Cambridge Typewriter Company Authors Its Closing Chapter After 45 Years in Business
In Arlington, Massachusetts, a part of Boston communications history will conclude when the Cambridge Typewriter Company closes its doors forever on March 31.
In a Facebook post, company owner Tom Furrier, 70, announced his retirement after 45 years of repairing and selling typewriters. The post noted that Cambridge Typewriter will no longer accept typewriters for repair but will continue to sell them through the company’s last day of business.
Beginning in March, Cambridge Typewriter will hold a going-out-of-business sale to liquidate every remaining part of the shop. A “type-in” party is also being planned to celebrate Furrier and the loyal customers he’s helped over the years.
“It’s what I love doing. I couldn’t imagine doing anything else,” he told WBZ-TV CBS Boston in an interview. “This is like my castle in a way. I just feel at home here, and I feel there’s an energy to this place because there is so much history in here.”
Furrier has written his own history at the typewriter shop. He started working for Cambridge Typewriter at age 25. Ten years later, he purchased the company and navigated it through the headwinds of a changing business environment.
Furrier told WBZ-TV he estimates repairing nearly 35,000 typewriters from an untold number of customers over the decades.
Cambridge Typewriter enjoyed a moment in the spotlight in 2023 when actor Tom Hanks sent Furrier a 1960s-era German-made Olympia SM4 typewriter from Hanks’ personal collection, complete with his autograph.
Although he enjoyed the challenge of repairing the machines, Furrier stated that the best part of his job was connecting with so many people.
“My favorite thing is when I hear someone come through that door because I get to come out and I get to interact with someone who is excited to be here,” he said.
