What We Carry And Why: My Vision for the T.G.S. Curated Shop

May 27, 2021

This week’s series of posts will have an overarching theme, starting with a bit of a rant yesterday regarding what I view as the market’s current fixation on “limited editions” and running through the post I have lined up for Saturday, in which I plan to talk about what makes a truly “limited” pen special. Today I wanted to talk a bit about the various products I’ve chosen to stock in the Curated Shop, my own small retail outpost with a strong focus on pens, pencils, and notebooks that you can purchase without having to think about whether it’s good quality and whether it’s something that will hold up to actual everyday use. Sure, there’s some fun stuff thrown in there too, and maybe even - wait for it - a limited edition or two, but you’re not going to be seeing a constant parade of new releases. Instead, I plan on building out the shop by going really deep into a handful of brands that I have grown to love and enjoy over the years, and I hope you enjoy them as well!

Select Pens with a Focus on Workhorses and Everyday Writers

The three major pen lines I’ve chosen to carry, at least initially, are TWSBI, Caran d’Ache, and Traveler’s Company, primarily because I feel these brands offer well-made, functional writing instruments across a range of price points. For example, while we sell the luxury Caran d’Ache Léman fountain pen, we also carry their $3 Eco ballpoint, which is excellent in its own right. In my opinion, TWSBI makes some of the best workhorse piston filler fountain pens on the market, and if you’re looking for vintage-inspired pocket pens, the TRC Brass Bullet Pens and Pencils are an excellent starting point. Oh, and did I mention we also sell pencils, both woodcase and mechanical?

TWSBI

Caran D'Ache

Traveler's Company

Quality Paper That Works with Pretty Much Any Writing Instrument, Including Fountain Pens

Tired of shopping for paper and having to wonder whether it’s “fountain pen friendly”? While that’s become a loaded term, I take it to refer to paper that doesn’t feather or bleed with fountain pen ink. (For an In-depth treatment of this subject, you can check out my Guide to Fountain Pen Friendly Paper.) In my shop, nearly all of the paper I sell is usable with fountain pens, and only a handful of products don’t work exceptionally well (they’re clearly labeled as such). Most of this won’t be controversial: brands such as Clairefontaine, Rhodia, Midori, Traveler’s Company, Life, and Tomoe River have earned well-deserved reputations as “no-brainer” paper recommendations for fountain pen enthusiasts, and the Midori MD and Traveler’s Notebooks come with a wide range of available covers and accessories that allow you to create the perfect notebook “system” for your needs. I also stock a wide assortment of paper from Baltimore, Maryland-based Write Notepads, whose paper not only handles fountain pen ink exceptionally well, but also ballpoints, rollerballs, and pencils.

Traveler's Company

Midori

Write Notepads

Clairefontaine

Desk and Reading/Writing Accessories

Now for the “fun” stuff! I’ve always had a thing for interesting, and somewhat practical, desk and writing accessories which is why nobody will ever confuse me with a minimalist. Japanese manufacturer Hightide makes a range of gorgeous hourglasses and practical folding bookstands that many of you have been enjoying, and I’m also happy to offer select washi tapes, rubber stamps, enamel pins, and reading accessories, including sterling silver bookmarks and the ever-useful Book Dart!

Book Stands

Sandglasses

Book Darts

WMS & Co

The T.G.S. Curated Shop is an authorized retailer of all brands we carry. As I noted yesterday, we have moved away from a sponsorship/affiliate revenue model, so by shopping The Curated Shop you are supporting original content, pen reviews, pen show events, etc. from The Gentleman Stationer. If you would like to support us even further, please consider checking out the T.G.S. Patreon Program. Many thanks!

Remember when something like this was rare?

Has The Market for "Limited Editions" Finally Jumped the Shark?

May 26, 2021

It’s a question I’ve been thinking about for a while, but a combination of things finally prompted me to write this post:

A question posed a few days ago on Reddit r/fountainpens about whether limited edition fountain pens appreciate in value, and looking for recommendations on which pens can be viewed as an “investment”;
The announcement of Lamy’s “Anniversary Edition” Lamy 2000 in Brown Makrolon, made available for pre-order at Canadian retailer Wonder Pens yesterday at a price point nearly 3x the standard version; and
The realization that I am experiencing extreme buyers fatigue, to the point where I can count the number of pens I’ve acquired this year on one hand.

It used to be that companies released “limited” or “special” editions once or twice a year, with “limited” denoting a small, fixed number of pens that are put on sale and then discontinued. “Special edition,” on the other hand, typically refers to a special release made in non-finite quantities for a fixed period of time or until sales drop off. These days, there’s not much that’s either “limited” or “special” about it. Seemingly every major pen company has embraced what amounts to a limited and special edition business model, releasing as many as a dozen of these pens every year supported by aggressive cycles of social media marketing. The point of this post isn’t to blame them for doing so: As long as people are buying the pens, it makes sense for them to do it, since presumably reissuing existing pens in different finishes and materials generates a higher margin that having to invest in entirely new product designs. My question is whether it’s sustainable, and drawing on my own personal experience, how long before the larger customer base starts to lose interest?

I’m not against limited and special releases, but can we do it with a bit more intentionality? To me, there’s a distinct difference between a well thought-out Anniversary release like the Kanilea Honokalani Mali Lei (top left) or a good homage pen such as the Virginia Woolf Writer’s Edition (bottom left), and most of what we are seeing today. While I could get behind the “Bauhaus Blue” Lamy 2000 as a one-off, I have issues with making this an annual thing, in which instead of expanding the standard range to include additional colors, Lamy will be releasing “limited edition” Lamy 2000s annually or near-annually, in effect selling a $200 fountain pen for $700 plus.

Personally, I’m Over It.

You may have noticed that I’m doing fewer reviews of special and limited edition stationery items on the blog. The main reason for this is that I can’t keep up, and I don’t have the personal bandwidth to follow all the different releases that are announced every week. Another reason, however, is a growing lack of excitement on my part. It used to be that the announcement of a new Montblanc Ink or Sailor Pro Gear was considered an event. Now, for example, five months into 2021, we’ve already seen at least three Sailor releases (that I know of) in the North American market alone, and the announcement of so many new inks that I can only throw up my hands. Years ago, you could be a collector of “limited editions” from a specific brand. Nowadays, most companies have released so many that unless you’re extremely well-heeled, that may be impossible.

Don’t worry - I’m not going anywhere and I’m not giving up the blog, but I’d be lying if I didn’t acknowledge that the past year gave rise to an existential crisis of sorts. When I first got into pens, and fountain pens in particular, the search for a superior writing experience is what drove my experimentation and exploration. Somewhere along the way, I found myself caught up in this FOMO-driven “catch-’em-all” mentality, and perhaps even contributing to it by spotlighting every special and limited edition release on The Gentleman Stationer. Maybe it was the experience of being forced to spend my days working from home amid piles of hoarded stationery that will never get used, but about halfway through 2020, I realized that both I and T.G.S. needed a hard reset.

Going forward, I won’t be reviewing “all the things” but rather only those things that legitimately interest me or that I feel might be of significant interest to members of the community. That’s also why you are seeing a new revenue model featuring less retailer and affiliate advertising in favor of direct reader support via Patreon and my own Curated Shop. Yes, there may be some overlap between what I write about and what I sell myself, but it will be intentional. If I choose to carry something, it’s because I think it’s a quality product that is (1) a worth purchasing for actual, practical use, and/or (2) something interesting that the hype train has left at the station and that I think warrants further attention. So far, I’ve found this new approach far more fulfilling, and I’ve had more fun with T.G.S. in 2021 than I’ve had in years, mainly because I finally feel that I’m charting my own direction as opposed to constantly having to worry about responding to the FOMO and other market pressures.

Limited Edition Pens Have Always Been a Bad Investment. Now They’re Even Worse.

Look, I’m not going to quit buying (or even selling) special and limited editions altogether. Some of them are legitimately interesting, well-thought-out, and fun - especially collaborations with artists, brands from other industries, and community members. There will always be a place for that sort of product. But when the industry itself seems to be headed in the direction of one giant special edition subscription model, something feels off, and certainly a departure from what drew me to this community in the first place. I want to try something different, and if people follow me, great. If not, at least I’ll be having fun again!

And to get back to what originally prompted this post: If I could convey one piece of “wisdom” from my decade-plus in the pen community, please do not buy any fountain pen (or other stationery item, or consumer items in general, for that matter) as an investment. Yes, at one point you could flip that Montblanc Writer’s edition (Hemingway or Agatha Christie perhaps?) for a nice return, but these days there are so many of these pens, and the starting retail price for limited and special editions is so high, that there’s little room for any appreciation in value. Moreover, I’ve begun to see retailers having difficulty moving stock. You can often find these pens on deep discount months, or even years, after they were officially discontinued. Honestly, you’re probably better off buying Dogecoin (and no, that’s not an endorsement).

Editor’s Note: For those who are interested, here is some background on the English-language idiom “Jumping the Shark”.

Pokka Pens and Accessories Back in Stock!

May 25, 2021

As of this morning, Pokka Pens and accessories are back in stock! We currently have a selection of Pokka ballpoints in solid colors, clips, “Dokk” keychain holders and “Jakket” aluminum replacement caps in both black and silver. Pokka Pens were one of the first products we stocked in the T.G.S. Curated Shop, and more than a year later, remain one of our top sellers!

Combine the Pokka Pen with the Dokk and Jakket accessories to create an exceptionally versatile keychain pen.

If you’re unfamiliar with the Pokka Pen, you can read my original review here. Over the years I’ve accumulated dozens of these pocket ballpoints, and keep them stashed everywhere from my car glove box to my backpacks to my bedside table. And they’re no longer disposable - you can purchase refills that allow you to change the standard black ink colors to blue or red!

The T.G.S. Curated Shop is an authorized retailer of Pokka Pens and all other brands we carry.

The new Caran d’Ache + Nespresso collaborations are on the way. This year it won’t be a ballpoint!

Sunday Reading for May 23, 2021

May 23, 2021

Snap Cap Fountain Pens (via Left Hook Pens). “Snap cap,” or “friction closure” fountain pens can represent the ultimate in convenience, allowing you to quickly deploy your fountain pen and get to writing without spending extra time screwing/unscrewing the cap.
Opus 88 Jazz Demonstrator Fountain Pen (via Pencilcase Blog). A slightly more classic, streamlined design than other Opus 88 demonstrator pens, I agree with Dries that this is the closest to a “mainstream” design that Opus 88 has come, and could be a big hit provided they can keep retailers stocked.
Laban 325 Lagoon (via Rants of the Archer). This one really is reminiscent of the beach. They don’t get a lot of attention, relative to other brands, but Laban makes some great looking pens, and their lineup is quite diverse.
Sailor Manyo Kakitsubata and Ukikusa (via Fountain Pen Pharmacist). I’ve more or less given up trying to keep track of Sailor’s various ink lineups and where to start, but the Manyo series has some great colors, and still come in 50ml bottles.
Parker Sac Replacement Revisited (via Dapprman). For those interested in starting to restore vintage fountain pens, read as much as you can on the ins and outs or sac replacement. It will get you 90% of the way there.
Karas Kustoms Bolt v.2 (via Writing at Large). I found the original Karas Kustoms Bold too long for my taste. I loved the design of the pen though. I need to give v.2 a try.
New Paper Search Tool Now Available (via Fountain Pen Love). John has developed a paper search tool that allows you to sort fountain pen paper recommendations by specific properties. Check this one out!
Snippets: Teal Breaker, Otto Hutt, Gravitas, Benu, and more… (via UK Fountain Pens). So I need to get my hands on an Otto Hutt Design03….
Sakura Craft Lab 005 Gel Ink Pen (via Pen Addict). I’m not sure I understand this one at all, but it’s an interesting pen but the price point strikes me as insane.
Platinum Procyon Fountain Pen (via Gourmet Pens). Azizah reviews what I would call Platinum’s “mid-range inexpensive option”, the Procyon. While perhaps a bit pricey for what it is, the Procyon is a nice size and balance in the hand.

In Case You Missed It…. GIVEAWAY ENDS TONIGHT!

This week I reviewed a pen that’s been in my queue for some time: the Tibaldi N.60, in the beautiful “Samarkand Blue” acrylic. Otherwise, I had to balance my crazy day job with getting a TON of new items listed for the shop so I could clear them out of my home office. Check out this brief write-up of the Traveler’s Notebook “July Start” Planner refills, including in the Weekly + Memo format. Finally, don’t miss the TRU RED Giveaway courtesy of Staples.com. It ends tonight at 11:59pm Central Time.

New in the Curated Shop

As I mentioned, we’ve had a ton of new stuff arrive in the last couple of weeks, as well as a full restock of all Caran d’Ache products, including most models of the 849 ballpoint, the 844 mechanical pencil, and the 849 fountain pen. We also stock TWSBI fountain pens and ink, Midori MD notebooks and writing pads, and Traveler’s Notebooks, refills, and accessories.

Caran d'Ache

Traveler's Company

TWSBI

Midori MD

Visit T.G.S. on Reddit, and Consider Joining TGS Patreon for Access to Monthly Meetups and More!

As I noted above, I’ve been trying to expand into social media beyond Instagram, due to my dissatisfaction with the direction that platform is taking. Currently, you can also engage with me on Twitter, Facebook, and now on Reddit. (Honestly, I’m active on Twitter and Reddit moreso than Facebook, but I do read all the Facebook comments, eventually.) Mainly, I’m doing this because of Instagram’s algorithm-driven approach that buries content unless you’re endlessly posting to their various formats (“Reels,” Stories, posts, etc.) and actively monitoring your account to where you’re basically having to respond to comments and DMs in real time. This is impractical, because as Ana points out, you end up spending all your time on their platform and not actually writing or running your business, and then most of this content is temporary (24hrs) and you have to jump on the “hamster wheel” again. Many people just want an easy way to receive updates on when I post new content to the blog. Twitter and Reddit allow me to do that reliably. If there’s one thing you can do to help support T.G.S., it’s sharing our content and spreading the word!

For some additional fun, and to help support the blog consider joining the Patreon program. You can read more about T.G.S. Patreon here. This year I’ve introduced monthly online meetups, which take place on Friday or Saturday and have been super enjoyable. We’ve discussed our thoughts on pen shows restarting, recent arrivals in our personal collections, and more. I will also continue with periodic “sample sales” of gently used review items, to which Patrons will have first access. The current sale is now live!

New Arrivals: Traveler's Company Mid-Year (July) Start Planner Refills!

May 21, 2021

If there’s one product that I’ve leaned heavily on during this past year, it’s been my Traveler’s Notebook. Currently, it serves as a combined Planner/Life Log/Journal/Notebook/Commonplace book, all combined into a compact and versatile format that allows me to carry what amounts to my entire working life around with me at any given time, especially as I prepare to start traveling again. Arriving just in time for an eventful (hopefully in a good way) second half of the year are dated Traveler’s Notebook Planner Refills with a July 2021 Start Date. In the Standard Size, we have both Weekly Vertical and Weekly + Memo dated formats, and in the more compact Passport Size we have the Weekly Vertical.

The Undated Weekly Vertical Planner Refill.

Personally, I find the Weekly + Memo format insanely practical, providing a versatile week-on-two-pages format that lets you keep your schedule on the left-hand page while taking notes, making lists, logging daily activities, or even keeping a short-form journal on the right. I’m currently using an undated version (pictured), but since I’ve been using it regularly, I will likely switch over to one of the “July Start” dated formats once my current refill runs out next month.

If you’d like to read more about how I use my Traveler’s Notebook (which is a Blue Standard Size), you can check out this post, and read more about my five favorite Traveler’s Notebook Accessories here. The T.G.S. Curated Shop carries the full range of Traveler’s Company products, including Traveler’s Notebooks, Refills, and Accessories (including pens).

The Gentleman Stationer and the T.G.S. Curated Shop is an authorized retailer of Traveler’s Notebook Products.