A Salvo Into the Fortress of Hipsterdom

UPDATE: As you can see I have completely sold out of typewriters. The experiment proves that, with a reasonable price, a nice typewriter sells itself on Etsy. I have a few more that I plan on offering, but I want to get these other ones sipped out before I do. It's been a crazy few days. My prices were a little on the high side and they still sold. However, my prices are more than 1/2 of the nearest competitor. Now I have more than enough money for Typegrant ribbons.

Maybe it's my imagination, but Etsy has been largely ignored by the Typosphere. The boutique prices  seem to be the major detraction. However, I think that an over-priced market is a great place to introduce a lower-priced alternative. That's why I went ahead and set up an Etsy Shoppe (old-timey spelling intentional). I've priced the three typewriters lower than any comparable typewriter on the site. That still makes them much more expensive that I would have normally spent in thrift stores and the like. We'll see if anyone in interested in buying a $65 Hermes 3000 when there are identical $135 machines on the site. At the very least, I imagine that some of the shops will consider lowering their prices a bit.

Magic Margin: ruining boutique pricing since December 10th.

Here's the link to my shop: http://www.etsy.com/shop/tryanpa?ref=si_shop

Facit-nating Turn of Events

Last night I got another email message from Eric saying that he found 9 more typewriters in the back of the storage unit. I was floored. My mind started imagining fantastic impossibilities. Silver Sterlings. Gold-plated Royals. Lamberts. Odells. Sheer madness.

When Eric dropped of the machines I was a little more realistic, but still excited to find a few machines I have never had the chance to see in person. The one that caught my eye was this little Facit TP1.

Having never used one, I was in for a suprise. It's an absolutely lovely little machine. All metal and very rugged. The looks are modern and understated.

I love the detail of the name across the back. Robert has gone into more detail than I could every attempt (http://oztypewriter.blogspot.com/2011/10/facit-tp1-portable-prince-of.html), but there was one surprise lurking in this little Swede. See if you can guess it. 

So, while you try to solve the mystery, I am going to find a place to put all these typewriters. Enjoy these other pictures.

Plan and Preview

The idea what to do with all these machines has really started me thinking. Sure, I could keep them in the classroom collection, but that would only impact my students. I want to share the love of typewriters with many people. That's why I have decided to create a new program called Typegrant. Typegrant is designed to get typewriters into the hands of creative young people. While the application process is still in development, a student under the age of 18 can apply to receive their own beautiful typewriter. Each one will be completely working and filled to the brim with ribbons, paper, and Ko-Rec-Type correction tabs. This machine will be their to keep. Exciting, no?

I will be working out the details over the weekend and hope to have a completed application and plan in the next few days. In the interim, please enjoy these pictures form the Eric Lawson donation!

Things are Happening!

A Type-u-copia

Typewriter Gifts

A Little Organization Goes a Long Way

I took some time to dust my home collection and I thought that some people might enjoy a look at how I have them displayed.

Top left: Remington Model 7, Top right: Royal Quiet De Luxe
Bottom left to right: Corona Zephyr, Royal Portable, Royal Model 'O', Naval Royal Arrow

These are just the home machines. The ones at school make for the sum total of the collection. I really like this IKEA shelf (Expedit) because each cube is the perfect size for a typewriter.