Going against type
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An Oliver Standard Visible Writer Number 5 typewriter from the early 1900s at the storefront of Cambridge Typewriter in Arlington, Massachusetts, United States. Mr Thomas Furrier started repairing electric typewriters 41 years ago at his shop in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Ten years later, he moved his shop to nearby Arlington.
As businesses and offices moved from electric typewriters to computers, he feared that the business would die. However, he started seeing the younger generation bringing him older manual typewriters for repairs. He quickly learnt how to restore and repair manual typewriters and estimates he repairs more than 700 of such a year.
"Young people are driving the business. They are typing rather than using laptops," he said. "The kids would realise that with analogue, it is cool because you are using all of your senses. They try it and they discover they can type with no distractions, and that is probably the No. 1 reason. You can't multi-task. The typewriter only does one thing."
