Weekly Drops: Stationery Fest Edition!

This week’s theme is “Stationery Fest,” with a focus on items beyond standard pens and writing instruments. As mentioned in Wednesday’s post, we’re attending the San Francisco Stationery Fest Friday through Sunday of this week. While we’ll have merchandise with us in San Francisco, there is stock of everything listed here available for purchase online and in the Nashville store, which remains open this weekend. New arrivals include Yamamoto Ro-Biki notebook refills, which have been out of stock for some time, as well as TWSBI ECO Bahama Yellow Fountain Pens and the new Kaweco Sports! We’re especially excited to have the Yamamoto Paper restocked, as it’s been unavailable for quite some time.

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We weren’t kidding when we said we ordered a lot of Canopus!

We will be set up at the Vanness Pens table at the San Francisco Stationery Fest, and will be hosting a live On the Paper Trail recording Friday night! The Nashville store will be open this weekend Thursday-Saturday 1pm-6pm each day.

1. TWSBI ECO Bahama Yellow Fountain Pen. The latest ECO release returns to silver trim, paired with a mustard-yellow acrylic that’s reminiscent of limited editions TWSBI did in Japan years ago. I’m super-excited to see this color added to the palette!

2. Kaweco Sport Lunar Light Green and Shadow Green Fountain Pens. Kaweco’s Spring releases have arrived, and we still have stock of the “Lunar” series Sport fountain pens.

3. Yamamoto Canopus Note A5 Notebooks. Last week we received a fresh shipment of the Canopus A5 Notebooks, and while we sold a LOT of them in Arkansas, we left some in inventory for the shop and they remain available.

4. Yamamoto Select Premium Japanese Papers. We have stock of several different types of Yamamoto looseleaf papers in the A4 size, including favorites such as Soliste, Light Force, and Canopus.

5. Yamamoto Paper Tasting Sampler Sets. Interested in exploring less common Japanese papers?

6. Yamamoto Ro-Biki Note Canvas Covers and Refills. One of the lesser-known “A5-Slim” notebook systems, Yamamoto’s in-house “Ro-Biki” refills feature Soliste paper and a canvas cover that incorporates a zippered case.

7. Yamamoto Bullet Jotters (Bible-Sized). These Bible-sized Jotters hold two pads of paper, which can be used as stand-alone tear-off notepads or hole-punched to fit a Bible-sized 6-ring binder.

8. Cloth & Paper Sticky Notes. We stock a wide range of different sticky notes from Richmond-based Cloth & Paper, including notes in different shapes and with varying degrees of translucency.

9. Cloth & Paper “Sidebar” Sticky Notes. These longer sticky notes can be used to format a notebook as a planner or simply as stand-alone notetaking and planning tools. Available in grid, task list, and weekly planner formats.

10. New Washi Tapes from iLootPaperie! We have new designs as well as restocks on old favorites from iLootPaperie, who we’ll be seeing in person this weekend at the SF Stationery Fest!

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San Francisco Stationery Fest, Here We Come!

After an all-too-brief three-day turnaround from last weekend’s excellent Arkansas Pen Show, we’re off to San Francisco tomorrow for the inaugural San Francisco Stationery Fest. We’ll be teamed up with Vanness Pens and On the Paper Trail for a three day weekend focused on stationery beyond pens! We’re currently busy packing up Roterfadens, Lochby, Rickshaw cases, Graphilo paper, and much more!

Where you can find us this weekend!

What Is a Stationery Fest, and How Is It Different From a Pen Show?

The biggest difference is the merchandise you will find at a stationery fest as opposed to at a pen show. While the range of available wares has expanded in recent years, pen shows still focus on - well, pens - whereas stationery fests/shows/festivals tend to target an audience interested in a wider variety of paper goods. This includes not just notebooks but stickers, washi tape, planners, and more. If the idea of attending an analog-focused event appeals to you, but pen shows seem too high-dollar or collector-focused, consider attending a stationery show. Those interested in reading more on the experience can check out the vendor list and exhibitor map for this weekend’s event! The organizers did an excellent job of curating a diverse group of vendors who offer a little something for everyone, whatever your core area of interest.

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While TGS will not be selling pens this weekend, focusing instead on notebooks and notebook systems, I do plan to bring a bunch of fountain pens (including specialty nib grinds) to share after-hours.

One thing I personally enjoy about stationery fests and other paper-oriented shows is more of a community focus. While out-of-town vendors certainly do attend, stationery events are usually organized by local pen stores, clubs, and other groups of enthusiasts with ties to the local community. The events themselves also tend to be slightly smaller and navigable than pen shows - and certainly smaller than the largest multi-ballroom pen shows - though stationery fests can seem larger than their physical footprint as they draw large and enthusiastic crowds. Most shows focus heavily on in-person meetups, classes, after-hours gatherings, and other non-shopping events to round out the attendee experience.

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Come by our table this weekend and pick up an On The Paper Trail Sticker! We also have a few of these left in the Nashville shop. First come, first served!

An On the Paper Trail Live Audience Recording!

Friday night, Lisa Vanness and I will be hosting a live recording of our podcast and video series, On the Paper Trail! We have some special topics picked out for this week that we think stationery fest attendees will enjoy, and we are also in the process of uploading a series of short vendor video profiles from last week’s Arkansas Pen Show. There are still a few seats open for the Friday night event, and if you’d like to get caught up on podcast episodes beforehand, be sure to check out our new landing page which has links to stream the audio content. We hope to see you there!

The T.G.S. Nashville store will remain open this weekend, with only slightly modified hours on Saturday. Be sure to check the shop page or Google profile before coming by.

New Arrivals: Roterfaden Taschenbegleiters in A5, B5, and A4!

On the heels of our restock shipment of the TGS_25 Roterfadens, we also received additional Taschenbegleiters in A5, B5, and A4, which were made available for purchase at the Arkansas Pen Show and are now available online. Most stock will be going with us to the San Francisco Stationery Fest on Thursday, where we will be set up with Vanness Pens, so if you would like to order one online and have it shipped before then, please be sure to get your order in by close of business on Wednesday.

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A size comparison of the A4, B5, and A5 Taschenbegleiters, from largest to smallest.

Please note that we will have slightly modified store hours this week due to show attendance. The Nashville shop will be open from 1pm-6pm Thursday through Saturday, with the change in hours being the later Saturday opening time. For those attending the San Francisco Stationery Fest, we look forward to seeing you there!

Sunday Reading for March 22, 2026

1. Spilling the Ink with Derek Deweese Live from the 2026 Arkansas Pen Show (via dwrdnet). This was a great idea - on day one of the 2026 Arkansas Pen Show, Derek set up brief livestream interviews with vendors. It was fun to sit for this one, and also to listen to it after the fact!

2. Can a Steel Flex Nib Rival Gold? NEW Magna Carta 650 Review (via Doodlebud). Magna Carta continues their nib experimentation with flex. I have not yet been able to check out this nib.

3. California Pen Show Recap (via Figboot on Pens). David brought back some fun stuff from Los Angeles, including a new Galen Leather Sketch Box.

4. Dupes or Oops? (via Pen Addict - Kimberly). When you’ve been in this hobby for years, you definitely accumulate duplicates (inadvertently or not), and running across these lets you know when it’s time to start using stationery.

5. Reengagement (via Line Variation). This post resonated with me because I’m also looking to reengage with my own personal collection a bit, including many custom and vintage pens I haven’t used recently.

6. My Parker 51 Aerometric Collection (via Fountain Pen Blog). Probably my own favorite vintage pen.

7. Scariest Pen Ever? The Little Hollow Customs Monster Finger (via Figboot on Pens). I couldn’t help linking to this one, though I doubt it will ever make its way into my personal collection.

8. CONID-Style Filling Systems: An Overview (via SBRE Brown). The syringe-filling system (or “pump piston” or “bulkfiller”) remains popular due to its high ink capacity and relative ease of cleaning. There are now several different versions on the market.

9. Stationery for a Writing Weekend (via Pen Addict - Sarah). I love seeing what people pack for a writing retreat, especially novelists who write initial drafts by hand.

10. Praying in Color (via From the Pen Cup). Another great post from Mary on how writing and actually using our things can help, and a reminder that all of this can be used positively not just for accumulation.

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In Case You Missed It… and Weekly Updates!

This week we’ve been attending the Arkansas Pen Show in Little Rock, and have been on the road since Thursday. Many thanks to everyone who’s come out to support us! You can get a glimpse into the behind-the-scenes of my packing in Wednesday’s post, and you can also hear more about the show in the “Spilling the Ink” feature linked above.

Please note that we will be attending the San Francisco Stationery Fest next weekend (March 26-30), and we will NOT be attending the Atlanta Pen Show. Maybe next year!

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New favorites from Yamamoto have arrived, including more Ro-Biki as well as the Yamamoto Bank Paper.

Highlights from the T.G.S. Curated Shop

This was a huge week for long-awaited new arrivals, which made for a somewhat tricky logistical launch given that we’re also prepping for two shows in two weeks! We received a shipment of the new Kaweco Lunar Sport fountain pens in Lunar Light Green and Lunar Shadow Green, the Kaweco Iridescent Pearl Perkeos (which sold out nearly immediately), and the new TWSBI ECO in Bahama Yellow! We also have more Traveler’s Notebooks and refills, as well as a full restock from Yamamoto Paper. Be sure to check each week’s Drops post for a full list of new arrivals and restocks.

Kaweco

Colorverse

Pilot

TWSBI

How to Support T.G.S. and Our Various Projects

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. As of this morning, ALL Patreon supporters (including non-paying free members) have access to one or more initial “practice” episodes of “On the Paper Trail” which have not been publicly released.

Weekly Drops: Arkansas Pen Show Edition! New TWSBI Bahama Yellow, Kaweco Lunar Sports, Yamamoto Paper, and More!

We’re attending the Arkansas Pen Show this weekend, so I wanted to get as many reminders out there as possible that the Nashville Shop is going to be closed on Friday but open on Saturday normal hours. (Thanks, Nick!) We do have plenty of the new TWSBI ECO Bahama Yellow fountain pens and the Kaweco Lunar Sport available for purchase in-store and online, in addition to restocks of favorite papers from Yamamoto and more TRAVELER’S Notebooks.

If you’re in the Little Rock area, be sure to check out the Arkansas Pen Show that runs Friday through Sunday. We hope to see you there!

1. Kaweco Lunar Sport Fountain Pens. The Iridescent Pearl Perkeos didn’t last very long, but we have the new Lunar Sport fountain pens available in both Light and Shadow Green.

2. TWSBI ECO Bahama Yellow Fountain Pens. The latest release from TWSBI is a mustard yellow - a shade that I think is vastly underrepresented in fountain pens.

3. Yamamoto Canopus A5 Notebooks. Canopus paper was designed to replace the now-discontinued Cosmo Air Light, with a similarly soft feel and vivid color with most fountain pen inks.

4. Yamamoto Ro-Biki Notebooks and Canvas Covers. The Yamamoto Ro-Biki system is lesser known, but a favorite notebook system of many. The Soliste paper used in the refills comes in a variety of different rulings such as graph, reticle, and reticle+grid.

5. Colorverse Colorvent "2025 “Top 3” Inks and Glistening Series. We’ve re-upped on Colorverse inks, with new releases and old favorites back in stock! Be sure to check these out especially if you’ve been looking for shimmer.

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