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!

Atlanta Pen Show Ryan Krusac — I didn’t get nearly as much time to wander, but one of my friends brought this purchase from Ryan Krusac by the table. Gorgeous.

2025 Atlanta Pen Show Recap: Time for a Reboot (Plus a Note on Tariffs)

April 9, 2025

I want to start by saying that I had a great time at the Atlanta Pen Show this past weekend, and overall T.G.S. did very well at this event. Despite all the economic uncertainty, our community is vibrant, energized and supportive, and I have no doubt pen shows and the community as a whole will come through this latest crisis. In my view, if the 2008 financial crisis and the multi-year pandemic shutdown didn’t kill shows, they must have a pretty strong foundation and people will figure out how to keep them going. For most of us (myself included), this isn’t a hobby, it's part of who we are and how we think and work, and I plan to do whatever I can to stick around and pull through and make sure readers and customers continue to have as wide a selection as possible for their stationery experience.

That said, more than the depressing state of world affairs cast a pall over the 2025 Atlanta Pen Show. The show was not nearly as well-run as in years past. The vendor and seminar lists were never updated (even now the site shows 2024 names), no seminars were even held, and there was a lot of confusion among potential attendees about whether the show would even take place. This wasn’t an economy issue - it was purely on the showrunners. While the organizers certainly dropped the ball for 2025, I don’t expect these problems to continue next year as I understand they were plagued by a lack of available help, which is already being addressed.

Tri Star Studios Setup at the Atlanta Pen Show — Tri Star Studios attended as a vendor for the first time. I ended up buying a pen from Scott, who also had ceramics from Tracy Cullen Pottery. See Saturday’s post for details.

While it’s never fun when a show doesn’t run smoothly, I still had a blast. I’ve never had a table at the Atlanta Pen Show, and like the Arkansas Pen Show, I really enjoyed getting to meet so many long-time customers in person. As long as my family schedule permits, I will continue to return. Despite organizational snafus, there was a good mix of vendors, including many independent makers showing for the first time, though the show did lack a major source of ink because both Vanness and Dromgoole’s could not attend this year.

TGS Atlanta Pen Show Table Setup — I’m perfecting the art of the one-table setup. :)

T.G.S. also had a good show, business-wise. As I discussed post-Arkansas, my goal for shows is to bring goods that other vendors don’t tend to focus on, including non-fountain pens like the ever-popular Tom’s Studio Lumos and Wren series, notebook systems from Roterfaden and Lochby, and more unusual niche inks. (This past weekend I brought inks from Teranishi and Tom’s Studio.) I had several people comment on the selection and express appreciation for doing something different, which makes me think I’m on to something. :)

Pen Show After Hours in the Bar — I was most disappointed that the bar no longer had any beer on tap. And ran out of most bottles on Friday.

Response to Reader Questions: What About Tariffs?

Like many other retailers, I’ve been fielding inquiries since the weekend about how U.S. tariffs will impact the pen industry and U.S.-based retailers. Unfortunately, I have to say that the likely impact is obvious: there will almost certainly be higher prices in the future if the current tariff rates hold. Most of the industry is, at least for now, import-dependent. While there are some stationery products that are made in the U.S.A., even these may have ties to imported components and raw materials, machinery, and other elements of the supply chain that are not immediately obvious. Please remember that retailers have very little control over prices, which tend to be dictated by manufacturers and/or distributors. Most of us sell our goods at the lower end of the permissible range at whatever markup is necessary to support a viable margin that allows us to keep the lights on. The prices we charge are directly impacted by the prices we are charged, and contrary to some of the speculation I have seen in various pen forums, stationery is not a high-margin business capable of completely absorbing tariffs of this magnitude. Brick and mortar retailers have even slimmer margins due to overhead costs.

TGS Post-Pen Show Restock Photo — Post pen-show and restocking chaos. We will be cleaned up and ready to go by Thursday, and the brick and mortar shop will be open Thursday-Saturday for the foreseeable future. Check out this page to stay up to date on hours.

That said, I believe that it’s also unlikely the current tariff rates will hold. [Edit: They’ve been paused as of 4:00pm on 4/9. Guess we’ll talk again in 90 days?] The more plausible scenario is that over time, they will be negotiated down to something that still stings but will be more manageable. Most retailers and distributors have likely been stocking 4-6 months worth of inventory - if not more - to ride out the initial turbulence, but for things like limited edition releases that need to be ordered in the next several weeks, it may be a different story. I try to be transparent so I will keep everyone updated as I hear more about how the industry is responding, but for now it’s fair to say that nobody really knows how this will all shake out.

Many thanks to everyone who has expressed support and/or concern, and I’m extremely grateful for your patronage! T.G.S. is in a good position, and because we’re small with lower overhead than most we will be nimble enough to adjust as circumstances dictate. In addition to having a large supply of most major brands, we try to stock a range of goods across many different price points to ensure that people will be able to continue to enjoy their stationery no matter the circumstances.

Come see us in person this weekend! Our physical shop is open Thursday and Friday from 1-6pm, and 10-6pm on Saturdays.

Updated Fountain Pen Review Archive and a February Flash Sale (Online Only!)

February 1, 2025

Sometimes you have to take a day to do some housekeeping! I spent most of yesterday and this morning updating the Gentleman Stationer Fountain Pen Review Archive, which if you haven’t yet visited, is an organized archive of all the fountain pen reviews on the blog dating back to 2014. (There is also an Ink Review Archive, organized by color, though it’s still a work in progress and the most recent ink reviews may not yet appear.) Even though a large amount of effort and most resources went into opening the shop over the past six months, we remain committed to offering as much information as possible to users and enthusiasts. In addition to the review archive, we offer a general resources page as well as guides on our recommended “Best Pens” at certain price points and a reference on fountain pen friendly paper. Speaking of paper….

Pencil products are restocked, including the beloved Viarco pencil caps! Read on for details on this weekend’s flash sale and pencil promotion.

February Flash Paper Sale, Travel Schedule and Trade Shows This Weekend

We just received a TON of paper, and will have more on the way shortly because it’s trade show season. How about a flash sale to kick off the month of February? Through tomorrow (Sunday, 2/3) at 11:59pm US Central Time, use the coupon code “FLASH10” to take 10% off most online paper purchases (excluding Roterfaden and Blackwing). Also, any purchases that include a pencil product will include a special gift that will make you laugh. I promise. And I’m not giving you any details on what it is. Let’s just say it was one of my many “mistake buys”. :) While supplies last, but I think I will have enough for anyone who wants one. [NOTE: Apologies but we ran out of these very quickly. For those who wondered, it was a gag “Dummy” pencil that looks real but when you go to sharpen it, there is no graphite. If you placed a pencil order but got a sticker instead of a pencil, and still want one, please e-mail us and I will place you on a list to get one if I receive another box.]

Through this weekend, keep an eye on the Instagram, because I’ll be posting pictures from New York City as we visit the NY Now and Shoppe Object Stationery Trade Shows in New York. The brick-and-mortar shop will be closing early today at 2pm because I will be on my way to the airport. It’s a short trip so online orders will continue to ship in the usual timeframe.