The Family Typewriter

     As little as a generation ago, many homes had a family typewriter in it. These machines would see regular use from all members of the family. The sound of a typewriter clacking away was a familiar sound in the home. Sadly, those days are gone as the family typewriter has been kicked to the curb and replaced by the computer, video games, iphone and the rest. I have noticed in recent years that some families are bringing back the family typewriter, like the family that came in my shop earlier this week. The parents and their son and daughter of middle school age, came in looking for a machine that they all could use. They weren't sure if they wanted a classic vintage machine or a more modern style one. So they spent about an hour and a half trying all kinds of machines including many models of Olympia, Corona, Olivetti and Royal. Everyone was typing away seeing what they liked best. Eventually they narrowed the field down to a few machines and then took a family vote. The winner was a burgundy Corona Silent flattop style. It was a beauty. They left all excited and couldn't wait to start typing at home. This was a very nice family and I was impressed by the parents instilling old school values in their children along with developing a strong sense of community involvement and advocacy. I hope I'm not over stepping my boundaries here because they will be reading this blog. I applaud people who decide not to get on that technology treadmill. It was a pleasure to meet this family.

     But, several days later, Sam called to say that the typewriter had malfunctioned. It was skipping and binding up. He brought it back on Saturday and the ribbon reverse mechanism had jammed and that binds up the escapement assembly. Its a very minor problem but he expressed concern that with so many people using this machine that it might be prone to little mechanical failures from time to time. This was probably true so he looked at some Olympia SM machines that he had liked before. Eventually he decided that a green SM3 machine would be sturdy enough to hold up to heavy use. So we exchanged the machines and I feel confident that the Olympia will serve them well.

     One last observation on this story. I've noticed that many people and families that come in to buy or repair a typewriter mention that its a step in simplifying their life. I think that most of us, (myself included), get so consumed in our busy, hectic lives that we forget to slow down and enjoy the moments, that less is more. That's a huge thing. By simplifying our lives, we are enhancing the quality of our lives. End of sermon.

Ho-hum, another week, another foot of snow. 'Nuff said.

     Because of the crappy weather the last five or six weeks, people have not been able to come in and pick up their repairs. This along with the unusually high amount of typewriter donations and boxes from repairs shipped in, have created a space problem. There's nowhere left to put anything so everything getting stacked up. There are piles and stacks of typewriters everywhere. Its funny because most people that come in immediately exclaim, "Whoa, look at all those typewriters". If I think of it I'll take a picture of the shop this week and post it on my next blog. My friend John came in on Saturday and had some goodies for me. I got a Royal O Model machine along with a SM9 in great condition. We also made a trade. I gave him my SM3 two tone in technical elite and got a SM3 in burgundy already reconditioned for sale. What I really liked was a vintage ad for the new Corona Sterling (flattop style) from 1931. The ad exclaimed the machine as "Wellness in Typing". I didn't know that this style of Corona was made this early in the 1930's. 



whats in the pretty box?



     I want to go off topic here for a few minutes. Lately, I've had a few conversations with customers about hobbies and channeling your passion. Most of us have families and that 's our main passion. Many of us have hobbies that we have been into since childhood and also newer hobbies we've picked up as adults. They are an important part of life and a great source of joy. One of my hobbies is watchmaking and collecting antique pocket watches. I got into this in the early 1990's at the urging of a friend who thought it would be up my alley. Boy, was he right, it was a natural fit and I even took watchmaking classes from a local watchmaker for over five years. I actually thought that this was going to be my second career because the typewriter business was so bad, I was within a hair of closing the shop for good.  



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This is part of my collection

Well, things always work out the way it was meant to be. I'm still here in the typewriter shop, but I still like to collect old watches. I'm so impressed with the quality of craftsmanship and the beautiful designs. They are a marvel to look at. I still use them on special occasions and have even lent them out for special events. I like that fact that so many of you typecasters out there have such varied and interesting hobbies. Its fun to read about every ones special interests.


a railroad grade watch from Hamilton

      I apologize to anyone who tried to check out my blog last night or this morning. I had awful computer problems last night as I was finishing up writing this post. I ended up losing most of the post and had to cancel the entire thing. I'm surprised you didn't my screams of frustration. I'm not a computer person, its a struggle for me to write this blog but I am learning slowly but surely. And I'm totally committed to continuing this blog, as long as people are interested in reading it.

     Well, that's it for this week. Thanks for checking it out. Everyone have a great week.

    

Typing Class at Harvard

     A pretty neat thing happened earlier this week. I got a call from a teacher at Harvard University saying she had a group of students who wanted to learn to type and would I be willing to rent out twelve portable manual typewriters for the week. I said I gladly would and was excited that a group of college kids wanted to learn typing on old typewriters. She said she was excited about this development in her creative writing class but the students were over the moon excited and couldn't wait to start. We arranged to deliver and set up the machines Wednesday morning in the classroom and everyone there would help carry in the machines. She mentioned that she would like a good mix of different kinds of machines in different typestyles if possible. So I delivered a bunch of Olympia SM 3's, 4's and 9's, several black Corona's, a Olivetti Studio 44 and Lettera 35, Olympia SF and Royal Touch Control Model. A good mix of machines and in pica, elite, italic and script. The typing class would run for three days and I would pick up the machines on Monday. I said that she should have some funny stories for me when I pick up the machines Monday. On Friday we had a snow storm and my daughter had no school so I stayed home. But Saturday I called Jen to see how the typing class went. She said that it was incredible. Her students loved typing so much that they begged her to come in over the weekend so they could type some more. On Friday they had a party to celebrate the end of the seminar. Many students and faculty attended and the typewriters were a big hit. Everyone wanted to type on them. Now all the students want to get their own typewriters so we'll see if any of them buy some of the machines from the class. I genuinely get excited about younger people taking up the typewriter. It makes me feel hopeful about the future. That not everything is about the newest, fastest, latest and greatest technology. Let's hope that younger people continue to see the value in vintage technology, albeit the typewriter, sewing machines, fountain pens, antique watches, vinyl records or whatever inspires you.

     Now a quick word about the weather. YUCK!  Three and a half feet of snow in the last two weeks and more on the way. I think Mother Nature is confusing Boston with Buffalo. I really do like the snow but too much at once is terrible for business. People put off their chores and errands, like spending money at the typewriter store.



a nicely decorated Royal case

      This past week has been slow in the money making department but a lot of people have been in the shop. I can't remember a week when more people have come in and given me typewriters to recycle. At least a dozen machines were gifted to me, including a Russian keyboard Underwood 21 (really a Olivetti Studio 44), another Studio 44, a Royal 0 Model, Royal Safari, a Royal KMM with a twenty-one inch carriage (yikes!), several Smith Corona electrics, several Royal portable electrics, a IBM Selectric 2 and IBM Wheelwriter 3.


a 1936 Royal 0 Model a.k.a. the touch control model



     Earlier in the week a young girl came in with a Erika typewriter for repair. It was a more recent vintage, not as well made as the older ones. All the original packing material was still on the machine but it was still pretty beat up. After checking out the machine, she saw the Russian Royal Standard  typewriter from last weeks post. I just finished reconditioning it and the customer hadn't picked it up yet. She remarked that she would love a Russian keyboard machine for her friends. I said that this one was sold and I very rarely see them. So two days later, someone walks into the shop and gives me a Russian Underwood 21 saying if I can use it great. It never ceases to amaze me how these things work out. You always get what you need.

     Thanks for checking it out. Everyone have a great week.



Foreign Language Typewriters



Two youngsters will learn to type on this.



      I get of lots foreign language typewriters in the shop. I think mostly because of the area I live in. People come to Boston from all over the world to go to school, seek the best medical care, work or raise a family. Lots of families have a typewriter from their home country. I mention it this week because I sold a Russian keyboard Royal typewriter. It got me thinking about all the wonderful and strange foreign machines that have come through here over the years. I even have two machines in the store right now that I don't know what language they are! One is a Olympia SM 2 that I was told was a Polish language keyboard but last year someone who was Polish said it was not. 

    The man who bought the Russian Royal on Thursday didn't come in looking for it. He brought in a IBM Selectric 2 for repair. We got talking for a while and he said he had adopted two children from Russia and explained the difficult process. I happened to mention that I have a Russian machine in the shop. He looked at it and smiled and asked how much is it? He thought that it would be a good tool to help his kids learn their native language. While he was at it, he became smitten with a green Olympia SM3 in Congress Pica type and bought that one too. We ended up having a long chat after we concluded our business and found out we each like to read. He says he just started reading something interesting and went out to his car to get it. He gave it to me and said he'd pick it when he came back for his IBM repair. I said I have something here you might like and and gave him my copy of The Iron Whim. So, I took in a repair, sold two machines, made a new friend and started a book club. Have I mentioned how much I like my job. By the way, The Iron Whim is a interesting read. It came out a couple of years ago and was well reviewed. It's not a book about the history of typewriters but about the history of typewriting and how typewriting changed the course of history in this country.


a hebrew Remington



     I get tons of what I call European keyboards. That is machines that will type French, Spanish and German. Hermes 3000's, Olivetti L22 and 32's, Olympia SM's and many other brands of machines fit that bill. Here's a picture of a Remington Standard in Hebrew. Someone brought in this repair several years ago. As you know, hebrew and arabic machines type right to left. This machine had some serious history. It was used for many years in a Manhatten newspaper office that published the largest hebrew paper in New York City. Then this machine was used  by a famous writer (who's name escapes me), for thirty years in her Cape Cod home. The young woman who aquired it was super excited about the history of this machine and desperately wanted to get it working again. However, thirty years of salt air severely damaged the machine. I didn't have much hope for it but it actually came out ok. I kept this machine for about three months and asked many people to interprete the writing on the paper table. Nobody knew, then one day an elderly gentleman came in the shop, saw the machine and read the writing without thinking. He said it means Remington instrument of printed writing. Now that I keep a camera in the shop all the time I will document all the neat machines that come in.

     Thats it for this week. Thanks for checking it out. See you next week.

    

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.

         

Cambridge Typewriter does Chronicle (Finally!)



Chronicle co-host Shayna Seymour and myself



     Xtra exciting news this week. The television show Chronicle, a New England institution for over twenty-five years, called Tuesday and wanted to include me in a upcoming show. The show is about (get ready for this)professions that will be extinct in the near future. Now I know that I'm a dinosaur but I plan on sticking around for awhile. Co-host Shayna Seymour said on the phone that they could come over Thursday morning and film a interview in the shop. They also wanted to interview a customer who's a writer and a office that I service. I gave her the name of a writer in the Harvard Square area that I know and the Cambridge City Clerk's office that I service. Shayna booked them both and they will appear in the story. There will be several other professions featured in the story but we don't know what they are yet. Thursday morning Ms. Seymour and a camera woman showed up at 10:20. After introductions the camera woman worked on setting up the interview location, camera angles and lighting. I was fitted with a wireless mike and we were ready to roll. Shayna asked me many questions, like how did I get into this business and how has the typewriter business changed through the years and who are my customers today. I told her a number of typewriters stories and especially how younger people are picking up typewriters and using them. She had a hard time understanding this and asked several more questions about this phenomenon. I hope that part makes the final cut. After thirty minutes of questions and answers, we walked around the shop filming different machines. Then they filmed me typing on several machines, I believe a 1930 green Royal portable and a Olympia SM3 in script. Then they filmed a few minutes of me repairing a Smith Corona Super 12 at my workbench. After an hour they realized that they were done so they packed up and headed over to Cambridge City Hall.

     They think that the show will air later in January. I'll give a shout out in the blog when I find out. Chronicle has been one of my favorite shows because its about New England. They go to beautiful locations and destinations and introduce us to interesting and fascinating people. For many years I've always said that Chronicle should come in here and do a show. Our actual part in the half hour show will be six or seven minutes. It will be interesting to see how the story comes out.

     On Wednesday a women came in a rented a Blickensderfer No.5 for a movie shoot. I actually had a Blick 5 that works with its wooden box case, extra typewheel and box of spare ink rollers. The movie is for the American Experience on PBS. The movie is about Helen Keller. In the book that the movie is based on, someone types on a Blick 5 several times throughout the story. When I get the machine back in three weeks I'll asked when the show will be on. 

     I get asked a lot what my favorite typewriter is and what do I have in my collection. I always say that I don't have any one favorite but six or seven favorite machines. Also, I'm not a big collector at all. I have to make money to stay in business and many times that means selling machines that I would rather keep for my collection. There has always been one machine that was my absolute favorite, and I sold it. It was a burgandy Corona flattop from 1940 and was brand new. I don't think it was ever used more than once or twice. My friend John aquired it on Ebay for me and I flipped when I saw it. This one was a keeper for sure. I kept it under a table and only showed it to a select few people. About four or five months later just as I came in the shop at 9AM, my immediate thought was that I had to recondition this machine because someone was going to come in and buy it. I hesitated for a minute but also knew that there was a reason for this. So I took that machine apart, moaning and groaning the whole time about how brand new this thing was. Even though the machine was spotless, it was dry and needed a thorough cleaning. As fate would have it, a lady walked in mid-afternoon looking to buy a vintage typewriter to write with. She was local and wrote children's books. I knew right away that this was the person who wanted my beautiful Corona. At first I showed her some Royals and Remingtons. Then I bust out the burgandy Corona and she gasped. "I love that machine. That looks like the perfect machine for me." I quoted her a fairly high price and she said she had to sleep on it but if I could hold it for a day, she'd call me tomorrow. Well, she called me first thing the next morning saying that she had a vivid dream about the Corona and she was coming right up to buy it. She knew that this was the machine for her , and so did I. I never regreted selling that machine because I believe that it went to the right person. But that will also be my favorite typewriter anyway.

Thats it for this week. Thanks for checking it out. Everyone have a happy and safe NEW YEAR! See you in 2011.

    

Quack, Quack



anyone understand duck talk?



"Any of you guys know how to type."



Merry day after Christmas. I hope everyone had an joyous holiday. I know I did. My friend Abraham sent me the first two pictures in this blog. I like old pictures with typewriters in them. Its always fun to try to identify the machines in them. Easy enough in these two pictures, but the reporter interviewing the duck intrigued me. Why was the duck being interviewed and what did it say? After much investigating I found that the duck was trying to tell us that all allusive meaning of life. In a cruel twist of fate, there was nobody in the room that could interpret duck. So once again mankind misses another chance at enlightenment. No wonder the newspaper swept this story under the rug. Oh, the typewriter that the reporter is leaning on is a Smith Corona Eighty-eight Secretarial. The picture was published in 1959.



    This next picture I wanted to show because of all you Olympia SG-1 fans out there. I wanted to show the SG-1 in its natural enviroment. This picture was published in 1957 in a Portland, ME newspaper. Those machines look brand new.

     Last week was another very busy week in the shop. A bunch of people came in to buy vintage manuals for gifts, some at the last minute. Also many repairs in through the door. One nice thing I noticed is several people who bought a machine two weeks ago, brought in a friend to buy a portable manual for someone in their family last week. Two weeks ago, the nice women that bought the green Optima that I featured on my blog, came in with her girlfriend who bought a beautiful Corona Silent for her husband. That was probably the prettiest machine that I had in the store then. Also a women from New Hampshire came in a got a Royal KMM for her husband and also bought three KMM ads to go with it. I recently got a whole bunch of Royal KMM ads from 1940 and 1941. They were all really neat and a few were funny. A nice dad came in a got a Royal Custom II in metalic red for his six year old daughter. I know some people think that is too young but I think its a perfect age to start typing. Kids that age are facsinated with machines and learn to type rather quickly. Plus, they're going to grow up with a typewriter in the house which many kids today are not.

     I only had a few service calls last week because its like a vacation week at offices in town. But I had more than the usual amount of repairs come in for the week. That means I'll be chained to my bench all this week. And thats a good thing. I think that I'll use my Christmas money to but a scanner for the computer so I start typecasting and post better quality pictures. I've got tons of machines around here with lots of interesting typestyles. This should be interesting because I'm really not that good of a typist. Also, starting in the new year, I promise to start writing stories to help you out. Like what to look for when buying a used machine, helpful repair tips to common problems, those kind of stories. Friends and follows have been very heplful with ideas and stories they would like to see. Thanks for all the help. 

     Thats it for this week. Thanks for checking it out. I would like to wish everyone out there and around the world a happy and safe New Year. 

   

  

The Christmas Rush



on its way to San Francisco



     Well, the Christmas rush is going full steam ahead around here. The shop in hopping to be sure. Lots of repairs are coming through the door. Tons of people coming in to buy ribbons and supplies or ordering over the phone or emailing orders. I still can't get over how people from all over the country can order a vintage typewriter or ribbons over the computer from me. For the thirty years that I've been here, this has always been a small neighborhood typewriter shop. Now I'm the only typewriter shop around and my customers are from all across the country. Earlier this week a man from San Francisco bought a 1956 Royal Quiet de Luxe with red accents as a Christmas gift for his wife. Hope it arrives in time for Christmas. Today I shipped Matt's Hermes Ambassador down to New Jersey. Anyone who follows his blog knows he's been drooling for weeks over getting this machine. Matt thinks he'll have it Monday but the UPS driver said more like Tuesday because of the volume of packages right now. 



a 15 year old girl will be very happy next Saturday.

     I've sold alot of machines so far this week. Not surprisingly, most of them are for teenagers. Most of them, are for girls by a 5 to 1 ratio this year. So far its mostly dads coming in to pick out the machines for their daughters. I'm impressed that the dads are into it this year. In years past they didn't understand why their kid wanted an old typewriter. This year I'm getting dads in here saying that they are happy their kid wants a low tech present. I think they sounded alittle proud about it. Also finding new homes this week are a 1936 Royal Touch Control , a 1940 Royal Companion, 2- Olympia portable lightweights, a Olympia SM-3, a SM-5, a Smith Corona Galaxie 12, a Smith Corona Sterling, a Corona Silent and several IBM Wheelwriters, going to Boston area companies. I'm very happy that the vintage ads are starting to sell more and more. Remember that Olympia SM-5 in caramel from last weeks blog, well it sold in less than a week, as predicted. Ta-dah! A man bought it for his girlfriend, who is a writer, for Christmas. He originally came in with a Olympia repair that he bought on Ebay. It was unrepairable, so he was looking at some machines and was seduced by the SM-5. Can't blame him, it was a real beauty. 

     Yesterday I sold a Olympia SM-3 to a television show that films in Vancouver, British Columbia. Its a two tone model that appeared the t.v show Fringe



a future television star



on Fox television, during the first show of the first season. They don't have that machine anymore and needed it for a show in the upcoming season. So I got the call from the prop master to duplicate the machine for a scene to be shot in a typewriter shop. Sounds pretty cool to me. When this show originally aired two years ago, the day after the first episode, two different customers called me up all excited saying, " Did you watch that new show Fringe last night. They did a scene in a typewriter shop and I'd swear it was your shop. It looked exactly the same. Are you sure nobody took a picture of the inside of the store."  

     So thats how my exciting, busy and fun week ended for Christmas rush. Hope you all had a good week too. Thanks for checking it out. See you next week.