Welcome to Dromgoole's

Monthly Newsletter for

February 2020

This month, the newsletter contains a recap of last month's events, a calendar of upcoming events and releases, Dillon's Corner , and a feature article about new developments in the fountain pen industry.

Saturday, February 1 at 2-4pm: Lone Star Pen Club Pen Meet @ 2nd Cup

Friday, February 7 at 6:30-8:30pm: Lone Star Pen Club Pen Meet @ Black Walnut Cafe at 249 & Louetta

Friday, February 7 - Sunday, February 9:  Los Angeles Pen Show

Saturday, February 15: Pineider Event at Dromgoole's with Dante Del Vecchio

Saturday, February 22 at 2-4pm: Lone Star Pen Club Pen Meet @ Empire Cafe on Westheimer

January has been a busy month for us, and for that we are so grateful!

Larry and Michael were off to the Philadelphia Pen Show mid-January, where they got to see some old friends and meet a lot of new friends.

We've also been reorganizing the store to make room for some new displays (see the final section of the feature article for more info on that) and refresh the layout of the store. It always gives a breath of fresh air to the place, even if change can be stressful (especially for the guys pushing all the displays and counters around the floor)!

Michael at the Philly Pen Show.

(Sheldon was there in spirit.)

Alongside that, we're continuing to make improvements to our web store to make it more informative and easier to navigate. It was about a year ago that our website really began to take off, so we're excited to see how that part of our business continues to grow and develop. And to all of you who aren't in the area but patronize our online store, know that we are incredibly grateful for you as well. We may not know your faces, but we recognize your names, and appreciate your business and your support every day.

Our 2020 is off to a great start, and we hope that yours is too! If you haven't dropped by in a while, come see how things are changing around here.

We've received a few more Leonardo Ebonite Momento Zero Grande Art Decos. These were limited to 30 pieces each and were all sold out, but Michael managed to get his hands on some of the prototypes (engraved with " N ° 00").

We've also had a restock of Sailor and Taccia inks, including the very popular Taccia Hokusai-Sabimidori Rust Green and Taccia Hokusai-Koiai Great Wave Indigo.

If you're interested in any of these, email [email protected] to place your pre-order, and keep your eyes peeled for our email blasts so you don't miss out!

Click on the button below to enter our giveaway for the soon-to-be-realeased Platinum Curidas retractable fountain pen!

The Platinum Curidas is the newest retractable fountain pen on the market. With the demonstrator design available in five colors, the user can see all the intricate engineering that went into the Curidas. The stainless-steel nib is available in extra-fine, fine, and medium sizes.

The winner of the giveaway will be able to choose the color and nib size of their pen and will also receive a Platinum converter!

Updates for the New Year:

Retro51, Leuchtturm1917, and Lamy

When we began this regular newsletter, we promised to keep our readers in the loop about changes and trends in the fountain pen industry and community. This month, we have updates about three new brands, some of which affect a lot of people, and some of which are only affecting our store. Read on to learn more!

For those who have not yet heard, Retro51 is going on sabbatical with the possibility of returning with a new business plan, transitioning to new ownership, or retiring the brand altogether. In a recent blog post on their blog, the Retro51 team wrote the following:

“The plan for this year is to stay in business for the next six to nine months as we wind down. We will keep inventory of a select product group through March, plus we have plans for five to six new Popper designs yet to come...We are making arrangements for someone to be available to service your Retro51 products so they can continue to last for many years to come.”

We're sad to see the end of Retro51 as we know it, but hopeful and excited about the future of the brand and the community. Fans of Retro51 are some of the most dedicated collectors in the hobby, so we know that the love for the Tornado will persist.

One of the aforementioned Poppers will be dropping on February 4th at 11 a.m. , so stay tuned for an email announcement on that date. Alongside this year’s Poppers, Dromgoole’s will be partnering with Retro51 again to bring back the beloved Texas Strong Tornado for another run in the next few months.

If you are a lover of Retro51, don't despair! Even though the future is a little unclear right now, we'll be keeping you in the know about any updates we hear from Retro51.

In other news, Leuchtturm1917 has announced a rebranding of its products. While the design of their notebooks will remain the same, their motto is changing from “Details Make the Difference,” to “Denken mit der Hand,” or “Thinking with the Hand.”

This decision by Leuchtturm1917 is, we believe, emblematic of a shift in focus among manufacturers and consumers. While the emphasis on craftsmanship and collecting is ever-present in the writing and stationery community, the benefits and even the catharsis of writing have become a part of the discussion as well.

As more research is published on the advantages of writing by hand, more individuals are getting involved in journaling, calligraphy, and fountain pen collecting. While we don’t think that Leuchtturm will abandon the mindset that “details make the difference,” this change might be intended to speak more to that audience who buy certain notebooks not just for their design, but for the practical benefits they can gain in their life and work. In the document outlining the reasons behind Leuchtturm’s branding change, they discuss how handwriting has been shown to provide benefits for memory, analytical thinking, information processing, organizing tasks, and inspiring creativity, to name a few.

Especially with the Valentine's Day season around the corner, we may see an upswing in the popularity of hand-written letters and notes to friends and loved ones.

Our final update is, admittedly, less about the entire industry than it is about our own store here in Houston. We just installed a Lamy shop-in-shop next to our ink bar! This new area displays our Lamy products the way they were meant to be seen, gives us room for more items, and provides space for friends to gather, sit, test out pens and inks, and chat.

We’re always looking for ways to make our store more than just a store. This installation provides a place where people can hang out, relax, and share their hobby with like-minded penthusiasts. If you haven’t seen our new display yet, swing by and check it out. We’ll be filling it with more products as time goes on. If you haven’t already taken a look at the upcoming Lamy Turmeline line , you can check it out on our website! Keep checking our emails for updates on the Lamy Safari 2020 Special Edition when it’s revealed to the public...

That’s all we’ve got for this month’s update! Thanks so much for your time and your continued support. We love hearing feedback on the newsletter from customers in-store and online, so if you have any ideas for features you’d like to see, email [email protected] .

Until next time!

-The Dromgoole’s Team