ARLINGTON — It's not every day that a small shop receives a gift from a famous actor, out of the blue. But two-time Oscar winner Tom Hanks put Cambridge Typewriter Co. Inc. on the map on April 4 by sending the business via FedEx an autographed Olympia typewriter, complete with a typewritten note signed by him.
The letter, dated March 2023 (no day) and to the attention of Cambridge Typewriter, states:
"To whom it may concern.
Tom Hanks here. I am presenting you with this typewriter:
Make: Olympia
Model: SM4
To do with as you please. Service it, keep it as is, repair and keep or sell. Display or use.
On one hand you are taking off my shelves and out the door into the greater world. On the other hand you are giving me more space and less clutter. On the third hand (?) you just may be giving this miracle of a machine a fuller, newer life of use.
I do hope this typewriter comes into use.
It is yours now. Take good care of it and help keep it doing its job for another 100 years.
Tom Hanks"
In the bottom right corner of the letter is "TH COLLECTION # 086."
Those who know Hanks well know that he is a huge typewriter buff, according to Tom Furrier, owner of Cambridge Typewriter. The actor has spoken about it in interviews and is an advocate for saving the vintage machines.
Why Hanks gifted his typewriter
"He just wants to thin out his inventory, so he's sending machines to typewriter shops around the country," Furrier said.
Furrier thinks Hanks knew about his shop from friends they have in common, although he declined to identify them.
Arlington resident Steven Sontag is one of many people who have made offers to Furrier for the typewriter. Sontag does not collect typewriters but he does have a collection of autographs he has been saving for his grandchildren, including those of Barack Obama, Julie Andrews and others.
“I want to leave things to my two granddaughters,” said Sontag.
But Furrier does not plan to sell the typewriter. He plans to keep it on display inside the store, although he'll take it home to use for a while. Furrier has 10 or 12 of his own machines that he uses for writing letters. In the future, he may donate the typewriter to a charity to auction off.
The Olympia model typewriter gifted by Hanks was made in West Germany. The SM4 model is from about 1960. Furrier said he’s glad Hanks sent that particular one, saying it's a top-notch machine.
“They are considered the best," Furrier said. "The Germans made the best stuff. You get German engineering in everything they do, including typewriters."
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“Writers love Olympia typewriters," he continued. "They are the best tools for the trade. They are like little tanks. They just last and last and they have a great touch and they are nice and smooth. They are one of my favorites."
Without Tom Hanks’ signature, the typewriter would be worth about $350, said Furrier. He said it needs a thorough cleaning and tune-up, and some repairs to the carriage.
“Nothing horrible. It will take me about two to three hours,” he said.
The case was stripped down to the bare wood. It was originally covered in a green and cream vinyl wrapping.
“Because it’s such a special machine, I’m going to sand it down and see if I can find a local artist to do a custom paint job on it and make it special," Furrier said. "Maybe something with a Tom Hanks theme to it."
He plans to send a nice thank you note to Hanks.
Furthermore, Furrier hopes that when Hanks gives his commencement speech next month at Harvard University, he'll take time to stop by Cambridge Typewriter — which is all of 2.5 miles away.
History of the shop
Furrier has been in the business for 43 years, including the last 33 at 102 Massachusetts Ave. He worked for Cambridge Typewriter's previous owner, Ed Vandewalle, who was a neighbor of his while growing up in Wakefield.
“I took to it right away," said Furrier, who was 25 at the time. "The first day, I knew this is what I wanted to do.
He worked for Vandewalle for 10 years, then bought the business when the older man retired in 1990.
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“We weren’t always busy," Furrier said. "Back in the '90s, all of the shops went out of business and we were the only one left. Computers moved in and everyone threw their typewriters away."
“It was a struggle getting through the '90s," he said. "This whole vintage resurgence started in the early 2000s. I was lucky enough to recognize that it’s going to be the business model from now on."
After the millennium, each year seemed to get busier. And once COVID-19 hit business was robust, he said.
“People were stuck at home looking for something to do," Furrier said. "They were decluttering their houses, finding typewriters and bringing themin to get fixed then take them home and use them."
Most machines are worth about $200, said Furrier. He and his apprentice, Matt Snyder, repair manual, electric and electronic machines. They also assess for value the machines that customers bring in.
Reaction to the surprise package
When he received Hanks' package, Furrier had no idea what it was and wasn’t expecting it. He receives packages every day, and many of them are typewriters. The return address said, “Santa Monica, CA.” He said he doesn’t know anyone there.
When he opened it, the first thing he saw when he lifted the flaps was a green towel with a “Playtone” logo on top of it.
“The second I saw it, I know Playtone is Tom Hanks’ production company,” said Furrier.
He then yelled to Snyder, “Tom Hanks just sent us something!” They unwrapped the bubble wrap and saw the wooden case.
“I knew he was sending machines to dealers across the country," Furrier said. "People have been posting it on Instagram, which I promptly did. I never thought he would send us one. It was a total surprise and the lovely letter that come with it."
On April 5, the morning after he posted about it on Instagram, a media frenzy began, he said.
“All hell broke loose," he said. "The media came in droves. For two days, I did nothing but answer my phone, do interviews, have television crews in here, live radio interviews, online telephone interviews. It’s just been crazy.
“I did three telephone interviews in the first hour.”
Furrier said he feels like a celebrity and believes his business will benefit in the short term. But he's anxious for things to get back to normal, as he feels a bit overwhelmed.
"I'm not crazy about all the attention," said Furrier.
Old-fashioned typewriters make a comeback
Furrier said this is not the first time he has possessed a famous person’s typewriter.
“I’ve repaired typewriters for famous authors before, such as (history author) David McCullough, who won a couple of Pulitzer prizes."
Furrier said tons of people still use typewriters, especially creative, old-soul types who like to do things in old-fashioned ways.
“A lot of baby boomers are going back to typewriters," he said. "They gave away their college machines and have been using a laptop for 25 years and now they come in looking for their old college machine again."
Half of his customers are young people now, but he said Cambridge Typewriter is unbelievably busy.
“We are one of the last typewriter-only shops left in New England,” he said.
