State of the Shop Update, Part II: Build-Out Progress!

A couple weeks back we celebrated our first anniversary as a brick-and-mortar store, and thought it might be fun to share some progress photos from the ongoing buildout of our new shop area, which will be located on the front of our existing building. Why this new shop? Mostly because our online business is growing and we need to use our current location as pure warehouse/office space. It’s become too difficult to clearly separate the two, and we’ve had issues with customers trying to enter off-limits areas in order to “look around.” As noted below, after we get the store moved over, we still plan to open this space up for special events, but the primary location for picking up orders and in-person shopping will be the new showroom in Suite 107. This location will also be clearly marked and easier to locate on the front of the building. Our first date in the new space will be Thursday, October 16, so until then, you should continue to visit the current location (Suite 113).

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The new space will have a more traditional showroom/pen shop location, with enough space for most of the products that people tend to want to see in person.

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I’m looking forward to the new space being better organized, with clearly delineated “sections” for different product categories.

Don’t Miss Our Nashville In-Store Event Scheduled for October 17-18 with Vanness and Newton Pens!

Lisa Vanness and Shawn Newton will be in-store on Friday, October 17 and Saturday, October 18! Be sure to stop by if you are in the Nashville area, as we will be opening up the new shop (Suite 107, on the front of the building), as well as the existing T.G.S. entrance (Suite 113) which we will continue to use for special events such as this one. Lisa will be bringing rare inks and other Vanness Pens exclusives, and Shawn will of course have a selection of Newton Pens available to see and purchase!

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The shop will be open normal hours: 1-6pm on Friday (10/17), and 10am-6pm (10/18) on Saturday. Though no reservation or appointment is necessary, please do note that the shop tends to be busiest from between 12pm-2pm, so arrivals outside of that time slot may have an easier time finding parking. We hope to see you there!

2025 Colorverse Colorvent Calendars are here!

Yes, it’s that time of year already! The 2025 Colorverse Colorvent Calendars have arrived, with 24 new inks ready for you to open starting December 1 (or immediately). Note that the colors pictured below are last year’s colors, and are solely to give you a sample look at what you can expect from this year’s calendar, which is a mystery…. No spoilers!

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We also have the “Top 3” Inks from the 2024 Colorvent calendar that Colorverse chose to add to the permanent lineup. Two of them are “Glistening” (shimmer) inks while another is a sheener. All are available in full-sized bottles.

Don’t sleep on the Colorvent Calendars because retailers are given a limited allocation and once they’re gone, they’re gone. Colorvent Calendars are currently available for purchase online and any that remain will be made available in the brick-and-mortar store this week, Thursday and Friday 1-6pm and Saturday from 10-6pm.

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The Colorvent Calendars contain 24 individual 15ml bottles of new Colorverse inks. It’s almost like an instant ink collection!

Sunday Reading for October 5, 2025

1. QWERTYbound Safari (via Writing Ball). Did you know there’s a typewriter show, in addition to the pen show circuit? Typewriters are also apparently easier to source in antique stores than reasonably priced vintage fountain pens.

2. 2025 Dallas Pen Show Recap (via Pen Addict - Kimberly). Be sure you read all the way to the end for the pics of the Texas State Fair.

3. Recap of MIPS2025 (via Inkredible Colours). A great recap of the inaugural Malaysian International Pen Show!

4. Checking Out a Blind Box from The Gentleman Stationer (via Inkdependence). I do these blind boxes for my Patreon members, and occasionally if I have extras they will go live. I may look to expand them in the future but it’s a big endeavor for a small operation like ours.

5. #12PenPersonQuestions (via Line Variation). Congrats to Lisa at Olive Octopus for coming up with this wildly successful trend. I enjoy reading all of these entries and learning more about our community.

6. Rupert Answers the #12PenPersonQuestions List (via Fountain Pen Blog). Another set of thoughtful answers!

7. Weirdoforest Travels 2025 (via Weirdoforest Pens). Great travel photos and a great collection of travel sketches with ink!

8. The New Paper Republic Le Trifold Leather Journal (via Inky.Rocks). Paper Republic seems to be all over the place these days! I’ve heard mixed reviews on their paper but the trifold design is interesting.

9. My Travel Writing System (via SBRE Brown). I love hearing about what people take with them on their travels, and coming up with some new techniques because I find myself forgetting to write much when traveling.

10. Uniball Jetstream Prime 3 Color Lite Touch Ballpoint Multi Pen Review (via Pen Addict). I’m in agreement with Brad that this is one of the best multi pens for the money currently on the market. The Lite Touch refill is outstanding.

11. Underappreciated Ink Brands: Vinta Inks (via Well-Appointed Desk). Yes, be sure not to forget the solid standbys that sometimes get outshined by the constant stream of new arrivals!

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In Case You Missed It…

I had a bit of an inky theme this week! I reviewed the Pilot Iro-Utsushi Dip Pen, which is one of the best low-cost dip pen options on the market and it’s not even close, IMHO. It’s somewhat rare to find dip pens that use fountain pen nibs, though more brands are releasing them given the popularity of ink sampling and doodling. I also answered a new “Ask TGS” question related to ink safety, since this is something I was asked three or four times this weekend alone.

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This Week in the T.G.S. Curated Shop, and Save the Date for October 17-18th in Nashville!

We’ve had several new arrivals in the shop, including the Brass Wren from Tom’s Studio, which is a great accompaniment to the new Lumos finishes, as well as the latest Lamy Studio “Orion” release in a gorgeous matte burgundy. We also have the TWSBI ECO Carrara + Onyx, additional stock of the Lamy AL-Star in Dark Dusk, Lochby Voyager A5 Slim Notebook Cover, and more! Be sure to check out each weeks Thursday Drops post for all of the new releases and arrivals.

TWSBI

Lamy

Laconic

Correspondence

The big news is that we will be having an in-store event on Friday and Saturday, October 17th and 18th, with pen maker Shawn Newton and Lisa Vanness of Vanness Pens, who will be bringing many different items we don’t regularly stock! Be sure to stop by if you are in the area as this will be sure to be a fun weekend. We’ll also have some in-store specials such as stamps and stickers so bring your notebooks. If everything goes to plan we will also open up the new TGS retail space, which will be on the front of the building!

Thank You For Supporting TGS - Consider our patreon!

If you enjoy our content (whether here on the main website, Instagram, YouTube Channel or elsewhere), and would like early/extra access to shop releases and special promotions, consider supporting us via Patreon. The T.G.S. Patreon includes early access and discounts on exclusive shop releases, a monthly updates newsletter, and of course our monthly meetups. Patreon supporters also have access to the first two episodes of a new podcast experiment I’ve been working on with Lisa Vanness of Vanness Pens. More on this later, but for the time being the initial episodes are Patreon-exclusive.

Ask TGS: Do I Have to Use Fountain Pen Ink from the Same Manufacturer as My Pen?

I’ve always wanted to directly address this question because it’s one I get a lot (including multiple times today in-shop). Many pen companies - especially luxury purveyors such as Montblanc - make a point of emphasizing in their warranty materials that you should only use their in-house brands of ink. For example, only use Montblanc ink in a Montblanc pen, Pelikan ink in a Pelikan pen, etc. The reason for these disclaimers are straightforward: If you damage your pen by using another brand’s ink, they shouldn’t be held responsible for you using a product over which they have no control. But how likely is it that you will actually harm your pen by mixing pens and inks of different brands, or from using any given ink in general? In my experience, not very likely, and I can count on one hand the number of times I’ve seen someone do truly irreparable harm to a fountain pen by using the “wrong” ink.

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I have no issue using boutique inks (like the Wet Pen inks shown here) in any of my pens. With any fountain pen ink, typically the worst thing that can happen is that the pen clogs, which a flush with water will fix. If you have any doubts, test with a glass pen or steel dip pen first.

Most Standard Fountain Pen Inks Are Perfectly Safe to Use in Any Pen

Fountain pen inks are generally water-based, so unless you are using calligraphy ink or ink with some sort of special chemical property (discussed further below), you are unlikely to cause permanent harm to your pen. Note that when I say that an ink is “safe,” I mean that it will not destroy the nib, feed, or filling system to the point where you will need to send it in for any sort of warranty repair. The pen will continue to write. HOWEVER, if you are using any color other than black or standard blue - and especially brighter colors like red or purple - you do run the risk of staining clear acrylics or lighter-color materials. My personal recommendation is that if you have a pen you are extremely concerned about staining, use only standard blacks and blues made by companies like Pelikan, Waterman, Herbin, etc. These inks tend to be on the less saturated side, and I have found them less likely to stain.

Exercise Caution When Using Inks with Special Properties

By “Special Properties,” I mean things like permanence, heavy shimmer, no-freeze, super-sheen, and other attributes that you increasingly see advertised in today’s market. While most of these inks will not cause issues in modern fountain pens, if an ink clogs or otherwise causes an issue with your very expensive piston filler, the original manufacturer may decline to cover the pen under the warranty if they didn’t make the ink themselves. Again, while issues with these inks aren’t common, and the worst that usually happens is a clog that can be flushed out with water at home, you do proceed at your own somewhat low, but not zero, risk.

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Don’t get me wrong, I also have a selection of calligraphy inks and other non-fountain pen safe supplies. I just keep a selection of dip pens close at hand.

The MOST IMPORTANT RULE IS TO Only Use Fountain Pen Inks in Fountain Pens

By far, most of the stories I hear about inks damaging pens involve people attempting to use calligraphy and India ink in a fountain pen, which is a big no-no. Not only do these inks stain, but some contain glue-like substances such as shellac. For obvious reasons, introducing these inks into a fountain pen is a bad idea because you will literally never get them out, and any integrated filling system will likely be ruined. (It’s basically the equivalent of using paint.)

So, the short-form, TLDR version of this answer is “Don’t worry too much and enjoy your pens, as long as you are using inks by a reputable company advertised for use in fountain pens.” Clean your pens semi-regularly and don’t allow the ink to evaporate. If you have a very expensive or sentimental pen that you are concerned about damaging (especially staining), consider only using standard blues or blacks, and never, ever, use India ink in any fountain pen!

I periodically take a day to answer reader questions, some of which you can find archived in the FAQ section of the site. If you’re in the Nashville area, we’re always happy to answer your questions in person at our Nashville shop.

Thursday Drops: New Lamy Studios, TWSBI ECO Carrara + Onyx, and Multiple New Pen Days for Me!

Well, it’s been a multiple new pen week for me, with the Lamy Studio Orion (check) arriving, along with the TWSBI ECO Carrara White + Onyx (check), and I finally pulled one of the Royal Red Matte Studios (check) before they go away. We also have additional stock of the Lamy AL-Star Dark Dusk, and nearly all Lamy 2000 models, so we’re ready for opening hours this weekend!

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Two of Joe’s new pens.

While Traveler’s Notebooks have been in short supply recently due to manufacturer delays, we still have stock of the Passport size Traveler’s Notebook in most colors, as well as similar alternatives such as the Lochby Voyager which will take the same A5-Slim size refill. And as a special update, we have reordered additional stock of the Roterfaden TGS_25, in both the original olive green AND a possible new colorway! Stay tuned for details.

We will be open this week for normal hours, including from 1-6pm Thursday and Friday, and from 10am-6pm on Saturday. You can always check the main store page for updated hours and announcements regarding special events.

1. Lamy Studio “Orion” Special Edition. This year’s 2025 Special Edition Lamy Studio has arrived, and we are happy to offer it in fountain pen, rollerball, and ballpoint! We also have additional stock of the Royal Red Matte Studio and a handful of the “Dark Forest” Rollerballs from a few years ago.

2. TWSBI ECO Carrara + Onyx Fountain Pens. The latest release from TWSBI’s swirled acrylic collection didn’t escape my pen case, and this one gives the excellent ECO Serpentine Bronze a run for its money.

3. New Tom’s Studio Wren and Lumos Pens. Tom’s Studio has released their refillable fineliners in some special release colors and materials, including the new Brass Wren that we received Tuesday.

4. Lamy AL-Star Dark Dusk and Mint Special Edition Fountain Pens. We sold out of the “Dark Dusk” very quickly and are happy to report that it is now back in stock.

5. Lamy 2000 Fountain Pens. Extra-fine and fine nibs are back in stock! The Lamy 2000 remains my “desert island” fountain pen. It’s probably not even close.

6. Lamy 2000 Multi Pen (4-Color Ballpoint). The multi pen version of Lamy’s flagship might be our top seller both online and in-store. Because this pen takes D1 refills, you can outfit it with the included Lamy refills or substitute low-viscosity ballpoint ink like Uni’s Jetstream or Pilot’s Acro-Ink.

7. Traveler’s Notebooks (Passport Size). As mentioned above, Traveler’s Company has experienced production and demand issues, with notebooks in short supply. We currently have the Passport size in most colors.

8. Lochby Voyager. With Traveler’s Notebooks in short supply, attention had turned to other covers with the same A5-slim dimensions. The Lochby Voyager takes the A5-slim “TN” format and translates it to Lochby’s Field Journal system, with four cords and a strap that closes securely. You can fit up to six refills in this cover without using rubber bands.

9. Notsu Rounded 3x5 Dot Grid Index Cards. These ever-popular fountain pen friendly index cards are back in stock, along with all of the various Notsu accessories. While the 3x5” cards are the most popular, we also have…

10. Notsu 5x7 Dot Grid Index Cards. We have more of the larger-format Notsu index cards, since our initial test order proved popular. These large index cards are foldable to a roughly 3.5” x 5” passport size.

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For me there was only one color match for this pen.