Always affable and enthusiastic, Gary is a true typewriter aficionado and respects everyone from the old-timers who know the bells and whistles of their typewriters to the young literary hipsters looking to return to a golden age of literature. Call ahead, because Gary is frequently on service runs and dashing between different shops. He doesn’t have set hours, but will accommodate his customers whenever they’re available(he is closed on Sundays). His shop is filled with various typewriter bits and you will feel overwhelmed by the fond antiquities that have gained so much in romantic value. Hemingway typed, Fitzgerald typed, and there’s a link to the past that guys like Gary have been working hard at preserving. His television is always on MeTV, and he’s always more than happy to show you the latest typewriters he’s working on, and willing to give you a cheerful history lesson on the various typewriters that he comes across in his store. His prices are reasonable and fair. For standard maintenance, he charges $ 55 — this includes a tune-up, lubrication, and an overall gauge of the machine’s condition. New parts and accessories like bumpers, rollers, or ribbons are extra. Overall, very upfront and good.
Brandi H.
Place rating: 5 Bellflower, CA
Affordable and super nice guy! He came highly recommended and He got my Carlton running smooth!
Happy b.
Place rating: 5 Torrance, CA
Gary is awesome! I bought a 1950’s era Hermes 3000 recently and although it looked great, it was in horrible working condition. I decided to try Gary because of all his great fantastic reviews on Unilocal.Gary’s shop filled to the brim with typewriters and typewriter parts. I called him in advanced and found Gary to be the nicest, most knowledgeable man with many many years of experience on all kinds of machines. He took a quick look at my machine and knew exactly what was wrong with it. My typewriter spacebar wasn’t moving, it was making a horrible noise when you moved the carriage back and forth, a strange ribbon was tangled in the back, the tabs weren’t working, and the ribbon was dry. In a just a few days, Gary was able to get my machine back to practically 100%!! The previous owner broke part of one of the cool features on it but Gary was able to fix as much of it as possible. I thought it was going to be impossible but getting that part even 50% fixed was a miracle. Now everything is working beautifully. Gary explained all the buttons and features on the typewriter. Did I mention how knowledgeable he is? He even complimented me on the great deal I got on it and was just a really nice man to meet. Best of all, Gary’s services are so FAIR and REASONABLE! I am truly pleased with his work and will go back to him again and again. Now that I have someone who can fix my typewriters, I can go buy more!
Sarah L.
Place rating: 5 Los Angeles, CA
Fantastic! Such a cool small shop. Gary has very fair pricing and cares a lot about his work.
M. L.
Place rating: 5 San Diego, CA
Great Unilocal find! Definitely call before you head over! Dropped off my 1940s Royal… it wouldn’t advance, the platen was split down the center, and it needed new tape(and a good cleaning). Just picked it up(2 weeks later) and I practically have a brand new machine! Gary is so knowledgable and willing to show you what all the bells and whistles are for. He is a true enthusiast and craftsman. All that, and he is still reasonably priced!
J B.
Place rating: 5 Burbank, CA
I called Gary after reading the 5 star reviews on Unilocal.I am very happy with his service. I needed 4 typewriters serviced and or repaired. He came out to my location and made all of our machines good as new. He is friendly and his prices are very reasonable. I highly recommend his services and I will be calling him whenever we need our machines serviced.
Jodi D.
Place rating: 5 Irvine, CA
I found Gary on Unilocal,and I couldn’t be more pleased. I had given my daughter a vintage typewriter for her birthday, but it needed service. It had no ribbon and was probably not used in decades. I called him and set up a time for me to come down. You definitely have to call him, he leaves his place of business from time to time. So give him a heads up. But the work and quality was excellent. Price was good too. Thanks Gary!!!
Myles J.
Place rating: 5 Long Beach, CA
When I bought a typewriter off of eBay, it seemed like a good deal. I picked it up in person and all the keys worked nicely. I felt that it was a pretty good deal for 70 bucks. Anyway, it needed a ribbon and a little TLC and Gary got my Remington in great shape for a fair price. He really cares about what he does, you can tell! He also did a rough appraisal of my machine and told me it could fetch $ 300+ on the open market. Good to know, even though I’m not selling! Like Susana said, call before stopping by, as he’s not always there(but is never far).
Susana G.
Place rating: 2 Santa Ana, CA
Make sure that you call ahead.
Long Beach B.
Place rating: 5 Long Beach, CA
Gary is a great business owner. I called Gary because I needed service on my Lettera 22 typewriter. When I called Gary, he knew exactly what I needed. He was even in the area and stopped by to pick up the typewriter. People don’t really go out of their way anymore these days, but Gary did. Not only did he go out of his way, but he serviced my typewriter and it works better than ever! From business owner to business owner, Thanks Gary
Jim T.
Place rating: 5 Lakewood, CA
Gary’s Typewriter Repairs is a diamond in the rough. Tucked away in a tiny little space in North Long Beach, you’ll find Gary, a very energetic and excited typewriter repairman. His little shop is full of old typewriters, keyboards, computer parts, and accessories. He was great at restoring an old Royal typewriter from the 1940s. Works like it’s brand new out of the box! His pricing is fair(I think, since I’ve never had a typewriter repaired before), and his work is immaculate. I highly recommend his services! A tip though: Make sure to call before heading over. He isn’t always at the shop, but he almost always answers his phone.