Small Business Saturday
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Small businesses are hurting right now. COVID-19 has changed a lot of things, including how hard it is to run a small business. To support small businesses, consider making a small purchase, or even buying a gift card if you don’t have anything on your wish list right now. If that’s not in your budget right now then consider sharing one of their posts on social media, or “liking” or commenting on one of their posts. Sharing is caring and it doesn’t cost anything but a second of your time.
Here’s my list of small stationery shops I love-in no particular order.
Vanness Pens
Vanness Pens is one of my go-to shops for inks, especially some hard-to find brands like PenBBS. They carry over 2,000 inks as well as fountain pens, stationery and gifts. They have free shipping over $40 and ship really fast. Their doors are locked but they are still shipping. Someday I’ll make it to Little Rock, AR so I can tour the shop in person. I’ve been drooling over some of the new Opus 88 pens and need to finally pick one.
Pen Chalet
Pen Chalet is another of my go-to shops for inks. They have a ton of pens and inks, as well as stationery. They have fast shipping over $50 and an ink rewards program. Pen Chalet often has a discount code and competitive pricing. I’ve been ordering my Sailor Manyo inks from Pen Chalet, and they are always packaged really well.
Shigure Ink
Shigure Ink is my favorite place to get Lennon Tool Bar, Troublemaker and Tono & Lims inks. They offer free shipping over $40 and the owner is super nice. I need to buy some of their Limonaired Ink Test Cards to try out!
Anderson Pens
Anderson Pens’ Chicago store is closed for now, but they are still shipping on their website. They are a great place to get Sailor Ink Studio inks and some of Montblanc’s inks, and they offer free shipping on orders over $50.
JetPens
I love JetPens for gel pens, notebooks and washi tape. They have some of the new Blackwing 840 pencils in stock!
Dromgoole’s
Dromgoole’s is a small pen shop in Houston, TX. I met Michael Dromgoole at the San Francisco Pen Show last year and of course ended up buying a few inks. They carry a wide range of stationery, including some of the Bungubox Zodiac Limited Edition inks.
Nock Co
Nock Co makes awesome pen and notebook cases. I love the Seed A5 case.
Lemur Ink
Lemur Ink is a small pen retailer run by John in Indianapolis. He co-hosts the Leaky Nib podcast with Kat (it’s worth a listen!) They offer free shipping over $20. I usually pre-order my TWSBI pens from them and they ship them out fast.
Goulet Pens
Goulet Pens is currently not shipping, but you can still place an online order and they will ship when possible. They recently started carrying Sailor pens and inks-I’ve had my eye on the Graphite Lighthouse Pro Gear for a while.
Yoseka Stationery
Yoseka is a stationery shop in Sunnyside, NY. They are currently closed to the public but are still shipping. Their Yoseka Notebook is one I really enjoy and use often.
Franklin-Christoph
I love Franklin-Christoph so much, and for many reasons. They make amazing fountain pens-the 45L is my favorite model, and I’m currently eyeing one in the Pink Pearl material. Their Penvelope 6 is my favorite pen case; I own two and use them daily, and have another in Suit Blue on my wish list. They also make really good ink, stationery and bags as well.
Taroko
I love Taroko’s Tomoe River paper notebooks. The Taroko Breeze is one of my favorite notebooks right now-TR paper, dot grid, A5 size and page numbers-all my favorites. I also use a lot of Taroko Enigma A5 notebooks-I’ve been using the B-grade ones (they are a bit cheaper and have still been good quality with very minor flaws).
Cult Pens
Cult Pens in the UK is one of my favorite places to buy Diamine inks. I’ve been eying the Diamine Blue Edition Inks (formerly known as the 2019 Inkvent inks) and trying to decided which to buy full bottles of.
Goldspot
Goldspot is another US retailer. I like their recent Kaweco Sport exclusive-Transparent Turquoise.
CW Pencils
CW Pencils is my go-to shop for anything pencil related. CW Pencils is currently closed, but one way to support them is to email them and purchase a gift card.
Small Pen Makers
There are a lot of small pen makers, you can find a list of the ones I know of here.
Non-Stationery Small Businesses:
Candles Off Main
I love candles a ridiculous amount, but I am very picky about scents (always fresh or fruity, never sweet). Candles Off Main is a small candle shop in Annapolis, MD owned by a husband and wife team. They offer free shipping over $50, often have coupon codes, and have great customer service. They are definitely worth a try if you are in need of some candles. Nest Linen is one of my all-time favorites, but I’m currently burning Voluspa Goji Tarocco Orange.
Small businesses are important, so let’s do our best to support our favorites. What’s your favorite small business? Let me know in the comments below!
Disclaimer: All photos and opinions are my own. I am only an affiliate with Pen Chalet, so this post does contain one affiliate link. This post is not sponsored in any way.