Thursday Drops: New Inks, Notebooks, and Fourth of July Planner and Notebook Specials!

It’s July, which means that many of us are preparing to take some summer adventures (or, if you’re like me, planning for fall adventures during a less scorching travel season). This weekend we have a bunch of new arrivals, including the new Lochby Voyager Journal, all three colors of the Field Journal Mini, Stálogy Special Release Colors for 2025, and a lot more.

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Through the weekend (11:59pm U.S. Central Time on July 6), grab an extra 10% off all planner products and (planner-style refills and stickers) and certain notebook systems using the code “FIREFLY” at checkout! We still have some Laconic stock, including bookmarks and planner stickers, and we also have new Notsu products such as this desktop calendar pad, which allows you to plan out an entire week on one sheet. Use our code to get a bit more of these and more.

We’re continuing our ink swatching series over on T.G.S. YouTube, in which I’ve posted two longer videos swatching all the inks in the Anderillium Ichthyoformes (“Fish”) inks and the Lamy Crystal Series. People have requested a way in which they can visualize the differences in how fountain pen inks look when wet vs. dry, so these videos are one way I can easily demonstrate that since I have to swatch all the inks anyway!

Come see us in-store! As noted above, we have everything shown here and more. Note that we have special hours on July 3rd and 4th. Saturday hours of operation will be per the usual 10am-6pm.

1. Lochby Field Journal Mini (All Colors). The brown has been back in stock for a bit, but we now have all three colors available for purchase, including the new Charcoal with gold interior (“Bumblebee”) colorway. These are excellent smaller covers that fit standard 3.5” x 5.5” pocket notebooks (the classic “Field Notes” size, and Lochby makes their own 68gsm Tomoe River version).

2. Lochby Voyager Journal (All Colors). Lochby launched an A5 Slim version of its 68gsm Tomoe River refill last month, so it was only a matter of time before they released the matching cover. The Voyager Journal comes in the same classic colors as the rest of the Lochby lineup, including the revamped Charcoal with gold “Bumblebee” interior. The Voyager is designed to fit the Lochby refills but will also work with similarly sized notebooks from Traveler’s Company, Yamamoto (Robiki), and others.

3. Lochby Field Folio in A5 and B5. Lochby released a zippered version of its Field Notebook, with interior pockets and an interior pen slot. If you’re looking for a more portfolio-like option, the larger B5 will hold a standard composition book and even a tablet, depending on size.

4. Stálogy 365-Day and 1/2-Year Notebooks (Special Colors). The Stálogy 2025 colors have arrived, including Cacao Brown, Cloud Grey, and Lake Blue. These are the grid notebooks, which can be set up to work as a standard notebook or as an undated planner if you enjoy crafting your own layouts.

5. Stálogy Undated Calendar Stickers. We recently received a fresh shipment of the Stálogy undated planner stickers, which are now available in both weekly and monthly forms, as well as smaller “To Do” stickers.

6. Laconic Planner Stickers. Many of you have been enjoying the Laconic system, which offers an ever-growing line of notebooks and binder refills in specialized layouts that allow you to organize your notes and information in whatever way works best for you.

7. Maruman Mnemosyne Hardcover A5 Journals. These 240 page journals from Mnemosyne feature even more ink friendly 90gsm paper, in a dot grid format excellent for anything from bullet journaling to planning to standard writing. I chose one of these for my next personal journal, and they come in colors other than black!

8. Colorverse Nebula Note Casual Spiral Notebooks. I’m a fan of what Colorverse has done with their “Nebula Note” line of notebooks. Not only are all the pages perforated (HUGE WIN!) but the paper is slightly textured while remaining extremely ink friendly, making Nebula Note a paper that is excellent for both pens and pencils.

9. Maruman Mnemosyne Softcover A5 Notebooks. Yes, Maruman has also made some of their spiral notebooks in covers that aren’t black!

10. Private Reserve Inks. One of my pet projects is to bring attention to some of the longer-standing “classic” stationery brands, like Private Reserve, which has been around for 25+ years under the ownership of various companies an individuals. The most recent iteration is currently being made by Yafa, and still includes colors such as Supershow Blue, Burgundy Mist, Avocado, and more. In addition to their signature 60oz wide mouth bottles, Private Reserve inks come in standard international cartridge form.

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New Arrivals: Tombow Mono 4B and 6B Pencils, a May Pencil Promotion, and Lochby Tomoe 68gsm!

In case you missed it from this weekend, we’ve declared May “Pencil Month” here at T.G.S., and are offering 10% off all pencil and pencil accessory orders through 5/31, using the coupon code “PENCIL10” at checkout. We have all sorts of new pencils from brands including Appointed, Tombow (including the 4B and 6B Mono pencils pictured here and discussed in our latest “Currently Inked” video), Musgrave, and Viarco, as well as a wide range of sharpeners, extenders, erasers, and more. Sale applies to both wood and mechanical pencils, but please note that Blackwing and TWBSI are excluded due to manufacturers’ restrictions.

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Lochby A5 Slim, B5, and Pocket “Planner” (a new layout).

New Formats of Lochby Paper (Tomoe River 68gsm)

I have a soft spot for Lochby because they use 68gsm Tomoe River Paper, one of my favorite fountain pen friendly papers available. Not only have we restocked on all ruling in the standard A5 and “pocket” size formats, but Lochby has recently added two new sizes: a larger format B5 notebook, and a more compact A5 Slim format. These versatile notebooks can be used in Lochby covers as well as a wide range of other compatible notebook systems, as long as the size matches.

Everything shown here is also available in our brick and mortar shop, which will be open regular hours this week (Thursday-Friday 1-6pm, and Saturday 10am-6pm). Come take a tour of our new look shop, which we’ve recently been updating.

New Arrivals: Lochby Field Folio A5 and Lochby Sidekick Wallets

We still have a few of the brand-new Lochby Field Folios and Sidekicks in stock following this past weekend’s Arkansas Pen Show! The Field Folio takes everything that’s great about the Field Journal and incorporates it into a zippered portfolio-style case, complete with a pen slot on the inside. The Sidekick can be used as either a wallet or a notebook cover (A7 size), and can also carry a pen. Both new products come in classic Lochby colors, and the Field Folio now has a Charcoal/honeycomb combination that’s not been available in the standard Field Journal.

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The Field Folio and Sidekick are now available on the site, along with remaining stock of other Lochby products from the Arkansas Pen Show. Note that we will have regular brick and mortar hours this week, from 1pm-6pm Thursday and Friday, and from 10am-6pm on Saturday. I hope to see you all there!

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A customer brought this well-worn waxed canvas Lochby by the table at the show on Saturday. I love seeing products in the wild, two years later!

Thursday Drops: New Lochby Colors, Unique Highlighters, and More!

If you didn’t see our announcement from Instagram last night, Lochby has launched two of our favorite cases - the Quattro four-pen case and Pocket Journal - in new colors: Charcoal and Navy. Now you can build out a complete set of all the Lochby accessories in matching colors, if you so desire! I’ll be bringing a selection of what I still have available to the Baltimore Pen Show next week, and to the Arkansas Pen Show the week after that, so if you would like to reserve one of these cases for show (or Nashville-area local) pickup please place an order using the coupon code “615PICKUP” at checkout. (Note: This is NOT a “free shipping” code. After this code is used, we will reach out to verify where you intend to pick up your order.)

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Kokuyo Beetle-Tip Highlighters are in-stock!

While we plan to have a table in both Baltimore and Little Rock, we will be constrained by space and plan to focus on cases, notebook systems, and a selection of pens, pencils, and office accessories. If there’s something specific you would like delivered to the show, please be sure to get your orders in by this weekend, and in the case of a larger/fragile item like a Sandglass or multiple notebooks/pads of paper, please reach out first to make sure delivery is feasible since I will be flying. I hope to see as many of you as possible next week!

The Gentleman Stationer is an authorized retailer of all brands sold.

1. Lochby Quattro Four-Pen Case. Originally launched only in classic brown with the yellow honeycomb lining, the Lochby Quattro - our top selling pen case - is now available in navy blue and charcoal!

2. Lochby Pocket Journal. Like the Quattro, the Pocket Journal now also comes in navy and charcoal colors, and we’ve restocked on the 68gsm Tomoe River Lochby Pocket Journal refills.

3. Midori Kurashiki Pen Cases. While we’re on the subject of canvas pen cases that will age beautifully, we have received a fresh shipment of these cases, in both a flat pouch and gussetted design. These canvas cases even include a small interior pocket to hold a pencil sharpener.

4. Lochby Field Journal. Based on the level of interest that we received at the D.C. Pen Show, I expect the Lochby Field Journal to be a big seller in both Baltimore and Arkansas, so we restocked on all colors. We also have a variety of A5 refills that are compatible with this cover, which can hold up to 6 of the Lochby-branded or similarly sized softcover notebooks.

5. Midori MD Light Notebooks. These slimmer, softcover versions of the Midori MD A5 notebook will fit the Lochby cover, and come available in grid, blank, and lined versions. Other sizes are available as well.

6. Midori Soft Color Notebooks. A recent discovery, these notebooks feature fountain pen-friendly blue, green, purple, or grey dot grid paper. The blue and grey refills have been living in my own Lochby.

7. Clairefontaine Classic 1951 Staplebound A5. A slimmer version of the clothbound 1951 notebooks that are so popular. Read more about why we love Clairefontaine paper here.

8. Kokuyo Dual-Tone Highlighter Markers. These unique highlighter pens feature a dual tip, each with its own ink supply in a different shade. This way, you can differentiate between topics, levels of importance, etc. by using the darker (or lighter) color to add emphasis.

9. Kokuyo “Beetle-Tip” Highlighter Markers. Sold in sets of five, these particular highlighters from Kokuyo allow you to easily change the width of your line, with either a classic standard highlighter line, a double line, or a thin line that can be used to make notes. Check out the pictures in the listing for more details.

10. Caran d’Ache Graphicolor Graphite/Yellow Bicolor Pencils. These two-in-one highlighter/annotator pencils are fixtures in the various pen/pencil cups I have scattered around my home and office. Sold individually or by the dozen.

Travel Kit: National Stationery Show Edition

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!

The Gentleman Stationer is supported entirely by purchases from the T.G.S. Curated Shop and pledges via the T.G.S. Patreon Program.