Sunday, September 3, 2017

Typosphere, unite: Repairman needs support!



Rotten luck! According to WVTM:

Police are investigating after a pickup truck crashed into a typewriter repair shop on 6th Avenue South in Birmingham. The 82-year-old owner of Alabama Typewriter Company, Billy Hagood, became trapped inside his business after a Dodge Ram barreled through the entrance. It took crews nearly nearly two hours to remove all of the debris so Hagood could safely walk out. Hagood, who wasn't injured, told WVTM 13's Marlei Martinez that today's incident may mark the "end of an era." A woman at the scene said the driver of the truck rear-ended her car and was attempting to flee before hitting Hagood's shop. The driver was taken into custody on suspicion of driving under the influence.



In an interview six years ago, Billy Hagood said, "we have third-generation people coming here. They'll say, 'My daddy -- or my granddaddy -- said go down there and see Billy at Alabama Typewriter.' I have a lot of people who come in and say 'My parents got me this typewriter when I started college or when I started high school.'"

Is this the end of this business? Maybe so. But I'm sure Mr. Hagood would appreciate some notes of support from typewriter lovers around the world. I'm going to type him one. Will you join me?

Billy Hagood
Alabama Typewriter Company
2203 6th Ave S.
Birmingham, AL 35233
USA


14 comments:

  1. I have been a customer of Mr. Hagood several times. He is a Korean War veteran, and a genuinely nice man. My beloved Underwood #4 is in action because of his skill. I certainly hope this isn't the end of his shop, and will definitely send a letter. Should he re-open, I'll be first in line at the door with new business for him.

    A little background on this kind man:
    http://blog.al.com/businessnews/2011/04/five_questions_billy_hagood_of.html

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    1. Oops, sorry- didn't see that you'd already linked the story.

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    2. Thanks for this personal testimony!

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  2. Yikes! Looks like Billy may have the first ever typewriter drive-in window! Billy is a fine man, always willing to share knowledge or share a good story as well as fix your typewriter. I always make it a point to stop by when I'm in Birmingham. And I like that the business is still "Alabama Typewriter", not "Alabama Business Machines", or "Alabama Office Equipment", or some such. There's a man that respects tradition.

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    1. Thanks for another personal report. Good point about the shop's name!

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  3. Replies
    1. I think that would be premature. But his daughter got in touch with me on Instagram, and I let her know that if there's a financial need, the typosphere can do more than type. I would be glad to contribute and to spread the word.

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  4. I just dropped a friendly short letter in the mail this morning. So that's at least one from Virginia. I hope he gets letters from all over the US! And outside of the US too (I see John's comment above!)

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  5. I hope Mr. Hagood was cheered by the letters he received. As of this morning, the shop is boarded up; no sign of immediate repairs underway.

    https://flic.kr/p/YkoeJ3

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    1. Thanks for the report. The "Closed" sign is superfluous! I hope he can get it going again.

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