Typewriter Talk / Old Typewriter Repair Shops...

**Posted by Pete E.** **Online!** 11-8-2022 12:13:45

Thought it would be interesting to start a Thread about old typewriter shops...long gone, past or even still in business.

To start things off...

Photo 1 - Here was what happened to the Alabama Typewriter Co. located in Birmingham, AL back in to 2017 when a drunk driver trying to flee the scene of a car accident lost control and took out the store front.

Photo 2 - Photo of Mr. Billy Hagood, age 82 years old at the time of the 2017 accident. Mr. Hagood had purchased the old shop back in 1984 and ran it until 2017. After he was rescued from the damaged business, Mr. Hagood told local news..." This is the end of an era. "

Photo 3 - Photo of rescue in progress after the accident. It took 2 hours for local 1st. responders to get Mr. Hagood out into safety. The business did not have another exit door.

Photo 4 - More recent street-view of the old shop. Storefront replaced and waiting for the location's new tenant. Awning of the typewriter shop still in place.

Sad to see any typewriter shop going out of business. Too bad a drunk-driver took this one out.
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**Posted by Pete E.** **Online!** 11-8-2022 13:15:38

The California Office Machines (aka California Typewriter) was 1 of 2 typewriter shops in Berkeley California.

In 2016-2017, the shop became famous as the focal point of the movie/documentary, "California Typewriter".

Unfortunately, by March 2020 the elder owner, Herb Permillion, decided to retire and sell the property. It more recently sold for $ 790K...but without a hint of a typewriter in the place.

First 4 photos are of the shop in business. One photo has Ken Alexander (typewriter mechanic) hard at work in the shop. Ken has since moved over to the last remaining 1 shop in town, Berkeley Typewriter Co.

The last photos shows the old shop when it was getting ready to be put up for sale.

I wonder if the smell of typewriters was ever exorcised from the old shop location...
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**Posted by Pete E.** **Online!** 11-8-2022 15:56:03

The Dominion Typewriter Co. (which was started around 1902) had relocated in the 1950's to this location at 100 Adelaide Street East, Toronto, ON, Canada.

Photo 1 and 2 were probably taken in the 1970's based on the cars parked on the street.

Photo 3 shows that location, today. The old building still standing and being used and leased out. Nice to see some old buildings have not yet faced a wrecking-ball.

They eventually become Dominion Business Machines (and are still in business at new locations) with their history, listed, on this their web site :

https://www.dominionbusiness.com/about-dominion
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**Posted by Pete E.** **Online!** 11-8-2022 20:31:07

Photo 1 shows an old sign for the Midwest Typewriter Co. It intrigued me to see if I could find some history. BTW...are those bullet holes in the metal sign ?

There were several "Midwest Typewriter" businesses listed in Ohio, Missouri, and Iowa.

Photo 2 - Found a photo of a store front in Moline, IL which still had this sign and another typewriter sign up in the building. Located at 1520 6th. Avenue, Moline IL. This building was built in 1895 and is registered with the City as historical in their down-town quarter.

Midwest TW Co. ceased to exist by 2015 when their corporation-status was allowed to lapse. Around 2016 or so, a new business, City Fashions, had taken over the building with their name on the windows but leaving the old typewriter signs in place (as seen in Photo 2).

Photos 3 and 4 are more recent when the Building was sold and then, recently, in use as a beauty salon. Note in these photos, all typewriter signage is gone to history.

Have not been able to find any period-photos of inside the typewriter shop, unfortunately.

And I have not, yet, been able to find when Midwest Typewriter Co. came into business and how long they hung in there in the trade.
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**Posted by Pete E.** **Online!** 12-8-2022 21:07:31

Do we have a volunteer to take a go at finding more about this shop... ???
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**Posted by Pete E.** **Online!** 13-8-2022 07:30:47

Size of the "Capital Typewriter" sign is 96" wide x 42" tall.

**Posted by Pete E.** **Online!** 13-8-2022 09:11:48

Photo 1 – This image which I found on the Internet started the quest.

Photo 2 – After numerous word-searches for “Capital Typewriter on the Internet, a hit showed such a shop existed back in 1958 at 216 W. Capitol Avenue in downtown Little Rock, Arkansas.

Photo 3 – The web site for Mabelvale High School had archive information and photos of the old Downtown in the 1950's and 1960's. This Photo 3 was from this web site and shows a Capital Typewriter shop on the right side of the main street, Capitol Avenue, shown in the photo for the year 1958.
http://www.rrmerritt.com/mabelvale/MHS_Mem_Downtown.htm

Photo 4 – Is a zoomed-in view of Photo 3.

Photo 5 – Is another version of Photo 4 with the original “Capital Typewriter” sign image super-imposed into the photo.

Pay close attention to the shape of the “C” and the “l” in the word “Capital” and it is pretty certain this is our sign when it was in use by this typewriter shop. Back in 1958, there was another section of the marque sign, below what remains, presently, on the sign. The sign would have certainly been a 2-sided sign, as well.

The current owner of the surviving sign is in Arizona State selling antiques on their web site. They indicate the surviving sign is 96.5” long x 42” tall.
https://antiquitieswarehouse.com/products/typewriter-sign

Photo 6 (the last photo) shows, approximately the current, present-day view west-ward on W. Capitol Avenue with the Little Rock capitol building in the back ground. Similar location to the view in Photo 3.
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**Posted by Pete E.** **Online!** 13-8-2022 09:18:57

And let's not forget the Olivetti Underwood 21 typewriter sold on Shop Goodwill with its unique "Capital" badge on the machine front.

It was sold by the SGW location also out of Arkansas State back in 2021.
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**Posted by Pete E.** **Online!** 14-8-2022 07:24:31

This old sign for the Continental Typewriter Co.yields two present-day locations for the old shops.

Photo 2 shows the Newark NJ shop at 847 Broad Street, presently, as an athletic shoe & clothing store.

Photo 3 shows the Asbury Park NJ shop at 704 Mattison Avenue, presently available after some building renovations.

Could not find any period-photos of when these locations were typewriter shops, however.
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**Posted by Pete E.** **Online!** 14-8-2022 10:58:41

My quest for locating old typewriter shop signs and photos yielded this photo of what looks like an old photo of a typewriter shop...maybe in the 1940-1950's or so with the old car in front of the shop.

Caption with the photo indicated it was the North London Typewriter Co. located at : 9 WORDSWORTH PDE GREEN LANES, HORNSEY, London, Greater London England, N8 0SJ
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But I think this photo was "vintage staged"...as I noticed the "Remstar" product sign in the window and some of the machines on display in the windows looked to be more modern machines...maybe from the 1970's or so.

This next photo had a 2005 caption-date when the shop was still open for business :

By 2009, the typewriter shop was noted as being out-of-business and the place has windows carded-up, etc. Note the barber shop to the left go a new sign/logo but the shop's phone number is the same.

The final photo from 2022 shows the same location now hosting a DnB Bingo club...when folks can ply bingo, listen to music of drums & basses and do some dancing. It was noted as being a "Bingo Rave" place. And sadly, the old "typewriters" sign is finally no more.
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