Cambridge Typewriter Co., Inc.

📣 Attention Boston Poets & Typists!

Next Friday, 9/27 the 4th annual Poetry Downtown event is taking place in Boston with the fitting theme of Edgar Allen Poe’s “The Raven.” 🐦‍⬛

This fun event will feature discussions of literature and a poetry cycle of 5 miles that will go from Edgar Allan Poe’s birthplace, via Poe Square to Fort Independence where he was stationed. Ending with the Typewriter Showdown and cocktail hour, celebrate the work of Boston’s beloved spooky poet in style.

Get your FREE tickets for the Ultimate Typewriter Showdown held at the Marriot Hotel at Long Wharf via the link below. 🔗
*****
Are you a born keyboard warrior and are you not afraid for a battle? Join then our Ultimate Typewriter Showdown this:
- September 27 Boston 10-11pm
- September 28 New York 5-6pm
- September 28 Philadelphia 10-11pm
- September 29 Baltimore 10-11pm
During this battle we have only one rule. Don’t touch your opponent, his or her typewriter, table or chair.
Please register via eventbrite. You can find the links at our website https://poetrydowntown.com/ultimate-typewriter-showdown/

Hi folks. As many of you know, after 44 years I have decided to finally retire. I’m looking for somebody to buy the shop and carry on the tradition. I am looking for someone with extensive typewriter experience and knowledge, with the passion to continue this thriving business and trade. Please help spread the word.

For $35,000, you could own the Boston area’s last remaining typewriter shop - The Boston Globe Tom Furrier, the longtime proprietor and master repairman of Cambridge Typewriter in Arlington, is in search of a new owner as he prepares to retire.

Most of you know that I have a fondness for Smith Corona typewriters for lots of different reasons. One reason is the concept of changeable keys. Smith Corona put one or two changeable keys on most of their manual and electric machines from the 60’s-80’s. They were very easy to put on and take off. They came in many different applications, the most common being Language Accents and Symbols. Other popular applications are Math, Engineering, Greek, Library and Legal, and Medical/Druggist. They also made pop culture icons like Smiley Faces, which I had one and it looked really cool. Over the years as I would acquire SCM machines they would sometimes have a few changeable keys in a little plastic case. I would throw them in a box and save them for some future use. This is my collection of them all.

Here’s a good example of two different kinds of brown typewriters. The first machine is a dark brown 1942 Royal Quiet de Luxe. I bought it from someone who sold me twenty-two assorted typewriters a few weeks ago. This machine is so gorgeous with barely a blemish on it. The print quality of the standard elite typeface jumps off the page. The second machine is a lighter cocoa brown 1957 Olympia SM-3. The pristine condition of this machine is making me swoon every time I look at it. Most people know the SM-3 is my favorite one in the SM line. I have one at home that I use often.

Here’s a 1941 Underwood Universal Mill machine. I bought it from a customer in North Carolina who in turn bought it from someone in Florida. The person in Florida said it was taken from a submarine that had been decommissioned to Florida but operated in WWII. I tried to find out which sub it came from but had no luck. These mill machines are highly collectible and I can remember people calling the shop looking for them twenty years ago. This one is in fabulous condition and was sold to a regular customer who collects WWII memorabilia. These mill machines have a special typeface and are used by the radio operator on the ship or sub to transcribe coded messages.

What could more romantic than proposing to your sweetheart in a typewriter shop?! She said YES!!! 💍Congratulations to Thomas and Laurie!!!

We are in the homestretch of the Christmas Rush. Just another week to go. We should be able to finish up all the typewriter repairs that are for Christmas presents by the end of next week. 🎁 We’re selling a lot of portable manual machines, almost half going to 7-12 year olds this year. Also noticed a lot of people buying themselves a Christmas present and a bunch going to spouses. It’s not too late to get a typewriter for the writer in your family. We still have a bunch of nice reconditioned vintage typewriters for sale. Happy Holidays everyone!!!

So sorry we have to cancel. We can’t type out in the rain and there’s no room in the shop. A handful of customers and friends are coming from out of state and I don’t want them driving down for nothing. We will try again in the spring. Thanks for understanding.

We’re happy to host our first Type-Out in three years on Oct. 7! Hope everyone can come. Bring the kids, your friends and your favorite typer.

Here’s something different but cool. It combines my love of music with the typewriter. My daughter found this new release from Record Store Day 2022 and gave it to me for Father’s Day. Janis Joplin was 19 years old and still in her folk/blues stage and two years away from joining Big Brother and the Holding Company. Jorma Kaukonen was 23 years old and a few years away from a notable music career playing with Jefferson Airplane and Hot Tuna. The two of them were rehearsing some songs they were going to play together at a benefit concert at a small local club. Jorma’s wife Margarite, was also in the kitchen typing a letter on her typewriter while Janis and Jorma practiced a handful of songs. First of all, this is a pleasure to hear Janis singing before she got famous. And secondly, it’s a hoot to hear the typewriter clacking away in the background. I had fun looking up the history of this collaboration and the myth behind the existence of this tape which had been lost for fifty years. Nobody knows what kind of typewriter was being used in the recording. &jormakaukonen

One of the great joys of repairing typewriters is taking a customer’s rust bucket and returning a fully functional, beautiful machine to them. And then seeing how excited they are! Some people can’t believe that this is the same typewriter they brought in. It never gets old!!

A few weeks ago a customer came into the shop and brought in this 3-D Stereoscopic viewer from 1913. It is coin operated with pennies to use the machine. Sharon said a bunch of pennies had jammed inside the machine and she couldn’t get at them so the machine wouldn’t work. People bring in all kinds of odd machines and things to see if I can fix them. Many times I can’t because I don’t know anything about it like old adding machines or Braille writers or old tube radios from the 40’s. This seemed doable so I said I’d spend a few minutes on it. Twenty minutes later I I pulled it apart and could pull a bunch of pennies out. I’m glad I was able to get it going again and Sharon was grateful. A week later she sent me a nice thank you note and a great coaster with a picture of an Underwood keyboard on it. Sharon is a photographer and has a studio in the SoWa art galleries of the South End in Boston. Check her out at 📸

I normally don’t collect these extra long carriage machines because I don’t have the room, but I couldn’t let these two go to waste. I know artists are looking for these to do typewriter art or to incorporate typewriter type into their mixed-media art projects. First is a 1936 Underwood No. 6 with a 20 inch carriage. This is a beast of a machine. Second is a 1948 Royal KMM with an 18 inch carriage. Both machines are in the rough right now. They need to be cleaned and repaired and will be like new again. I will recondition either one on request if anyone is interested. Please call the shop or DM me.

I just finished cleaning this customer repair today. It’s a Re*****on 10 Standard, serial # 16,629, meaning it was manufactured in 1908. That would mean it’s a first year model, making it extra cool. I still need to do a few repairs on it. The ribbon vi****or is missing and the spring inside the carriage return arm is broken. What I like best about this machine is the Re*****on decal on the backplate. Something about the “Your Typewriter Repairmen” tag line just knocks me out. Never seen this decal before and wanted to share it.

We got a wonderful surprise in the mail today! FedEx dropped off a big box that was obviously a typewriter. Couldn’t figure out who from Santa Monica, California was sending me a repair. I curiously opened up the box to find an Olympia SM-4 from Tom Hanks himself! The typewriter is in the rough and needs to be reconditioned but he signed the top cover and included a signed letter explaining why he was sending me this machine. A golf bag towel with the PlayTone logo was also included. I’m very happy Tom included us in his plan to whittle down his typewriter inventory. I’ll have fun restoring this beauty back to its former glory and figure out what I’m going to do with it. What a wonderful surprise. Thank you Tom Hanks!!!

I just acquired this 1958 Olympia SM-3 portable. I love it when they come with a lot of cool stuff. I always pass everything along to the next owner as well as any story or history of the machine. This machine had the original instruction manual with the salesman’s business card stapled to it, the factory test sheet, a post card of the SM-3 with stats on the backside, a hand written letter from the new owner to be, a pristine dust cover with the shop info on it and finally, a key chain/good luck charm with dealer name and info on one side and a cute, folksy saying on the other side. This machine sold to the first person I showed it to.

Here’s a real beauty you don’t see very often. This is a 1951 Smith Corona Silent . Obviously gold plated completely and even has a turbo platen on it. It’s a customer repair and has been sitting in a basement for five years. It was starting to grow mildew on the keycaps. Mostly it didn’t work, the carriage would skip four or five spaces at a time when you hit any key or space bar. This machine came from a dealer in the New York City area about ten years ago. These gold plated or chromed machines are hard to photograph because they are so reflective.

I always get a kick out of the way people name their typewriters. It’s a nice way to help personalize your machine. I bought this 1958 Smith Corona Secretarial, serial -11 from a very nice lady . She said the typewriters name is Barry and he’s been her buddy since high school. Barry has been very well cared for and still has his original instruction book. At the end of many SCM instruction books they usually publish the latest lineup of their current products which I’ve included. For those of us who are used to typing strictly on portable machines, what a treat to type on a big standard. It’s so easy to press the keys. You only have to hit them half as hard as a portable machine. Also, the print quality is usually much better because of the larger diameter platen and more torque generated on each keystroke.

This is a 1928 L.C. Smith No.8. First thing you’ll notice is the strange keyboard layout. I have no idea what this is. Nobody I know has any idea what this keyboard is for. If anyone has any clue, please help us out. It’s a customer repair and he would like to have some info about it.

I just picked up this 1956 Royal HHP standard in this beautiful shiny blue. Royal calls this Horizon Blue smooth. I had no idea that Royal made the HH model in seven different colors. All I have ever seen is the dark brown with green key caps. It’s kind of cool that after 43 years of fixing these machines I’m still learning something new just about every day!

Here’s a beautiful 1937 Re*****on 5 with a teaching colored keyboard. I just love the color of this one. This is a customer repair that Matt just finished. It was pretty dirty and we had to replace the four front feed rollers on it. They were flat as a pancake probably from sitting in a closet for several decades.

Who wants to look at some Christmas-y machines?! The beautiful red 1934 Corona Special belongs to a regular customer who happened to pick it up today. It needed a good cleaning, new front feed roller and drawband. Next is a 1932 Continental Portable with an amazing color. This really looks like the original factory finish. The marbled shading effect is awesome. It has an authentic German keyboard. I’ve been sitting on this one for a year and sold it two days ago for a Christmas present. Happy holidays! ❤️💚🎄

I love machines with dealer stickers on them. They show us part of the history of these gorgeous typewriters that we love so much. These repair shops aren’t around anymore but our typewriters came from them and were lovingly cleaned and repaired there.

Support your local small businesses. This Saturday is Small Business Saturday and we will be open from 9am-1pm with a shop full of machines ready to find homes! The holiday rush is already in full swing, so don’t miss out on the good stuff!

We are closed Thursday and Friday for Thanksgiving. Hope you all have a great turkey day!

Looks like someone steampunked this 1916 Underwood No. 3. They made a base out of old pipe and bolted the typewriter to it. Then added a light fixture behind the machine and an antique style light bulb, controlled by a on/off dimmer switch. It’s pretty cool and belongs to one of my favorite customers who has a rather large typewriter collection. It was in the shop for cleaning and repairs and a new platen. It’s always great to see interesting machines!

This Royal KMM came into the shop for a cleaning and repair a few weeks ago. It had belonged to John Ashbury (1927-2017), considered the most influential American poet of his time. He wrote many successful collections, including his masterpiece book, Self-Portrait in a Convex Mirror (1975). This won the Pulitzer Prize, the National Book Award, and the National Book Critics Circle Award, a rare triple crown in the literary world. His KMM that he wrote with was gifted to Harvard University where it resides in one of their main libraries. They brought me the machine to recondition so it could be used at an event where people could type on his typewriter. I was very excited to work on this machine. While typing on this typewriter you can’t help but think about all the great things that were composed on it.

I just love this 1949 Royal Quiet de Luxe, the Henry Dreyfuss Edition. It is a caps only Italic typeface, very similar to the early Signet model. I’ve enjoyed typing on it and the Italic type looks great on the page. It is weird not having the two shift keys. I keep reaching for them. I could very easily add this to my collection but I have enough and can resist the temptation.

Taking a well deserved family vacation this upcoming week. The shop will be closed 8/29-9/6. Thank you and happy Labor Day!

This beautiful Royal KHM is a customer repair. It came in very dirty and sticky. But mainly the escapement mechanism was totally jammed up and the carriage was not spacing over at all. I usually suspect corrosion or rust. Wrong, it was a Sunoco Millennium Series Coin which was deeply jammed into the escapement. Took five minutes to remove it and the machine worked great. The owner of the machine said he thinks his son put the coin in the typewriter. You just never know what you’ll find in a typewriter.

So sad to hear of Mr. McCullough’s passing. We have lost one of the best ever. I will treasure his visits, our conversations and his friendship. He will be greatly missed. We send our sincere condolences to his family and loved ones.