I Love Typewriter Stories

     Typewriter stories come to me in lots of different ways. The most fun way of course, from people that come into the shop and upon seeing so many machines, immediately recall typewriter stories from their youth or about their parents or a relatives machine. Then from letters people write to me or thank you notes that people send explaining their devoted attachment to their favorite machine that I just rescued or resuscitated from the dead. And finally, via emails from all over the country, which is what I'm going to share with you right now.
     Earlier this week I got a email from a gentlemen in Bellingham, WA. He's the director of a little oddball museum (his words) called Mindport Exhibits (http://www.mindport.org/). His daughter found my blog and forwarded the link to her father. He totally identified with the "Luddite Alert" post and wanted to tell me how he felt about typewriters and computers. He told me a very nice story about how he found a Underwood Standard (circa 1906) discarded in a alleyway next to the museum. He took the machine and cleaned it up, did some repairs and had the platen replaced. Then he installed the machine by the front desk in the main exhibit area. Well, the Underwood became a huge hit with the kids and a popular attraction. Its all part of his belief that typewriters are showing a grand resurgence of popularity. I couldn't agree more. He then wrote about a friend of his who recently went up to Vancouver, B.C. and discovered a cafe with a row of typewriters in it instead of computers, all manned by people busy typing letters to their friends. I thought that this was just so neat! What's next, people typing in Starbucks. I smell a new trend here. Anyway, I love that people will take the time to write a letter or email and tell me a heartfelt story about how they feel. Or more importantly, how typewriters make them feel. I checked out the Mindport Exhibits website and it looks like a really cool place, full of interactive exhibits and activities. For people out in the Great Northwest, it sounds like a fun place to take the kids for an afternoon.

     I needed to make a correction in last weeks blog. The picture of that beautiful burgundy machine was wrongly identified as a 1940 Corona Silent. Anyone paying attention saw that I goofed. It is a 1948 Smith Corona Silent. Whether it says Corona or Smith Corona on the faceplate ( above the top row of keys), the rule of thumb is, if it says Corona its pre-WWII, if it says Smith Corona, its post-WWII. I'm glad I straightened that out. These are gorgeous typewriters that are fun to type on. I personally love the touch on these keyboards. They are widely available and if your lucky, in different colors.

     I tried unsuccessfully in my very first post to attach a story about the shop that was on the radio. Because I'm not computer savvy, its a problem trying to attach an audio file to this blog. Its a great story and I had a blast doing it with the reporter. There are several good typewriter stories in it. My daughter has just figured out a way now to add the audio file but it has to be done on a separate post. If it test out ok I'll post it right after this one. Wish me luck. See you next week.