New Arrivals (Pilot Metropolitans!) and On The Paper Trail Live Event Tickets Are Available!

Lots of fun new arrivals landed this week, for which a couple of you received a sneak preview in-store on Saturday: We now have the Pilot Metropolitan (or the MR as it’s known in certain markets). The Metropolitan is an excellent entry-level to mid-range pen from Pilot, which comes in classic colors like black and silver as well as the colorful “Retro Pop” line. We currently stock not only Metropolitan fountain pens, but also the rollerballs and ballpoints. The Metropolitan rollerball takes a Pilot G2 gel or other similarly sized refill, and the ballpoint accepts the Dr. Grip refill, which is great because that means you can use the finer-tip “Cocoon” cartridge that ships with the Pilot S20. All of these pens make great everyday workhorses.

On the Paper Trail: Live in Nashville Event Tickets Are Available!

If you’ve been following our podcast, you may have heard that we are hosting our first “On The Paper Trail Live” Event in Nashville from October 16-18. While there will of course be shopping opportunities, along with exclusive products, we are looking to host a community-oriented event focused on opportunities to connect with vendors and other people who are enthusiastic about paper, pens, and the analog lifestyle. Listen to Episode 7 of On The Paper Trail for a more in-depth discussion of what this unique weekend will entail!

The event will take place at the Hilton Garden Inn in Cool Springs (Franklin). Both weekend passes and day passes are available. Stay tuned for the full schedule of classes, workshops, and vendors. All details regarding location, accommodation, and ticketing can be found in this post.

Come see us this week in-store! We will be open 1-6pm Thursday and Friday, and from 10am-5pm on Saturday.

On The Paper Trail Episode 8: 2026 Planners and Notebooks Quarterly Review

This week we check in with our 2026 planners and notebooks to see whether they're still working for us now that we're 1/4 of the way through the year. (Wait, how did that happen?) We talk about what's working with our current planners and notebook systems, what may not be working, and what, if anything, we need to change about our current stationery setup. We also discuss upcoming stationery-themed travel, and we might have more details on our On The Paper Trail: Live in Nashville Event that will take place in Nashville October 16-18!

On The Paper Trail: Where You Can Download the Podcast

As noted above, if you want to follow along and watch the video, On The Paper Trail has its own YouTube Channel. We have also uploaded the podcast to most popular podcast networks and apps, including Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, and Overcast.

Show Notes and Links

1. Mark's Inc. "Days" Ballpoint (via Vanness Pens).

2. Diamine Spring Green (via Vanness Pens).

3. Pilot Grancé (via Vanness Pens).

4. Pilot Custom 912 with PO Nib (via TGS Curated Shop).

5. Pilot Prera (via TGS Curated Shop).

6. Bungubox Dandyism Ink (via Vanness Pens).

7. On The Paper Trail Episode 1.

8. Wonderland222 Back to Tomoe River Announcement.

9. Ask TGS: Flying with Fountain Pens.

10. Lisa's Shipping Update Video.

The Gentleman Stationer is supported by purchases from the T.G.S. Curated Shop and pledges via the T.G.S. Patreon Program. You can also come visit us at our physical stationery store in Nashville, Tennessee.

On the Paper Trail Episode 4: Recapping the 2026 California Pen Show!

In Episode 4 of On the Paper Trail, we discuss our visit to the 2026 California Pen Show, one of the larger pen and stationery events in the U.S., and recap everything we saw. This two-part episode includes a pre-show discussion of how vendors prep for a show and decide what to bring, while the post-show recap talks about impressions of the event and the different brands and vendors in attendance. The YouTube episode includes footage of the event itself and a short vendor tour that follows the podcast portion, including visits to Stationery Stack, Laurette's Japan, Bungubox, and more!

Show Notes and Links

1. ⁠California Pen Show Website⁠

2. ⁠List of Pen Show Classes and Seminars⁠

3. ⁠Nagasawa 6-Ring Binder Refills⁠

4. ⁠Brelio 6-Ring Binders⁠

5. ⁠Roterfaden TGS25 Pre-Order⁠ (Green Binders with both cord colors)

6. ⁠Musgrave Pencils⁠

7. ⁠Stationery Stack⁠

8. ⁠Nagasawa Stationery⁠

9. ⁠Nagasawa Kip Leather⁠

10. ⁠Notsu Index Cards⁠

11. ⁠Bungubox⁠

12. ⁠Laurette's Japan⁠

13. ⁠Galen Leather

On The Paper Trail: Where You Can Download the Podcast

As noted above, if you want to follow along and watch the video, On The Paper Trail has its own YouTube Channel. We have also uploaded the podcast to most popular podcast networks and apps, including Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, and Overcast.

The Gentleman Stationer is supported by purchases from the T.G.S. Curated Shop and pledges via the T.G.S. Patreon Program. You can also come visit us at our physical stationery store in Nashville, Tennessee.

On the Paper Trail, Episode 2: Snowed In With Matthew Chen!

Episode 2 of On the Paper Trail is now available! We originally had intended to record Episode 2 live from the shop, but obviously the weather didn’t cooperate. We ended up snowed/iced in with Matthew, who was kind enough to sit with us for a brief interview in which we discuss the ins and outs of nib customization. Topics include the difference between nib tuning and nib grinding, the most popular nib grinds and why you might want to get one, and Matthew's favorite creations.

Episode 2 Show Notes

1. ⁠Pilot Custom 912 with Waverly Nib (Joe's Pen)⁠

2. ⁠TWSBI ECO Rose Gold (Lisa's Pen)⁠

3. ⁠Matthew Chen (Matthew's Nibworks)⁠

4. ⁠Matthew's Grinds, including Specialty Grinds⁠

5. ⁠Arkansas Pen Show, Part II: Watch Matthew Grind a Nib⁠

⁠In addition to this weeks’ episode, we also did a bonus YouTube Live with Matthew⁠ in which he directly answered listener/viewer questions and went into more detail on his grinds and processes!

On The Paper Trail: Where You Can Download the Podcast

As noted above, if you want to follow along and watch the video, On The Paper Trail has its own YouTube Channel. We have also uploaded the podcast to most popular podcast networks and apps, including Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, and Overcast. We have submitted to additional services such as iHeartRadio, Pocketcasts, Audible, and others, and you should see On The Paper Trail Appear as an option once their review process is complete.

Please note that our Nashville location is currently without power due to Winter Storm Fern and we will likely be unable to open the in-person shop on Thursday. Please check the shop hours before coming by, and online orders are greatly appreciated this week. While fulfillment may take a day or two longer than our normal shipping time, we continue to process orders.

Episode 1 of On The Paper Trail: Setting Up Our 2026 Notebooks, Is Live!

The first episode of our new podcast project, On the Paper Trail, is live! In our initial episode, Lisa and I introduce ourselves, and then dive into a thorough discussion of our 2026 notebooks and planners and how we plan to use each one. We also answer a common customer question on Lamy pens, and discuss where you can see us in person at upcoming pen shows and other stationery-related events. Many thanks to everyone who has helped us out with this project, as your feedback has been invaluable! We’ve added show notes, as well as a list of links to where you can currently watch or listen. We are in the process of populating additional listening services and podcast apps as they verify and approve the RSS feed.

⁠Show Notes and Links⁠

1. ⁠On The Paper Trail Episode 1 Video (Watch the Video on YouTube)⁠

2. ⁠Wonderland222 B6 Core Horizontal⁠

3. ⁠Wonderland222 A5 Core Stacked (Vertical) ⁠

4. ⁠Brelio A5 6-Ring Binder⁠

5. ⁠Roterfaden Recycled Leather A5⁠

6. ⁠Roterfaden TGS_25 A5-Slim⁠

7. ⁠Writing on in 2026 (Pen Addict - Kimberly)⁠

8. ⁠Matthew's Nib Works⁠

9. ⁠California Pen Show⁠

10. ⁠Arkansas Pen Show⁠

11. ⁠San Francisco Stationery Fest⁠

Both Lisa and I will continue to record complementary content for our own respective channels, like this overhead walkthrough of my own notebooks that I released yesterday to T.G.S. YouTube. I also wrote a detailed blog post last week.

On The Paper Trail: Where You Can Download the Podcast

As noted above, if you want to follow along and watch the video, On The Paper Trail has its own YouTube Channel. We have also uploaded the podcast to most popular podcast networks and apps, including Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, and Overcast. We have submitted to additional services such as iHeartRadio, Pocketcasts, Audible, and others, and you should see On The Paper Trail Appear as an option once their review process is complete.

Note that you may have to click on one of the direct links above to listen (or subscribe!) as it takes some time for new podcasts to make their way into the search function. If you enjoy what we’re doing, we would greatly appreciate it if you could leave a positive review and subscribe, as it helps increase visibility. We are really enjoying this project, though audio/video production is something relatively new for both of us, so expect our skills to “evolve” as we record more episodes!

The Gentleman Stationer is supported by purchases from the T.G.S. Curated Shop and pledges via the T.G.S. Patreon Program. You can always come talk pens in person at our physical stationery store in Nashville, Tennessee, open from 1-6pm Thursdays and Fridays and from 10am-6pm Saturdays.