Keys to Yesterday

New England Typewriter in Merrimack gives old machines another chance

BY MIKE MORIN / PHOTOGRAPHY BY JODIE ANDRUSKEVICH

Imagine opening a piece of mail. Not a letter trying to sell you windows. And not just any letter, but a personally typed note from actor Tom Hanks. The Tom Hanks. It happened to Matt Snyder:

28 April 2021

Matt,

Astounding tales come through the mails.

Like yours.

At the age of 64, the likes of you and me and your employer – keep remembering what has made us. Bravo to the customers who keep you and Tom so busy. For you for learning a time-honored craft and rendering a service to the likes of the McCulloughs and Hanks of the world.

And I thank you for writing the likes of me. As with every typewriter letter one receives, I will keep it forever, barring a house fire.

Throw deep,

Tom Hanks

You see, Hanks sends typed letters to people who love creating words with a dinosaur of communication. And repairing them.

He especially appreciates people like Matt Snyder, who have learned the skills of repurposing expired typing machines by returning them to commission for a second chance at service.

In October, Snyder opened New England Typewriter in Merrimack, dedicated to restoring typewriters that still have more to give.

Snyder was pleased but not shocked to get the Hanks letter. This is what the star of “Saving Private Ryan” and “Apollo 13” does for those who, like him, have immersed their lives in typewriters and the unexpected culture they inspire.

Snyder, 39, graduated from Penn State with a degree in chemistry, working in bioanalytical research. He and wife, Natasha, relocated to New England so she could complete her graduate degree.

Snyder partially credits the second U.S. president with the spark that lit his fire for typewriters.

“It was the John Adams mini-series,” Snyder says. “It was on HBO, and they did a behind-the-scenes kind of featurette on one of the DVDs in which David McCullough, author of the John Adams book, was being interviewed as he was typing on his Royal KMM. The second I saw him typing away I thought that’s interesting. I liked that there was something elegant and erudite and thoughtful about the way that he went about to create his books that I didn’t realize people still used.”

Much to his wife’s surprise, Snyder announced he wanted to buy a mechanical typewriter. Next stop was Cambridge Typewriter in Arlington, Mass., where he explained to owner Tom Furrier what he was looking for. That’s when the owner dropped a shocker, Snyder recalls.

“Tom, the owner, smiled, telling me David McCullough was a customer here. So, he had actually fixed David McCullough’s machines.” Snyder was a tinkerer, and Tom was in need of a typewriter apprentice.

“The owner was having to bear the brunt of everything by himself. So, I just asked him if he needed help of any kind, and if I could apprentice, and within a reasonable amount of time, I was apprenticing under him,” Snyder says.

As soon as pandemic quarantines lifted, Snyder drove roundtrip every day from New Hampshire and began working away on Furrier’s mountain of machines.

Though not a paid employee, Snyder says there were perks that meant a lot to him.

“So, while I was there, if I wanted typewriter ink, for instance, for one of my typewriters, I could have that,” he says. “I got fed on Fridays, I got discounts on typewriters that I wanted and if I brought in a typewriter for sale, he would reimburse me for that as well as a finder’s fee. And he would cover gas because it was about an 80-plus-mile commute there and back.”

Then there’s the invaluable training for a job very few can claim to have.

Six months passed, and even though Snyder still had a lot to learn, he expressed an interest in perhaps buying Cambridge Typewriter from Tom someday.

“And when the time came,” he says, “It was a little more (money) than I had expected, and I couldn’t afford it without having a bank loan. And nowadays with interest rates and things like that, it just wasn’t meant to be. And we had also purchased a house during the pandemic. So, it didn’t work out.” (Furrier announced in January that he was closing Cambridge Typewriter at the end of March. )

Matt and Natasha decided he would open his own showroom and repair shop in New Hampshire. Word began spreading about New England Typewriter, long before the store’s October opening. Timing was good for the new business as many people, often kids, request typewriters as Christmas gifts.

At a “Type-in” event hosted by the Nashua Public Library

September, New England Typewriter owner Matt Snyder brought along about a dozen of his personal vintage machines for attendees to try. He answered user questions and was pleased that his event drew a good crowd of typewriter fans with varying interests.

Librarian Holly Clump helped Matt set up the interactive experience. “Matt wanted to use the room for this purpose, and we thought it would interest some people so I’m glad to see it’s a good turnout today.”

People we met at Nashua Public Library’s Type-in:

Sabrina, of Nashua: One of several writers who took Matt’s collection for a test drive. “It’s very different from being on a laptop which I’m very used to. I’m not used to pressing the keys so hard. I was afraid I was going to break it.” There was added pressure as she was typing on Matt’s personal Royal machine.

Amy, of New Boston: Amy actually found three typewriters at a transfer station, saying, “I was super excited to see that Matt was putting up a typewriter shop pretty close to my home, so I will definitely be using his services.” A good thing, as she had attempted to repair the abandoned machines found at the dump.

Marcus, of Mason, age 13: Admits it’s much cooler than typing on a computer. “This is my first time typing on one (typewriter). It feels cool especially cause sometimes the buttons don’t work and you have to pull it back and retry. It’s a lot of fun.”

Leo, of Nashua: A writer whose first story came out of an old Royal KMG that he nicknamed “Marlo” after Philip Marlowe ‘cause it’s the old noir style and that kind of got me in the [typewriter] hobby. Then I found Cambridge Typewriter, which is where Matt came from originally. That snowballed into a whole rabbit hole of YouTube videos, talking about Tom Hanks and (the film) “California Typewriter.” He says typing is very relaxing, adding, “you can scan what you type on a page right into a computer.”

Meet The Patron Saint Of Typewriters

You know Tom Hanks, the actor. Now meet Tom Hanks, called by some, the patron saint of typewriters. At last count, Tom owns 250 of them with 90% fully functioning.

He buys them, signs them, sends letters written on them and gives some away to people who love the old school machines as much as he does. If you’ve never actually used a typewriter, you can download Tom’s creation, Hanx Writer app, which turns your phone into a virtual typewriter with clicks, bells and sounds heard on the real thing.

In the 2016 documentary film, “California Typewriter,” the machine’s culture is explored with celebrities sharing philosophical to silly takes on typewriters. Singer John Mayer says, “A typewriter doesn’t judge you, it just says ‘Right away sir, right away, sir. Any way you want it to be.’” From the late David McCullough, historian, author and Pulitzer Prize winner, “There’s a tactile satisfaction. I think it is, part of our humanity.” And from Tom Hanks: “I try to foster a community of typewriter people.”

Tom Hanks takes a typewriter to baseball games. He is a Los Angeles Dodger season ticket holder. “I like to score the game … just to keep up a running commentary. You can wax a little more eloquent (than a box score would allow).” He saves those scoring papers and files them away at home.

A bit whimsical but always thoughtful, Tom answered Stephen Colbert’s question about taking one with him when he travels.

“I travel with two. I use them like cufflinks.” It’s what you’d expect from the patron saint of typewriters.

“I think for people under 30, they’re a little too young for the nostalgia bit of it, but they definitely see them in movies,” Snyder says. “Taylor Swift had one in a music video (featuring Post Malone), so there’s some interest because they see some of their favorite stars use it. At the same time, the younger generation has never had the ability to embrace something tactile the way that other generations have. Everything has always been digital, on screens. And one thing that a lot of kids say is that they just want to put the screens aside.”

There might even be more young repair wannabes out there.

“Somebody reached out to ask if I could mentor them,” Snyder says. “They wanted to be my apprentice. At the moment, I can’t afford to have any employees or anything to that effect, but it felt good to have somebody reach out to me and ask that question. But it was also kind of surprising.”

Snyder’s life has been filled with surprises. Sometimes all it takes is hard work, a major Hollywood fan and a keystroke of luck. NH

New England Typewriter is at 30 Daniel Webster Highway, Suite 5, Merrimack. Call 978-219-4133 or visit newenglandtypewriter.com.

‘End of an era’

In January, Cambridge Typewriter owner Tom Furrier announced on Facebook that he planned to retire and would be closing March 31 after a 45-year run.

“Thank you to all my customers and friends of the shop. It’s been an incredible career. Way beyond my wildest dreams,” Furrier wrote under the headline “END OF AN ERA!!!”

Cambridge Typewriter was founded in 1968 by Ed Vanderwalle as a typewriter rental company on Massachusetts Avenue in Cambridge, Mass., according to cambridgetypewriter.com.

In 1980, Furrier began working as one of Vanderwalle’s four repair technicians, benefiting from the success and demand of the IBM Selectric. After 10 years with the company, Furrier took over Cambridge Typewriter following Vanderwalle’s retirement and moved the business to Arlington, Mass.

While other typewriter companies had difficulty keeping up with the computer age, Cambridge Typewriter continued to thrive through the ’90s.