Last of Fading Type Keeps Keys Clattering
By Corey Lyons
Contra Costa Newspapers
Jan. 15, 2001
CONCORD -- The digital revolution has barely affected Jim Labrecque, who toils cautiously in an outdated trade.
"If I had to survive on typewriter repairs alone, I'd starve," he said.
Labrecque, owner of Minute Man Office Systems & Electronics, makes emergency house calls for a dying breed of Americans who still rely on a 19th century machine to conduct their business affairs.
He has tinkered with countless typewriters for nearly three decades, repairing faulty platen knobs or sputtering feed rollers all over the Bay Area.
The world may be wired to the Internet, but a small segment of society still cannot get enough of a trusty unit that uses an inked tape instead of an ink jet printer. Which makes life interesting for Labrecque, 47, who fields seven to 10 calls a week from frustrated typewriter owners.
A typical call goes something like this:
"I'm calling because my typewriter doesn't work. I need it fixed."
"Is it plugged in?"
"Of course it is."
"Have you physically checked to see if the cord is plugged into the wall?"
"Of course I did."
When the repairman arrives, he simply shakes his head when he finds that the appropriate cord and socket have not been properly introduced. To which an embarrassed customer will say, "Are you going to charge me for that?"
Most of his typewriter service calls, which fetch about $125, are to lube and clean the machine, whose parts falter after long periods of inactivity.
Other times, the Pittsburg handyman has made a machine hum again after pulling out tiny things that get accidentally dropped inside -- jewelry, pens, paper pieces, staples, paper clips, engagement rings.
As computer sales in the early 1980s quickly pushed the typewriter to the brink of extinction, Labrecque began widening his vision after acquiring Concord-based Minute Man in 1987.
"People still laugh at me because I advertise for typewriter repairs," he said. "But if your typewriter breaks down, I come out and you'll see me again next time. And I also mention that I fix other things. In other words, I get a foot in the door on a new client."
Today, he repairs all sorts of office equipment, including copiers, fax machines, printers and telephone answering units.
He recalls an incident in Pittsburg in which a client had asked for help to repair a "squeaky copy machine." After taking a look, Labrecque said, "It sure is a squeaky machine -- there's a mouse inside." The small rodent, attracted to the warmth of the machine, apparently climbed inside and got fried.
Labrecque, who began his career in San Francisco in 1972 when his father-in-law hired him to clean typewriters for Lesher Office Systems, said the job has its perks.
"I still love service calls. Where else can you meet women all day, with 90 percent of them happy to see you?" said Labrecque, a single father of four.
Although the first practical typewriter was created by Christopher Latham Sholes in the 1870s, the device still has a function in today's technology-laden world.
Daily newspapers, mortgage firms, hospitals and gasoline companies still ask for Labrecque's services, though they no longer sign contracts as they did during the heyday of the typewriter.
The veteran repairman is cautious in predicting the demise of the typewriter -- he figured the machine was gone for good once the Internet grew wings.
"I don't know if it will ever go away," he said while leaning against the front desk at his Stanwell Circle business. "I thought it was gone five years ago.
"Who knows? I mean, the pencil and pen are still here."
Contra Costa Newspapers
Jan. 15, 2001
CONCORD -- The digital revolution has barely affected Jim Labrecque, who toils cautiously in an outdated trade.
"If I had to survive on typewriter repairs alone, I'd starve," he said.
Labrecque, owner of Minute Man Office Systems & Electronics, makes emergency house calls for a dying breed of Americans who still rely on a 19th century machine to conduct their business affairs.
He has tinkered with countless typewriters for nearly three decades, repairing faulty platen knobs or sputtering feed rollers all over the Bay Area.
The world may be wired to the Internet, but a small segment of society still cannot get enough of a trusty unit that uses an inked tape instead of an ink jet printer. Which makes life interesting for Labrecque, 47, who fields seven to 10 calls a week from frustrated typewriter owners.
A typical call goes something like this:
"I'm calling because my typewriter doesn't work. I need it fixed."
"Is it plugged in?"
"Of course it is."
"Have you physically checked to see if the cord is plugged into the wall?"
"Of course I did."
When the repairman arrives, he simply shakes his head when he finds that the appropriate cord and socket have not been properly introduced. To which an embarrassed customer will say, "Are you going to charge me for that?"
Most of his typewriter service calls, which fetch about $125, are to lube and clean the machine, whose parts falter after long periods of inactivity.
Other times, the Pittsburg handyman has made a machine hum again after pulling out tiny things that get accidentally dropped inside -- jewelry, pens, paper pieces, staples, paper clips, engagement rings.
As computer sales in the early 1980s quickly pushed the typewriter to the brink of extinction, Labrecque began widening his vision after acquiring Concord-based Minute Man in 1987.
"People still laugh at me because I advertise for typewriter repairs," he said. "But if your typewriter breaks down, I come out and you'll see me again next time. And I also mention that I fix other things. In other words, I get a foot in the door on a new client."
Today, he repairs all sorts of office equipment, including copiers, fax machines, printers and telephone answering units.
He recalls an incident in Pittsburg in which a client had asked for help to repair a "squeaky copy machine." After taking a look, Labrecque said, "It sure is a squeaky machine -- there's a mouse inside." The small rodent, attracted to the warmth of the machine, apparently climbed inside and got fried.
Labrecque, who began his career in San Francisco in 1972 when his father-in-law hired him to clean typewriters for Lesher Office Systems, said the job has its perks.
"I still love service calls. Where else can you meet women all day, with 90 percent of them happy to see you?" said Labrecque, a single father of four.
Although the first practical typewriter was created by Christopher Latham Sholes in the 1870s, the device still has a function in today's technology-laden world.
Daily newspapers, mortgage firms, hospitals and gasoline companies still ask for Labrecque's services, though they no longer sign contracts as they did during the heyday of the typewriter.
The veteran repairman is cautious in predicting the demise of the typewriter -- he figured the machine was gone for good once the Internet grew wings.
"I don't know if it will ever go away," he said while leaning against the front desk at his Stanwell Circle business. "I thought it was gone five years ago.
"Who knows? I mean, the pencil and pen are still here."
posted by Corey at 3:24 PM
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