Massachusetts' last remaining typewriter repair store has closed. Here's why

ARLINGTON — The state's last remaining typewriter repair shop has officially closed.

Cambridge Typewriter Co. Inc. on Massachusetts Avenue, which in 2023 received an autographed Olympia, model SM4 — worth about $350 — from Oscar-winning actor Tom Hanks, closed its doors on March 31 after announcing plans to do so early this year.

Tom Furrier, who had owned the shop for the past 45 years, sought a buyer with experience, but was unable to find one. His asking price was $35,000 — only $10,000 more than what he paid to acquire the shop in 1990.

Furrier, who turns 70 this month, announced his decision to close on Jan. 5 on Cambridge Typewriter’s Facebook page.

The next closest typewriter repair shop is New England Typewriter, in Merrimack, New Hampshire.

Cambridge Typewriter achieved celebrity status

Yankee Magazine featured a story on Cambridge Typewriter in its September/October 2024 edition, “Keys to the past,” by Ian Aldrich. Furrier told the magazine that he repaired 700 typewriters a year.

"Chronicle" featured the business on Oct. 8. “We’re unbelievably busy,” Furrier told interviewers at the time.

Besides Hanks, Furrier had other interactions with celebrities. For example, he repaired typewriters used by some renowned authors, including Pulitzer Prize winner David McCullough.