D.C. Pen Show Weekend Update: Greetings from the Big Show!

Despite multiple flight cancellations and delays, I finally made it to the D.C. Pen Show, though I didn’t make it to the actual event on Friday given my arrival time. This will be a two-day show weekend for me, but Saturday was busy and more than made up for missing Friday. I don’t leave until Sunday, so I’ll be set up until show close (or at least until there’s nobody left)! If you’re looking for me, I’m right out front of the main ballroom, sharing table space with the Vanness Pens Kaweco DIY Station, where I can help you assemble your own Kaweco Sport! It’s a fun little exercise that I plan to do myself before I leave, and will be sure to document the process.

View fullsize

While I’ve barely been out from behind the table to explore, this year’s D.C. Pen Show seems well-attended and has an energy that the show has lacked in recent years. Attendees are happy, and spreading out the show among four ballrooms definitely limited the door rush. Many thanks to everyone who attended my Notebook Systems 101 Class on Saturday - there was a nice turnout and the some excellent questions. I will plan to post some information from this class in the coming weeks.

View fullsize

The one continuing disappointment from the current show setup is the lack of a true after-hours gathering space. The hotel has been remodeled, and while the old setup wasn’t great, the current way the hotel is organized has done away with a lot of the tables and nooks that people could use to catch up after hours. The bar/restaurant area severely limits seating, especially at long tables. Even later at night, when nobody was still eating dinner and tables were empty, the staff tried to keep us from sitting down even though we made it clear we planned to order drinks. It left me more than a bit nostalgic for the old D.C. show, which had legendary after-hours socializing that has become much more disjointed and subdued.

Since it’s Pen Show Weekend, take 10% off most orders with “PENSHOW10” at checkout. (Certain brands cannot be discounted so the discount will not apply.) Note: If you are wanting to order a Roterfaden A5, I brought my entire remaining stock with me to the pen show so come find me early. We only have a handful of A5 covers remaining.

2025 Arkansas Pen Show Recap: TGS's Best Pen Show Ever?

I love attending smaller shows. I’ve said this many times, but both the vendor and attendee experience at regional pen shows can often be better at than at “bigger”, more-hyped events. Stationery is trendy right now (though I don’t need to tell most of you that) and it seems as though every year there are more reports of over-hyped and/or oversold pen shows or other events that result in long wait times, overcrowding, botched admissions processes with out-of-towners effectively turned away at the door, and annoyed customers. A few people have asked why I’ve started to steer clear of larger shows, and my answer is always the same: They’re not that fun for me and aren’t really consistent with how I want to run T.G.S.

View fullsize

People spent a LOT of time at our table, testing pens and pencils or simply doodling on our Blackwing testing station.

What’s Good-to-Great About the Arkansas Pen Show

While “exposure” from a large event can be valuable for the business, overcrowded events that offer a poor attendee experience can be counterproductive given how I like to operate. Personally, I’ve chosen the path of sustainable growth based off of real interaction with customers and readers where I can offer a level of personal service that other sellers cannot. If I’m going to close the physical shop for a weekend and set up at an event, I want the experience to be the same as if someone came to our shop in Nashville and had the opportunity to try stuff out, ask questions, and have the same relaxed, laid-back experience browsing without being pushed by other people trying to reach the table. We had plenty of traffic at the Arkansas Pen Show, and the show was never crowded to the point where I couldn’t have a 5-10 minute conversation with anyone who wanted to talk while shopping. Other regional shows I’ve attended such as the Atlanta Pen Show and, on a quiet day, the Baltimore Pen Show, have a similar vibe.

View fullsize

I swung by Vanness on Monday morning before heading back to Nashville, where we had all the Yamamoto Paper samplers spread out to test.

The Arkansas Show draws one of the friendliest, most welcoming groups of people I’ve experienced at shows. After-hours events tend to be close-knit and small (we had a rotating round-table meet and greet on Saturday night), and if you need to exit the show floor for a while, or simply need to get out of the hotel, Vanness Pens is located in Little Rock and always has a steady stream of people coming through their doors on show weekend. I’ve collaborated with Vanness a lot over the years, and we had the chance to film some video content that you’ll see posted to both of our social media feeds and YouTube channels in the coming weeks! Hopefully it will be helpful to those on the fence about attending a pen show in the future.

View fullsize

Matthew hard at work grinding a Kodachi nib on my friend Chad’s Pilot.

The Not-So-Good

This show desperately needs a new venue. The hotel where the show has been located for the past two years is “tired” (polite description) and the public bathrooms were gross. After being on your feet for 10+ hours as a vendor or weekend attendee (more if you include after-hours events), it’s nice to be able to go back to a clean, quiet room and rest. I didn’t have a great experience at the hotel last year, but after they tried to check me into a room with (1) four different sets of keys that didn’t work and (2) dead bugs smashed on the bathroom ceiling, I was done and decided to stay at a newer hotel across the street which was only $20 per night more expensive. Look, some people go to pen shows wanting to spend the least amount of money possible, which I get, but in my opinion the extra investment was well worth it, and it was kind of nice to have some separation from the pen show at night and in the morning which allowed me to relax and recover a bit. For the record, I don’t have unreasonably high hotel standards, especially on the pen show circuit, but this hotel wasn’t particularly cheap (especially for what it was), the online photos of the hotel looked nothing like reality, and there’s a baseline level of cleanliness that, in my opinion, hotels are obligated to provide that was not present here. Others may feel differently but in my experience, if the venue of a show feels lower-end, that negatively affects the perception of the show itself and the businesses who attend. It’s also not fair to attendees and vendors who spend a lot of money to come to the show, to have to deal with these issues. The previous show hotel was clean and about the same price-wise from what I can recall.

View fullsize

For the record, the pen show room rate typically DOES NOT get you a pool view (or here, a “lake view”). :)

What’s Trending In Pens and Stationery? The Hits of this Year’s Arkansas Pen Show

Setting aside hotel issues, the content of the Arkansas Show is always great. There is a good mix of vintage, modern, and small makers to keep things interesting. Personally, I dropped most of my dollars on nib grinds and an upgraded nib for my Conid Bulkfiller Kingsize (going from titanium, which I simply don’t like, to gold). I had Matthew Chen add two of his excellent Kodachi grinds to two different pens, which I’ll be showcasing in a separate post/video soon. (Pro tip: If you want nib work done, smaller shows are great because there’s less of a wait for nib work. Walk-up slots were available throughout the weekend.) I also purchased a couple bottles of Akkerman Ink and a Leonardo Momento Zero Nuvola at Vanness on Sunday.

View fullsize

In terms of what was popular at the show, I bet pretty heavily that non-fountain pen stationery items would draw a lot of interest, which turned out to be correct. I sold through more than half of the shop’s most recent Roterfaden shipment, as well as a lot of the new Lochby Field Folios and Sidekicks. Washi tape, Uni Jetstream and Jetstream Lite Touch Multi Pens, and Traveler’s Notebooks and all the accessories were also popular. In recent years, pen shows have drawn a lot of first-time attendees and those with a strong interest in general stationery other than fountain pens, and I’ve tried to focus on ensuring that this part of the community has a vendor with plenty of stuff for them to peruse.

View fullsize

I love it when customers bring their products by the table, especially when they’re being well-used like this Lochby Field Journal!

Takeaways and Final Impressions

This year I’ve made the decision to dial back my full pen show setups and concentrate on keeping our Nashville location open as much as possible in order to grow the local business. That said, with such a niche clientele, it’s important to support your regional shows, so after some consideration (and more than a few customer requests), I will be attending the Atlanta Pen Show next weekend with my friends from Hinze Pens. Hopefully we will have our next TGS x Hinze collaboration fountain pen available at the table. While I may not have the two tables full of goods that I was able to bring to Little Rock, I will have any Roterfaden left over from this current shipment, as well as Traveler’s and Lochby so that you can complement your pen purchases with a nice new notebook cover!

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

Adventures in Stationery Travel: What, No Fountain Pens?

I took a short trip this weekend for a family wedding, and while it’s been fun to catch up with everyone at night, several different factors combined to turn this into more of a working vacation for me. I knew this would be the case ahead of time, and planned accordingly, though with a bit of a different strategy: traveling light with only those tools that I knew I would use for the next three days. Posts about what products I personally use in my own life every day are among the most requested, so while I have a short break here before everybody else wakes up, I thought I would walk through my pen case, my notebooks, and other accessories with a few words on why I chose them and how I use them.

Five Writing Instruments: No Fountain Pens

On a trip where I know I’ll have little privacy and will therefore struggle to accomplish any enjoyable personal writing, I’ve given up on bringing multiple fountain pens. At most, I’ll take one, and here I’ve foregone a fountain pen altogether in favor of my two Tom’s Studio Lumos fineliners, which offer me the “fountain pen feel” and some colorful ink without having to worry about the pens leaking or burping ink on the plane. Otherwise, I tend to be a ballpoint-mechanical-pencil-multi-pen guy for work travel, and as I’ve become a more seasoned pen addict, have come to appreciate the simplicity of working with these tools when you just want to get stuff done. The Uni Jetstream 4+1 Multi Pen is a workhorse with its four different .5mm tips plus a mechanical pencil, though I’ve also been carrying this yellow and black Uni Kuru Toga Alpha Gel Switch nearly everywhere I go, simply because that grip is so dang comfortable.

View fullsize

Pen Cases: One for Pens, One for Styluses

The Rickshaw Bagworks Sinclair Model-R remains a favorite for travel, because you can cram a lot into it. The model shown here is the Vanness Pens / Leigh Reyes collaboration, which makes an excellent travel companion because the inevitable ink and coffee stains simply blend in! As I hinted I might on Instagram, I grabbed one of the small Raymay Patalino cases to carry my Apple Pencil, reMarkable Marker, and the Lamy Safari “Twin Pen” Stylus/Ballpoint combo. I actually love having a dedicated stylus case for when I travel, as it eliminates the inconvenience of fumbling around in your bag for a stylus that refuses to stay magnetically attached to the tablet and ends up at the bottom underneath everything else you’ve packed.

View fullsize

Introducing the Good Made Better Bibliofile! Though it might look a little complicated, the cords and fasteners are actually fairly easy to use. I’ve been carrying this device on an almost daily basis, and when used in combination with modular cases like the Sinclair Model R and Patalino, really cleans up the inside of your bag.

Notebooks and Paper: Planner, Binder, and E-ink Tablet

My “working duo” of an A5 Roterfaden Taschenbegleiter (with my Hobonichi Cousin and a Midori MD Cotton A5 notebook) and Plotter A5 binder traveled with me, along with my iPad Pro and reMarkable tablet. I plan to write a follow up post containing additional thoughts on tablets and e-ink devices soon - they have their place in my rotation, but they’ve never replaced certain parts of my paper-based workflow. What I really wanted to preview, however, is a new creation from Good Made Better, which I picked up in Chicago. Made from thick felt and elastic cords, the “Bibliofile” book carrier/protector holds your books and notebooks tightly together when they are in your bag - preventing those oh-so-annoying bent covers and pages while making packing a heck of a lot easier - and it can also serve as a portable bookshelf of sorts when you’re on the road. Like the pocket pen I teased, this is another “experimental” prototype product from Good Made Better that I hope takes off and goes mainstream, but for now you can buy it at pen shows.

View fullsize

Takeaways

I’m trying to pare down what I carry in my bag when I travel. Letting things sit unused, especially after taking the time to pack and lug them through the airport, creates a sense of anxiety and frustration, and I’ve found that I’m happier and more productive when I’m realistic in choosing the best tools for a trip. I’m seriously considering the idea of having a set “stationery travel pouch” that is always packed and ready to go, even if it means purchasing duplicates of a few key items (like mechanical pencils and multi-pens). A few friends have adopted this strategy, and I’m interested whether others have a specific travel setup that they use by default, simply so you don’t have to think too much about packing. Drop a comment or send me a message!

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

Pen Show Adventures: 2024 Chicago Pen Show Friday Recap!

As one of the older pen shows on the circuit, the Chicago Pen Show has a rich history. Over the years it’s been considered one of the “big” shows at times, but for now I would place Chicago in the category of mid-size shows that draw an extremely diverse group of vendors. And as a show that’s very easy for me to attend logistically, it’s not uncommon for me to jump on a cheap flight and go last-minute, which is what happened this weekend!

The Chicago Pen Show is actually located in Hoffman Estates, a suburb. The hotel is fairly large and part of the show takes place in this well-lit atrium.

The trend at pen shows has been to make Friday a hybrid weekend trader/public day, meaning that weekend pass purchasers get a few hours in the morning to shop the show exclusively before it opens to the public on Friday at around noon. This is the best of both worlds, in my opinion: The weekend pass is still worth the money for attendees because they get early access, but vendors also get the benefit of additional public foot traffic in the afternoon (especially around 2-3pm when people skip out of work early to hit the show). I made sure to pick up most of the pens I was looking for in the morning, before the show got crowded.

View fullsize

Clockwise from the top: Waterman Exception Night and Day, Skogsy Low-Volume Eyedropper, Good Made Better Ebonite Pocket Pen, Edison Jameson Scheherazade, Newton Prospector in Arkansas Abalone, and Edison Collier in Dragon’s Night.

This particular pen show trip ended up being a mix of business and personal, meaning that I didn’t take a table and set up as a vendor, but I did meet with a couple of different makers and manufacturers on T.G.S.-related projects. Once those were taken care of, I was free to roam a bit, visit with friends, and pick up six pretty significant pens, including two customs I had been looking to add to my collection, two new releases to evaluate, and two pens (one semi-vintage) that I’ve long coveted but had never found “the right opportunity.” Sometimes those opportunities hit you all at once. :) Here we go:

• Custom Pen No. 1: Newton Prospector in “Arkansas Abalone”, which I couldn’t pass up. I’ve been looking to add a second Newton Prospector (Shawn Newton’s triangular pen) in a fun material, and this turned out to be the one. Featuring shades of iridescent pink, silver, mother of pearl, and some dark green, it’s a stunner. The resin is by D Squared, also from Arkansas. I believe Shawn has a few more pens in this material.

• Custom Pen No. 2: Skogsy Low Volume Eyedropper in Beige Sand Acrylic. Designed to moderate the ink flow by limiting both the amount of ink in the barrel and the volume that can travel through the ebonite feed at any given time, Skogsy’s “Low Volume” eyedropper aims to avoid flooding the feed with ink, which leads to ink leaking into the cap and sometimes onto the page as you write. Did I mention this one has a No. 8 Magna Carta nib and ebonite feed? Expect to see more of this pen.

• New Release No. 1: Good Made Better Ebonite Pocket Pen. Dan had been teasing these pens all week on Instagram, and I already had planned to take one of these home with me. I chose this mottled black, beige, pink, and orange ebonite pen with a matte finish. As always, Good Made Better’s workmanship is excellent. I understand that these pens are show-only for the time being, so if you’d like to pick one up, get one at the Chicago Show or else you’ll need to wait for the official launch.

• New Release No. 2: Edison Jameson 2024 Chicago Pen Show Limited Edition. My pen is No. 7 of a (very) limited run of 15, made from older Bexley Scheherazade resin, which is a black translucent acrylic resin featuring streaks of silver foil. And, yes, it has a No. 8 nib. (You’re noticing a trend here.)

• Personal Acquisition No. 1: Edison Collier in Brooks “Dragon’s Night” Resin. Does anyone else remember when the Edison Collier was first released and everyone thought the pen was oversized? I never added one to my collection, which I’ve come to regret, and I couldn’t leave this one on the table. Translucent black acrylic with dark blue/teal shimmer. I considered the Collier Grande but found it slightly too oversized, despite the No. 8 nib which was tempting.

• Personal Acquisition No. 2: Waterman Exception “Night and Day”. I’ve been looking to add one of the oversized Waterman Exceptions to my collection, preferably in the black with silver trim and matte pinstripes on the side. Guess what? I ran into someone looking to unload one in excellent condition! Instant buy, and I’m thrilled to come closer to completing my “vintage” Waterman collection of most models spanning the late 1980s through early 2000s.

For Saturday, while I may pick up some smaller items and shop samples, and get a couple of nibs looked at, major shopping is over for this weekend. I expect the show to be much more crowded today. See below for some bonus pics of the new Good Made Better pens, as well as some vintage after-hours finds. (Yes, those are miniature keychain whiskey bottles that turn into fountain pens!)

If you enjoy our content, you can support us directly by visiting our own T.G.S. Curated Shop, as well as the T.G.S. Patreon Program. Many thanks to all of our readers and supporters!

A close-up of the Good Made Better Pocket Pen I picked up.

In addition to a pocket ebonite fountain pen, Good Made Better also has these full-sized models.

Travel Chronicles: Actually Traveling with a "Traveler's Notebook"

As befits its name, the Traveler’s Notebook makes a fabulous traveling companion, or so I’ve found on more than one occasion over the past month. Since I’m on the road for a brief long-weekend trip before a hectic week that includes Fountain Pen Day and my eventual return to the office, I thought it might be fun to take a look at the specific setup that I’m using in my personal Traveler’s Notebook, namely the accessories.

View fullsize

Accessories - Folders, Cases, and Card Holders for the Road

For me, the accessories are the most important items for a “travel” rig since they transform the Traveler’s Notebook from a “notebook” to a functional travel portfolio/wallet. I’m currently outside the U.S., so I need to carry more documentation that I typically would on a domestic flight, including a passport, customs documents, cash, etc., as well as multiple credit cards, identification, and paper copies of my itinerary and confirmations. Here are the various accessories currently in my Traveler’s Notebook:

• Zippered PVC Case. While I always use the clear PVC zippered case to hold things like stamps, paper clips, and Book Darts, this weekend I used it to carry my Passport and customs receipts while moving through the airport. It’s a convenient - yet relatively secure - way for me to keep these documents handy. (I wouldn’t recommend storing these documents in your notebook when you’re not actively using them. Keep them in the hotel safe or concealed on your person!)

• Traveler’s Notebook Pocket Stickers. Like the PVC Zippered pouch above and the folder discussed below, you can add pockets to the front and back covers of your Traveler’s notebook to hold printed copies of confirmations and itineraries, cards, and more. They aren’t necessary for the particular cover I’m using on this trip (more on that below), but I have them in both of my Standard leather covers.

• Traveler’s Notebook Sticky Notes. I’m a sticky note addict who is never without a healthy supply of them. I make “side notes” to myself when I’m journaling, annotate books that I’m reading, and most importantly, leave last-minute notes to the dogsitter while I’m running out the door late for my flight. Though I might not use them regularly when I travel, I can’t bring myself to leave them at home.

• 2024 Limited Edition Plastic Folders and Pencil Boards. I didn’t realize how useful pencil boards (and journaling stencils in general) were until I began using one of my Atelier Musubi notebooks as my personal journal. Not only does it allow you to change up the ruling as you work your way through a blank notebook, but here it helps in situations where you don’t have a sturdy, level writing surface, especially for a fountain pen. A pencil board can also “firm up” the softer Traveler’s Notebook cover, creating a better platform for writing while standing.

• Brass Binder Clip. Whenever I’m writing on the go, and especially when I sometimes have to write standing up, on an airline seatback tray table, or other cramped space, I rely on the Traveler’s Company Brass Binder clip to help hold the notebook open, to mark my place in a specific refill, and even to just clip papers together. This clip is actually one of my most-used stationery accessories across the board, as I switch it between different systems and also carry it in my Roterfadens and Plotters.

You can read more on my personal Traveler’s Notebook Setups here, and if you’d like a tutorial on how to install and connect different refills in the Traveler’s Notebook covers, I’ve also done posts on that in the past.

View fullsize

My favorite notebook cover ever. No I won’t part with it.

For those Who Ask, No, That’s Not an Official Traveler’s Notebook Cover and This One is Unfortunately Unobtainium, Though I Hope That Changes.

It’s actually an older Roterfaden model cut in an A5 slim size, which is no longer made. I love it because it easily fits Traveler’s Company and other similarly sized refills, and I’m hoping that Roterfaden will agree to bring it back. You can, of course, clip Traveler’s Company refills and accessories into the regular A5 Roterfaden covers, and you can take advantage of their stitched-in card pockets for credits cards and IDs.

This is a very short trip, as I’ll be back Monday, so no delays to regular content, etc. Maybe I’ll do one-more travel-related post on my return?

View fullsize

It’s a toss-up for me whether the PVC Zippered Pouch or the Brass Clip is the more overall useful stationery accessory.

The canvas slots on the inside cover of this particular Roterfaden transform this cover into an excellent oversized travel wallet.

The Gentleman Stationer is supported entirely by purchases from the T.G.S. Curated Shop and pledges via the T.G.S. Patreon Program. The Gentleman Stationer is also an authorized retailer of both Traveler’s Company and Roterfaden products.