Feature
Chicago’s last typewriter repair shop has a two-year waiting list
A 78-year-old mechanic and his granddaughter are the only people in the city who still fix typewriters. Demand has never been higher.
Culture editor
9 min read
A 1950s portable waiting for repair on the workbench.
The shelves hold 300 typewriters waiting to be fixed. Some belong to writers, some to collectors, and a surprising number to people in their twenties who have never owned a machine that could not be updated.
The waiting list is two years long. The mechanic is 78.
Why now
Customers describe the appeal in similar terms: a machine that does one thing, makes a satisfying noise and cannot send notifications.
“They come in with a machine from their grandmother and leave with a new hobby,” his granddaughter said.
Passing it on
She has been learning the trade for three years and now handles most simple repairs. Parts are the real problem: many come from machines that cannot be saved, and those are running out too.
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Sofia Brandt
Culture editor
Sofia edits the culture pages and writes about music, work and the crafts we are losing.
