Typewriter repairman keeps busy in high-tech age

Edward "Smitty" Smith opens up a typewriter to repair, something he's been doing for 44 years at his Universal Typewriter Shop on Dowling in the city's Third Ward. Edward "Smitty" Smith opens up a typewriter to repair, something he's been doing for 44 years at his Universal Typewriter Shop on Dowling in the city's Third Ward. Photo: Karen Warren Photo: Karen Warren Image 1 of / 6 Caption Close Typewriter repairman keeps busy in high-tech age 1 / 6 Back to Gallery

Businesses on Dowling Street in Houston's Third Ward have come and gone over the past four decades, except for the one with the cathedral roof near Wheeling.

The shabby building, sandwiched between overgrown shrubbery and trees from neighboring properties, is hard to spot, but that hasn't kept people in need of a good typewriter repairman from finding the Universal Typewriter Shop.

Inside, proprietor Edward Smith, 75, tinkers with an IBM Selectric III. Half of its keys are sticking. It's an easy fix, he says, looking down through his eyeglasses.

"This machine has been sitting somewhere," Smith said. "Some people would put a little oil here and there, but that's not my way. I go out of my way to do the best job."

That might explain his longevity in a waning industry diminished by the popularity of computers. Despite modern technology, Smith still has a steady stream of customers - some old, some new - who cherish their typewriters.

Smith, better known as "Smitty," opened his shop in 1967, after working several years as a repair technician for major typewriter companies, including IBM and Dromgooles, which now sells fine writing pens. The Houston native figured he could do just as good or better if he had his own shop.

"I didn't make a dime," said Smith, recalling his first years in business. "I sat on this corner about to starve to death."

He eventually landed a General Services Administration contract, he said, servicing typewriters and other machines for federal government offices in Houston. That work led to contracts with several school districts and other local businesses, he said.

With his business growing, Smith decided to expand, opening offices in the Palm Center and in Stafford. He says he worked solo around the clock to keep up with the demand. Good help with proper training was hard to come by, he said.

Then, computers popped up in the late 1980s. Businesses started replacing typewriters with the new faster machines with memory. Smith's business took a hit, forcing him to consolidate his two new offices into the Dowling shop.

"When the computer came I was sitting back saying, 'I don't need to learn computers. Typewriters will always be around,' " he said, laughing.

No Web searches

The soft-spoken grandfather said he never bothered to learn how to repair computers and doesn't have much use for them. He's never looked anything up on the Web, he said.

Dozens of typewriters, manual and electric, and spare parts are stacked and piled high in every direction in his tiny shop, which is no more than 100 square feet. Every turn has to be carefully negotiated to avoid any mishaps.

J.C. Loftis, a Houston attorney, who dropped by on a recent morning to pick up a typewriter, said the shop has been that way for the 30 years he's been coming there for repairs on his Selectric III. He learned about Smith through word of mouth and trusts only Smith to work on his typewriter.

Loftis bought his typewriter when he started his practice three decades ago. Nowadays, he uses it mostly for printing address labels. "You still can't beat a manual typewriter for some things," he said. "And Smitty knows how to repair a typewriter."

Smith says typewriters are a lot like cars. If you don't use them, they stop working.

Luz Vara, a customer for about five years, said good repairmen are hard to come by. Smith always knows exactly what's wrong with her typewriter and he repairs it quickly, she said.

He also stands by his work, said Vara, who owns two typewriters and types about 40 pages a day. If a typewriter has any problems months or years later, he'll fix it, she said.

Business machine technicians who know Smith and refer customers to him say only a few people in the Houston area repair typewriters, and he's the best.

Andy Hopkins, a business machine technician who's known Smith for 12 years, said he's a kind man who is dedicated to his craft.

"I've seen him work on a machine for eight hours," Hopkins said. "He took that thing apart, cleaned and oiled it and had that machine running just like it did when it came from the factory."

3 heart attacks

Smith's wife of 52 years, Laverne, says her husband is a workaholic who enjoys repairing just about anything, including cars.

"Even as a child, he would be working on bicycles or something," said Laverne Smith, who has know him since he was child. "His relaxation is work."

Three heart attacks in the past 15 years have slowed Smith down. He dropped to the ground in front of his shop seven years ago and nearly died. Doctors gave him a defibrillator to monitor his heart.

He quit driving and now rides the bus to and from work every day. His 73-year-old brother, James, keeps him company and watches after him at the shop.

He's doing much less contract work by choice and more small jobs for individuals. A renewed interest in typewriters has boosted business a little in the last three to four years, he said. People are collecting them and having them restored, he said.

Smith doesn't have plans to close his shop any time soon. He still likes coming to work.

"In order to do anything in life, you gotta enjoy doing it," Smith said. "My passion is to take my time to fix machines as well as I can."

renee.lee@chron.com