On The Paper Trail Episode 3: We Visit Pilot USA Headquarters

On the Paper Trail Episode 3: We Visit Pilot Pens USA!

February 11, 2026

Joe and Lisa take a trip to visit Pilot USA headquarters and come back with a lot to report! In this third episode of On the Paper Trail, we not only discuss our Pilot Tour, but take on three questions from the "12 Pen Person" questions challenge, answer reader questions about appraising and selling pens, and talk about the upcoming California Pen Show and a live recording at the San Francisco Stationery Fest!

Show Notes and Links:

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.

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.

I Didn't Know There Was a Pen Show Last Weekend! Pen Shows and Stationery Fests vs. Trade Shows

February 5, 2026

I had a couple of people write in to ask which pen show I was attending over the past few days in New York City, and the answer is that there wasn’t one! Sunday through Tuesday I attended both NY Now and Shoppe Object, which are two “to-the-trade” shows, meaning that they are open only to retailers, distributors, and sometimes to the press. I initially attended NYNow years ago as “press”, when I was running T.G.S. primarily as a stationery enthusiast website, reviewing products, and keeping track of all the new product releases. Now that I have both brick-and-mortar and online retail operations, I can attend as a buyer.

Leuchtturm1917 Master Size Notebooks — Yes, those are Leuchtturm1917 “Master” Size Notebooks in multiple colors!

What’s the Main Difference Between a Pen Show and a Trade Show? No Buying on Site.

Think of these shows as exhibitions - manufacturers and distributors bring samples of their goods, including their latest releases, for retailers to see and handle in person before ordering. Why is this important? Because many brands have large minimum order requirements and there’s a lot of risk involved if you have to order 50 units of something without ever having seen it in person. Traditional trade shows minimize that risk. It can also be quite helpful to have direct access to sales representatives and be able to ask questions in person, especially as some tend to be nonresponsive to e-mail and telephone inquiries by smaller shops as they nearly always focus most of their service and attention on larger internet retailers. While you can place orders at trade shows, there is no purchasing on site. Products are delivered later.

Notem Undated Planners from Denmark — Notem - a brand from Denmark that makes clothbound undated planners.

I Can’t Talk About Much of What I Saw

Most of what I saw - or at least those things readers would be most interested in - are forthcoming products that will be announced in the coming months. While there were a lot of interesting items on display, both NY Now and Shoppe Object seemed sparse this year, which has been a trend as these sorts of shows get pushed online to wholesale marketplaces like Faire. It’s a double-edged sword: while I appreciate getting to see things in person at trade shows, the shows themselves are expensive to attend, and online marketplaces typically allow you to order smaller quantities and even tester/sample products before committing to larger orders. It remains to be seen whether the traditional trade show will continue to exist in its current format with twice-a-year frequency.

I will likely continue to attend these shows in addition to the normal pen show circuit because over the years I’ve discovered some unique products that I wouldn’t have found anywhere else. For example, brands like Anecdote Goods, the distributors of Toyo Steel and Braun, and even Leuchtturm exhibit at these shows, and the relationships cultivated in person make it easier to expand my offerings. I hope you enjoyed this quick look “behind the curtain”!

Our shop is open normal hours this week! Come see us 1-6pm on Thursday and Friday, and 10am-6pm on Saturday!

Westminster Dog Show 2026 — NYNow had some company in the Javitz Center this year!

Lots of Dogs in Stalls at Westminster — Lot of dogs on site!

San Francisco Pen Show Hotel View — Being able to get outside and walk along the bay near the hotel gave an added boost outside of show hours.

2025 San Francisco Pen Show Recap: Still The Best "Big" Show!

September 3, 2025

We returned this week from the 2025 San Francisco Pen Show, and what an awesome weekend! After having to cancel at the last minute last year due to a family emergency, it was great to be back and to have the opportunity to visit with so many of our readers and customers. Due to the number of international vendors who attend the show, San Francisco is truly an “international” pen show with both vendors and attendees from Japan, Taiwan, Singapore, Turkey, and more.

San Francisco Pen Show Inside Ballroom — I snuck in to get a shot of the ballroom as it was being set up on Wednesday night.

While the show is smaller than D.C. in terms of both physical footprint and number of vendors, there are things at this show that you simply won’t find anywhere else. This year’s international attendees included Nagasawa Stationery, Toyooka Craft, Drillog, Atelier Musubi, Stylo Art Karuizawa, Kyuseido, and seY pens, as well as a number of glass pen makers that included Glassophy, Hanabi Glass Studio, Glass Studio Aun, Glass Studio TooS, and more. It’s impossible for me to list and link to everyone here, as there are simply too many, but you can view the entire exhibitor list on the SF Pen Show website.

Nagasawa Bungu Center Ink Presentation — Representatives from Nagasawa Stationery (Nagasawa Bungu Center) presented at the San Francisco Pen Show on the history of their Kobe Inks.

What Makes the San Francisco Pen Show Great: People and Content

Ever since attending my first San Francisco Pen Show in 2021, I’ve enjoyed returning for two things: the people and the content (mainly classes and seminars). This year’s show continued the trend, with excellent workshops and classes of which I attended two. The first was a Thursday night panel that included Naoyuki Takeuchi, the head of Ink Planning and Development at Nagasawa Stationery in Kobe Japan; Daryl Lim of Atelier Musubi; Satoru of seY Pen; and renowned nib artisan Yukio Nagahara, who attended the show with his company The Nib Shaper. The wide-ranging discussion (moderated by my friend Lisa Vanness) included some generalized background about all the different companies represented, but also spanned topics as diverse as the role of stationery in different countries, paper preferences across regions, and personal pen, paper, and ink preferences.

The second seminar was held on Saturday afternoon, and was hosted by Takeuchi-san of Nagasawa and his excellent translator Anastasia, who walked through the history of Nagasawa’s Kobe Ink series and provided in-depth background regarding the development process and stories behind certain colors. I plan to do a separate recap discussing some of the topics from this and other seminars in the coming days, so stay tuned.

Roterfaden Binders at the End of the Show! — Everyone who’s visited T.G.S. at the larger pen shows know that we’re somewhat selective in what we bring to shows, given the already diverse selection available across more than a hundred tables. As with the D.C. Pen Show, this year we only brought Roterfaden, the German clip-based binder system, and as you can see, we went from 16 to 4 Taschenbegleiters by midday Saturday!

Business Recap: So Long to All Those Roterfadens!

Everyone always asks me “how was your show?”, so let me say this: it was fabulous. Not only did we do well business-wise (taking some of the stress out of an otherwise expensive trip) but I love meeting readers and customers in person and hearing about how much they’re enjoying their stationery, especially when they stop by to tell me how they’re actually using it out there in the real world. While I only had five TGS_25 Roterfadens available at the show, at least twice that number of people came by to tell me how much they were enjoying theirs that they had bought online. (Some even wanted pictures, which was a new experience for me, as all my friends know I’m camera-shy :).)

The Galen Leather Dentist/Architect Nib — The Galen Leather “Dentist” Nib, which is a fine architect that’s super-smooth.

We had teamed up with Vanness Pens at their table in the Oak Room (at the back of the entrance hallway), and were joined by Ana Reinert of the Well-Appointed Desk and Galen Leather, who brought not just their latest “Havana Brown” release, but also their exclusive fountain pens and custom nibs ground by Meltem (“Amphorastale” on Instagram). I had a few minutes on Saturday - or maybe it was Sunday, it’s all a blur - to test out their custom nib grinds and found them excellent. The next time you order one of the Galen Leonardos or another JoWo-compatible pen, consider adding a specialty nib. My favorite was the fine italic.

My San Francisco Pen Show Haul, Plus things I did not buy because infinite money is not really a thing

As I mentioned above, those looking for high-end glass and dip pens did not come away from San Francisco disappointed. Unless you waited too long, that is. The San Francisco Pen Show is notorious for product selling out on Friday morning, since weekend pass-holders queue-up early to get access to the most in-demand products. This time around it was mainly glass pens, and I heard that people arrived at 5 a.m. to get in line. Despite not being able to be part of the initial rush since I was behind the table, I still managed to pick up a couple of fun pieces on Saturday: a glass pen from Glass Studio Aun with a broad nib, and a Drillog 2.0 with a .5mm tip size. You can read my original (somewhat critical) review of the Kickstarter Drillog here, but I have to say that this new version delivers on the original vision and more. It’s super smooth, and since there are additional channels cut into the nib, it delivers sustained ink flow. Drillog also switched to titanium, which has improved performance. I plan to post a full follow-up on this one.

Studio Aun Glass Pen alongside a Drillog — My glass pen from Studio Aun (left) alongside my Drillog. I chose the short nib.

Schon DSGN Monoc Evo — Schon DSGN has released a new pen: the Monoc EVO, which is a piston-filler fountain pen with an integrated nib.

Pilot Custom 74 Special Edition — This year’s special release from Pilot will arrive in October. This Custom 74 will be available in four special nib sizes, including Soft Fine, Soft Fine-Medium, Soft Medium, and Double Broad.

The Drillog Table at the San Francisco Pen Show — The Drillog setup at the San Francisco Pen Show. Customize to your heart’s content.

This Retro 51 Display from Marty Henderson — Marty brought all the Retro 51s!

Tiny Pelikan alongside the new Liliput Kolibri — A tiny Pelikan fountain pen (M300?) alongside a Kaweco Liliput Kolibri.

That’s a Wrap for 2025 Pen Shows: On to Pelikan Hub, Fountain Pen Day, and In-Store Events!

My goal was to bring T.G.S. to three or four pen shows in 2025, and I did four, so check that annual performance goal off the list! In addition to San Francisco and D.C., we attended Arkansas and Atlanta back in the Spring, and already are planning adventures for 2026 and beyond. We’re now entering the fall season, which will include the annual Pelikan Hub, Fountain Pen Day, and even a few special events we are planning to host in our own space. Stay tuned and I hope to see you soon in Nashville!

We are back to a normal in-store schedule, so come see us from 1-6pm Thursday and Friday and 10am-6pm on Saturdays. Please check this page here for information on our store location and up-to-date information on hours, etc.

TGS_25 Roterfaden Taschenbegleiter Green Traveler's Size — They may be sold out by the time you read this, but as of publication we still have a couple remaining TGS_25 Roterfadens!

2025 DC Pen Show Cover Image with Cases on Table

Summer Pen Show Schedule and D.C. and San Francisco Pen Show Details

July 19, 2025

The August Pen Show Season is almost upon us! First up is the 2025 D.C. Pen Show, which will take place at the Marriott Fairview Park in Falls Church, Virginia. We will be attending, and while our final setup is yet to be determined, we will either be sharing table space with our friends at Vanness Pens and/or set up in the Pen Lounge downstairs, where I plan to hold my workshop on Notebook Systems once daily on Friday (4pm), Saturday (3:30pm), and Sunday (12pm). The DC Seminar Schedule is a bit disorganized and hard to follow, and does not currently reflect these classes, but will be updated soon.

For those who visited the D.C. Pen Show last year, you may remember the Vanness Pen Lounge as a downstairs “oasis” where you can get off your feet around a table to visit with friends, and catch a class or workshop in a more informal format. It will be open Friday-Sunday, from open until close.

The San Francisco Pen Show will follow from August 29-31, and while I currently plan to be there, my current schedule and location is TBD. I want to spend at least part of that show as a pure attendee. Stay tuned for additional details around mid-August.

Picture of packed bags for the DC Pen Show

Can I Order Items from the Shop to Pick Up in D.C. or San Francisco?

D.C., yes. San Francisco, possibly but I’m not sure yet. The difference is that I’m driving to D.C., whereas I have to fly to San Francisco. (I’m also attending the San Francisco Pen Show mostly as an attendee, and therefore won’t have a regular table or easy place to store any stuff.) Details on D.C. Pen Show Orders can be found in this week’s Thursday Drops post, but the short version is to use the coupon code “DCPICKUP” at checkout to drop the shipping charge. Orders not collected at the show that do not qualify for free shipping ($75+) will be assessed a separate shipping charge. I will be mostly set up in the Vanness Pen Lounge (downstairs) for the weekend, and my stock will heavily feature notebook systems and accessories (i.e., Roterfaden, Lochby, Traveler’s Company). I do intend to bring most of my current Roterfaden stock to D.C., so if you have been waiting on a specific piece, I would encourage you to visit the store or purchase in advance. The status of the current trade situation will likely influence the timing of any further restock.

Pen Show and Shop Schedule for August

Please pay close attention to posted in-person shop hours for the month of August, as they will be somewhat irregular due to travel.

Thursday, July 31 through Sunday, August 3: D.C. Pen Show. We will have special in-person store hours in Nashville the week of July 28, and possibly add a day next week, to make up for the fact that we will be closed that weekend.
Thursday August 28 through Sunday, August 31: San Francisco Pen Show. We will plan to have special in-person store hours in Nashville the week of the show, since we won’t be in town that weekend.
Otherwise, the T.G.S. storefront should be operating per our normal business hours, Thursday and Friday 1pm-6pm and Saturday from 10am-6pm. We may add an extra afternoon (probably Wednesday) on weeks in August due to the pen show schedule.

Just a reminder that our shop is closed today (Saturday, 7/19) since we are on our last day of travel. Normal hours will resume next week and we are back on a normal shipping schedule. Don’t forget to take advantage of the current promotion, with 10% off most bottled inks and refills using the coupon code “INKYVACAY” at checkout!

From the Archives: Early T.G.S. YouTube Videos and Overlooked Gems

July 16, 2025

Sometimes when I’m on vacation or traveling I’ll pull out some older posts from the early days - perhaps content from a time when the site (and certainly the YouTube Channel) didn’t get as much traffic as it does now. Due to the algorithmic nature of the modern internet, a lot of good, informative content gets buried simply because it’s old. Periodically you need to do what you can to put it back out there. Here are three videos/video series that I had a lot of fun making and I hope you enjoy if you missed them the first time around.

Fountain Pen Basics: How to Fill a Fountain Pen. I walk through several different filling systems, demonstrating how they work. Self-explanatory, but I do receive a lot of questions and inquiries on this topic.
London Stationery Haul, Part I: Inks from Cornelissen. I thought this one would get more attention than it did, but perhaps the YouTube Algorithm simply isn’t as captivated by historically inspired dip pen inks as I am.
Santini Italia Libra Fountain Pen Review. I reviewed a pen that was loaned to me by a friend, which honestly saved me a lot of money. These pens are beautiful but simply don’t match my writing style.

Due to our travel schedule this week, please note that our brick-and-mortar shop is closed and will reopen the week of July 21. Online orders will continue to be processed and ship but may require an additional 1-2 business days beyond our normal time. Thank you for all your support!