luxurious natural goat leather, to durable paper or clear plastic. (Note that the paper cover is made from a thick Japanese craft paper that is tear resistant and will take on its own texture and patina as it ages.)

While the notebook itself makes a thoughtful gift, you can further customize by adding smaller items such as unique Washi Tapes or a pack of colored pencils from Midori or Caran d’Ache + Paul Smith, for those who like to use their journal as a scrapbook or sketchbook. Midori products also pair particularly well with Traveler’s Company accessories, including the full range of TRC Brass Pens.

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For the Writer on the Go

Know someone who always carries a notebook with them, no matter where they go? Some of my favorite pocket notebooks at the moment include these hardcover Kokuyo “Sketch” notebooks, currently stocked in five different colors. With 80 pages of 6.5” x 4” paper, these notebooks last longer than your typical pocket notebooks and the hardcover holds up well to daily use.

The perfect pairing? Consider adding a Caran d’Ache 849 ballpoint pen, available at a variety of price points. The standard edition starts at just $20, with special finishes also available, including the “Metal-X”, the “Black Code,” the “Gold Bar,” and several limited editions. Someone who enjoys mechanical pencils might appreciate the Giuliano Mazzuoli Nobile ITALIA, a portable ballpoint pen that ships with three refills and a mechanical pencil insert.

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For the Reader

At a time when readers are increasingly pressured to “go digital,” it can be hard to find gifts for those who appreciate actual books. For this holiday season, I’ve stocked the store with reading accessories, including sterling silver page markers and book weights from WMS & Co. For the particularly active reader who enjoys annotating and marking up their book so they can come back to it in the future, consider pairing one of these bookmarks with a pack of Book Darts or double-ended annotation pencils, available in both red/graphite and highlighter/graphite combinations.

For Those Newly Working from Home

As someone used to working from a designated office outside the home, the pandemic required me to make significant changes to my remote work setup. Give someone a hand in boosting their productivity with desk accessories such as a 30, 15, 5, or 3-minute Sandglass from Hightide, a folding metal bookstand (that can also hold a notepad or tablet), or a sturdy, old-school oversized clipboard for those moments when everyone needs to get away from the actual desk.

Pair any of these with a high-quality desk pad from Midori or Write Notepads, and if you’re really feeling generous, consider gifting someone the ultimate desk pen: a CW&T Pen Type-A or Pen Type-B. The Pen Type-A comes with a handy ruler sleeve, and who doesn’t find themselves needing a ruler?

A Note on Holiday Shipping

For additional gift ideas, be sure to check out the T.G.S. 2020 Holiday Gift Guide. To be safe, if you want to ensure that something will arrive by December 25 (or even New Years, at this point), please place all domestic U.S. orders by December 15, though given today’s circumstances there can be no guarantees. Unfortunately, international orders are unlikely to arrive until after the holidays.

Many thanks for your support!