21 hours ago
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In New York City, there’s still at least one place left untouched by modern tech.
At Gramercy Typewriter Co., there isn’t a screen in sight — the most advanced piece of technology may just be the cordless landline phone propped up on a counter.
“I prefer to type someone a letter over an email any day,” typewriter technician Jay Schweitzer, who inherited the business from his father, told The Post.
“It’s a beautiful sound. I mean, there’s nothing like it.”
But typewriter repair is a waning field. Offhand, Schweitzer can name the few remaining typewriter repair shops across the nation, but this month, the only typewriter store in Boston is shuttering — and Gramercy Typewriter Co. is NYC’s last.
The company was started by Schweitzer’s grandfather, Abraham, and was passed down to Jay’s father, Paul, who, at 87, is still fixing up machines every day.
“Retirement was never something to consider,” the younger Schweitzer said. “He slowed it down a bit, but he enjoys what he does and looks forward to being at that workbench every day.”
Today, they sell an average of 40 to 50 typewriters every month, with inventory — some of which was acquired from since-shuttered stores in the region — that dates back decades.
Machines are even loaned out for Hollywood projects and onstage productions, from “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” to Steven Spielberg’s “The Post.” Currently, the company’s typewriters can be spotted onstage in the Broadway show “Good Night and Good Luck” starring George Clooney.
The third-generation family business never bothered getting into the computer industry despite the rapid development of the World Wide Web.
Machines built to last centuries — not laptops that give out after a half-decade — are more their type (pardon the pun).
“I don’t come across too many people that say, ‘I’m going to go get my laptop fixed.’ It’s just not cost-effective. So, you get a number of years out of it — the operating systems are getting old and not keeping up, and you have to buy new,” said Schweitzer, 57.
“That doesn’t happen here.”
Growing up, he would come to work with his dad during summer breaks from school to watch and learn the family trade, often tasked with “things like spool ribbons.”
Back then, typewriters were in every office on every desk, but when the computer gained traction among the public, the relics were shoved into storage closets and left to collect dust.
But that didn’t dampen the Schweitzers’ spirits.
As dozens of competitors tried to adapt to technological advancements at the time — dipping into copiers, printers and even computers — Gramercy Typewriter Co. stayed true to the one piece of machinery they knew.
“It was already a very oversaturated business, and they were trying to catch up as they were just learning,” Schweitzer recalled. “My dad didn’t feel that it was time at his age to start learning something new.”
He added: “It was like learning a new language, and he didn’t want to start going back to school, so to speak.”
That is, perhaps, the secret to their longstanding business, which has boomed since 1932, outlasting all their competitors.
But his customers span generations, from more elderly clientele who have used the machines for years to Gen Z, who is ushering in a revival of old school relics, like landline phones, vinyl records and even cassette tapes.
“We have parents coming in with these 7-, 8-, 9-, 10-year-olds who have seen the typewriter somewhere and took a liking to it, whether it be a movie, television show, Broadway, friend’s house,” Schweitzer explained.
Parents, he said, are happy to splurge on the typing artifact if it keeps their kids “away from the screen.”
“Regardless of the reason that they’re getting a typewriter, one thing’s for sure,” Schweitzer said.
“Even when they’re not being used and they’re sitting on a desk or a piece of furniture, they look beautiful — probably the best-looking thing somebody has in their home or office — and will continue to be readily available to be used for decades to come.”
English (US)