Be sure to listen to Nick’s interview (linked below) to learn more about this Rickshaw collaboration!

Sunday Reading for February 8, 2025

February 8, 2026

DWRDNet Stationery Feed Season Two with Nick Dominguez (via dwrdnet). Derek has kicked off season two of his series of interviews with people from around the stationery community, and in this episode he sat down with Nick Dominguez, with whom we’ve collaborated on our recent Rickshaw release.
February Inks (via Pen Addict). Kimberly has 14 more pens inked up with red and pink inks for February! In addition to her already-impressive currently inked lineup.
What Are You Taking to Work? (via SBRE Brown). I enjoy seeing what people take to work with them and use in their day-to-day life. I need to do a video like this at some point and walk through my work carry.
Esterbrook Estie Raven Oversized (via Figboot on Pens). The Estie Raven was a popular standard release, and the oversized version has now hit stores.
Why the Pentel Sharp Mechanical Drafting Pencil Is Perfect for Me (via Pen Addict). Brad reviews a stationery classic from the world of mechanical pencils. These used to be everywhere, and I probably have a dozen or so around my house.
Feed Your Creativity - Live with River City Pen Company (via Feed Your Creativity). A chat with Rich from River City on what he’s working on, new inks, and more.
Wearingeul Reservoir Thread Note B6 (via Well-Appointed Desk). Another ink-friendly notebook in the increasingly popular B6 size. I can vouch for the growing B6 fan-base, both in standard B6 and the “café” size B6 slim.

A photo of the cold Hudson River in February 2026, NYC. — Just a wee bit chilly in NYC this past week. Ice-in-the-river type of cold.

In Case You Missed It…

We focused on thawing out a bit this week in Nashville, and I managed to get away for a couple days to attend the NYNow and Shoppe Object trade shows in New York City, both of which have strong stationery components. I also wrote a bit about my travel kit for 2026, as I’m definitely gearing up for a lot of travel in the coming months with three shows on the horizon.

Restocks, Prototypes, and More Piled Up In-Store

This week in the T.G.S. Curated Shop

It’s restock season, as all of the post-holiday reorders we placed are arriving! We have fresh shipments of Midori MD, Nakabayashi, and Lochby, as well as new Life Noble Note 6-ring binder refills and some new journals from NOLTY. The latest Pilot Explorer releases also arrived, which feature matte finishes in four new colors. Finally, we welcome Benu fountain pens to our lineup, with the new “Haute” series of squared barrels and several gorgeous new acrylics. Be sure to check out each week’s “Weekly Drops” post for a full list of new arrivals and restocks.

We will be open this week normal hours, from 1pm-6pm Thursday and Friday and from 10am-6pm Saturday. Please note that the following week, hours will be modified as we will be attending the California Pen Show. I will post updated hours later this week once I finalize support for the in-person shop when I’m out.

Yamamoto Paper

Pilot

Kakimori Inks

Rickshaw Bags

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.

Pilot Pens Headquarters On The Paper Trail

Sunday Reading for February 1, 2026

February 1, 2026

Journaling During These Unprecedented Times (via Inky.Rocks). Even if you’re overwhelmed by everything going on and the associated noise - which is often intentionally designed to keep you from thinking straight and reflecting - journaling can be a great way to process.
2026 Philly Pen Show (via Olive Octopus). I couldn’t break away to hit the Philly Show like I normally do, but I’ve enjoyed reading and watching all the recaps.
ALL of My TWSBI Pens (via Inkdependence). On the cusp of yet another TWSBI release, Mike shows off his TWSBI collection.
2025 Ohio Pen Show (30th Year!) (via Feed Your Creativity). The Ohio Pen Show is a vintage-heavy show that tends to get overlooked. If you’re at all interested in vintage this show should be on your radar, as it can also be a relatively inexpensive show to attend. Fun fact: Ohio was my first pen show all the way back in 2012!
How I Shopped “Around the World” at the DC Pen Show (via Pen Addict). A fun idea, and you don’t have to attend one of the larger pen shows to do something like this, given how international even the smaller shows tend to be.
Was It Six Years Ago? (via Line Variation). One thing I’ve recently realized is that I have no real system for organizing my pens, inks, and stationery, especially when I’m trying to remember when/where I bought certain pens and/or had nibs ground.
Pennonia x Stationery Universe Morpho Ink Collection Review (via Pen Addict - Kimberly). Congratulations to Tori on this new collaboration! I like this recent trend of offering inks with and without shimmer.
For Medicinal Purposes (via From The Pen Cup). Stationery has healing properties, which is why you should always have a healthy supply - with more on the way.

Pilot Super Color Marker Souvenir — Sometimes the best souvenirs from trips are the most “boring”. (This thing is HUGE.)

In Case You Missed It….

Unfortunately this past week, we have mostly been closed due to Winter Storm Fern. Because our building was without power until Wednesday night, and without water until late Friday, we were only able to open one day. On the personal side, I’ve had sporadic internet access at my house and terrible cell service. Things should get back to normal this coming week, including some content from the NYNow and Shoppe Object trade shows that I will be visiting Monday and Tuesday. These “to the trade” shows are different from standard pen shows and stationery fests, in that they’re intended for distributors to show off new arrivals and upcoming product releases to retailers. I typically attend one or two true trade shows per year, and I always have fun things to share.

Because I ended up spending a few nights in a hotel - including a brief trip to Pilot USA HQ in Jacksonville - I did manage to get a bit of content out, including Episode 2 of the On The Paper Trail Podcast, in which Lisa Vanness and I sat down to talk with nib grinder Matthew Chen! Outside the episode itself, we did a livestream with Matthew in which we took reader and listener questions about nib grinds and more.

Benu Haute Fountain Pens — The Benu Haute line of fountain pens is one of the first designs by Benu that appealed to me enough to offer it.

This Week in the T.G.S. Curated Shop

January is typically a month for post-holiday restocking, and we’re no exception. In addition to restocks of most Pilot pens, the Lamy 2000 line, TWSBI ECOs and Diamond 580s, Diplomat Vipers, and Diamine Ink, we’ve added the Benu “Haute” line of fountain pens, new inks from Colorverse, and of course additional TRAVELERS Notebooks in the standard and passport sizes. What am most excited about? We finally received more of the Mnemosyne Hardcover A5 Journals, which is the notebook that’s serving as my current journal and was featured in my YouTube walkthrough of my 2026 notebooks setup.

Diamine Ink

Rickshaw Bags

Kakimori Letter Paper

Japanese Clips

Assuming the weather holds (and it looks like at least these first two weeks of February will be clear), we will plan to be open Thursday and Friday from 1pm-6pm, and on Saturday from 10am-6pm. Please note that we will be traveling a fair bit over the coming months and in-store hours may change week-to-week. We always post updated hours on our main “About” page, and on our Google profile.

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

Pilot PO Nib Up Close — We hosted Bill Pearcy from Pilot Pens

Sunday Reading for January 25, 2026 (Snow/Ice Day Edition)

January 25, 2026

2026 Philadelphia Pen Show Recap (via Pen Addict - Kimberly). The first pen show of the year has come and gone. And yes, it snowed. Again.
My Mechanical Pencil Collection Is Out of Control (via dwrdnet). I definitely see room for more.
TaG Submarine (via Figboot on Pens). A cool design for a Kickstarter project! I’m glad to see David review some of these unique projects.
My “Fancy” Non-Fountain Pens (via Well-Appointed Desk). Everyone needs several quality non-fountain pens, whether they’re ballpoint, gel, rollerball, or even a mechanical pencil.
How I Use My Notebooks: Work in Progress Notebook - Debts and Lessons (via Writing at Large). I love series on how people use their notebooks in different ways, including this take on gratitude journaling.
Meet Your Maker: Gavin Hardy, Hardy Penwrights (via Pen Addict - Caroline). Gavin is keeping the Hardy Penwrights business moving forward after his father, Greg, passed away. You can read more about what he has planned for 2026 and beyond.
Digital Declutter: Step 5 The Analog Alternatives (via Well-Appointed Desk). If you’re looking to reduce digital dependency in 2026, check out Ana’s series on Digital Declutter techniques.

In Case You Missed It…

We spent most of this week preparing for our in-store event with Vanness Pens, Pilot USA, and Matthew Chen, but ended up having to cancel the Saturday portion of the event due to the winter storm sweeping across the Eastern U.S. Friday, however, was a success! While we were all holed up at a hotel, Lisa and I recorded a Snow Day Livestream with Matthew in which we discussed nib grinding questions and techniques, and took listener questions! We also recorded Episode 2 of the On The Paper Trail Podcast, with Matthew as a special guest, and that Episode will drop next week.

This Week in the T.G.S. Curated Shop

While we had to close the in-person shop on Saturday, the online store remains open. Please note that due to the winter storm, fulfillment and shipping will be delayed by a day or two, until we can safely get packages out the door and USPS and UPS resume shipping. We greatly appreciate those of you who have continued to support us and especially those who came to visit us in person. If you were in the shop on Friday, you probably have seen our fresh shipment of Canopus paper from Yamamoto, in A5 notebook, A4 looseleaf, and Bullet Jotter form. We also have new Roterfaden Covers in A5, a full restock of Diamine Ink including Lady Grey, Colorverse “Red Horse” and many different Pilot specialty nibs in the Custom 743 and Custom 912 fountain pen lines.

We will plan to be open normal hours this week, from 1-6pm Thursday and Friday and from 10am-6pm Saturday. Please watch the site and social media for any updates and announcements.

Yamamoto Paper

Colorverse

Pilot

Diamine

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

Revisiting a classic, shaken (top) and stirred (bottom).

Sunday Reading for January 18, 2026

January 18, 2026

The Cookie Monster of Pens (via A Gathering of Curiosities). A great article reflecting on a lot of the “end of the hobby” discussions surrounding recent price increases. My personal observation so far has been that people are indeed still buying pens, but they are being more intentional about what they buy.
Newly Inked for 2026 (via Pen Addict - Kimberly). 48 pens is a bit much for me to keep track of, but I’m up there at the moment and am in the process of reworking my current rotation, as well as the lineup of shop testers.
25 Memorable Inks in 2025 (via Olive Octopus). As always, Lisa picks the uncommon and unusual ink colors that force you to break out your wallet. Some of these are really hard to find.
Live from the Philly Pen Show 2026 (via Inkdependence). Mike does his first pen show walkthrough of the 2026 pen show calendar! Philly comes early every year but it’s good to see the show in progress.
Top 10 Underrated Pens (via Figboot on Pens). I can get behind a lot of the pens on this list, especially the Lamy Dialog CC. The standard Dialog3 is a touch big for me.
Visit to Zenrido Shintoshin in Okinawa, Japan (via Inkredible Colours). I love how event the small office supply-style stationery stores have their own exclusive shop inks.
mnmlscholar Has Migrated to Le Substack (via mnmlscholar). Be sure to catch up at the new location!
2026 Nolty Gold Planner Differences (via Notebook Stories). Nolty is a brand that I’ve been learning more about, and so far I’ve been impressed. They have a lot of undated formats that can also be used as notebooks, in addition to the dated varieties.
Digital Declutter Step 4: The Music (via Well-Appointed Desk). As a collector of analog music in various formats, should we add the iPod to the list?

On the Paper Trail Episode 1 Cover Image

In Case You Missed It… We Released a Podcast!

This week’s big content release wasn’t on the website, at least not directly. Lisa Vanness and I released our first episode of On the Paper Trail - a podcast that we expect to release twice monthly, discussing our collective experience in stationery both as enthusiasts and shop owners. In this first episode, we discuss our 2026 notebook setups and how we plan to use them. I did a follow-up video for the T.G.S. YouTube Channel that took a more detailed overhead look at my own choices. Finally, since we are hosting a joint T.G.S./Vanness event at the T.G.S. Shop next weekend (January 23-24) with Matthew Chen, I wrote a post discussing things to consider when preparing to get a nib tuned or ground.

Roterfaden-A5-Raw-White — We’ve added a couple of new Roterfadens to the Roterfaden Shop page, including this Cognac leather cover with “Raw White” felt interior. (Model LTD_036)

This Week in the T.G.S. Curated Shop - Toyo Boxes, Kakimori Ink, and Pilot Specialty Nibs

This was a big week for restocks in the shop, with Pilot Kakunos and Explorers, Toyo Steel Boxes, and Kakimori Pigmented Inks all arriving earlier in the week. We also received our initial shipment of the Colorverse “Red Horse” 2026 series, which includes four different variations on a dark red ink (one standard, three different shimmers). Finally, we’ve added the Pilot Custom 743 in the Verdigris Green (with the FA nib), as well as the Custom 912 with three additional 14k specialty Japanese nibs. Be sure to check out each week’s Thursday drops post for a full list of new arrivals.

Pilot Pens

Colorverse

Herbin Inks

Tono & Lims

This coming week we will be open from 1-6pm Thursday and Friday, as well as from 10am-6pm on Saturday. As I mentioned, Lisa Vanness and Matthew Chen will be on site Friday and Saturday during normal business hours, and both the current front shop (Suite 107 showroom) and the office/warehouse space (Suite 113) will be open. If you would like to reserve at time for nib work with Matthew, you can use this reservation link, but walk-ins will also be taken on an as-available basis.

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

Kakimori Frost Fountain and InkBall Pens

Sunday Reading for January 11, 2026

January 11, 2026

How to Use Your Notebooks in 2026 To Improve Your Life (via Writing at Large). Another excellent post with great suggestions on how to put your journals and notebooks to use.
Writing on for 2026 (via Pen Addict - Kimberly). Despite her protests at being disorganized, Kimberly is much more organized with her notebooks/hobbies/projects than I will ever be. My biggest takeaway from this post, however, is that I REALLY need a rotary cutter for perforating pages.
Talking About 2026 Plans for Pen Shows, Conventions and More (via dwrdnet). It’s that time again, when we plan our pen show schedule for the upcoming year. We will be posting the T.G.S. Pen Show attendance schedule in the coming days.
My Full 2026 Techo Kaigi (SO EMBARRASSING!) (via Well-Appointed Desk). Only five notebooks? Embarrassing? Please.
A Spoon?! Yes. And Paper and Inks from Vanness Pens. (via Inkdependence). I don’t know what Skipidi is either, but orange shimmer sounds fun.
Diplomat Viper (via Figboot on Pens). For me, the only problem with this pen is that it keeps selling out….
ReMarkable Wish List (via Stationery Pizza). As someone who has used a ReMarkable2 for years now, yes, there is a laundry list of features I wish it had, but sometimes I appreciate the fact that they keep it relatively simple.
10 Years of Pens (via Rachel’s Reflections). Congratulations on a decade in the hobby! Especially when people seem to jump between interests so frequently.
Fresh Thoughts on the Pilot Prera (via Pen Addict). The Prera fountain pen was a new discovery for me this year, with the release of four solid colors that held more appeal than the clear pens. You might pay a premium for some Pilot pens, but the experience is predictably rock-solid.

In Case You Missed It….

This week on the blog I discussed my 2026 Notebook Setup, which I’ll be discussing more with Lisa on the upcoming inaugural episode of the Paper Trails Podcast (production is in progress!). I have a relatively practical/boring setup this year, which builds on things I’ve used in the past and is more of a “greatest hits” than anything else. Go with what works for me, even if it’s not the prettiest or most efficient. I also answered a reader question that I found particularly timely for the first of the year, which focuses on choosing and buying a first fountain pen, and pairing it with a suitable ink and paper.