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September 2023 by Robert S.
Ridgeway is the best. What a hidden treasure. Michael is nothing short of an expert in typewriters. I take great pride in my collection and trust him with my most precious machines. He is thorough and meticulous. His prices are extremely reasonable. I have visited many repair shops/technicians and have the utmost respect and admiration for his work. I would use him in a heartbeat. It's true that the garage is cluttered as other reviews have noted, but all of my machines have returned in immaculate condition. Don't think twice!
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July 2023 by Jocelyn M.
My husband is so pleased with how his typewriters came out. Highly recommend this place
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June 2023 by Justin N.
I don't even know the gentleman's name, but he is great. I broke my friends Remington Rand Deluxe 5 and felt terrible about it. I bought a Smith Corona Super Silent to replace it, only to find out it was busted too. I dropped them off to him, had them fixed in two days. Not only did he fix them, he did more repair work then I even asked for. Could not recommend strongly enough. Just a tip though, if you can't find his place it's in the garage behind a residential building.
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August 2022 by Brianna L.
Michael is a great, kind man, and knowledgeable about typewriters. That's exactly why he is trustworthy and can be relied on to fix any typewriter. I brought him my 1930s Royal Magic Margin, and he examined in within 5 minutes and quoted me a price. I thought the price was pretty reasonable as compared to other repair shops that also gave me quotes. He also showed me some of the typewriters he sells himself, which are in such great condition and are really beautiful machines. I even ended up buying one from him, because you can tell there is a lot of care that he puts into keeping these machines running. And if you're at all hesitant, he gave me a 6 month guarantee, so if the machine ends up failing at any time in the next 6 months, he will fix it at no cost. He's not just trying to scam you for your money; he truly cares about these machines and helping you have a typewriter that will be everything you want it to be.
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June 2022 by Eric Ruiz
I had my 1940s typewriter refurbished and it looks / works awesome. Fast turn around with quality work. The owner is a nice person too.
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November 2021 by Christopher Franqui
He did an amazing job fixing my smith-corona typewriter. I was very impressed by the work he did on the typewriter. He took a typewriter that was potentially out of service and brought it back to life. His prices are also more than reasonable. I will definitely be going back.
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November 2021 by Hunter K.
A true gem in the typoshpere - as he will quickly give you a reasonable estimate in a matter of seconds upon looking at a problem typewriter and then tops it off with often fixing your typewriter in less than 24 hours - at least that has been my experience in bringing two Corona Silent typewriters - one 1938 and the other 1946. Also he has a number of typewriters that he sells too - as I ended up walking away with a 1928 Remington typewriter for a reasonable price after some restoration. So glad I found him! Highly recommend and will always return for my typewriter needs. I will add though here, some might get put off by the fact that he works out of a seemingly messy garage. That said, if your looking for the Tom Hanks fancy level of repair and restoration this might not be your place. However, if you want a quick estimate and repair and to get your old typewriter up and running again at a decent and reasonable price with a warranty for 90 days on his workmanship, than this is the place for you. I'll add that what might be left out in regards to extra polish etc., I'll gladly save some money here and do that part of it myself as he's saved me substantial money and time. A true typewriter craftsman!
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November 2021 by Hunter Kirkland
A true gem in the typoshpere - as he will quickly give you a reasonable estimate in a matter of seconds upon looking at a problem typewriter and then tops it off with often fixing your typewriter in less than 24 hours - at least that has been my experience in bringing two Corona Silent typewriters - one 1938 and the other 1946. Also he was a number of typewriters that he sells too - as I ended up walking away with a 1928 Remington typewriter for a reasonable price after some restoration. So glad I found him! Highly recommend and will always return for my typewriter needs.
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August 2021 by Paul K.
2021 Update: This is a mixed review, as much may have changed since the older reviews you have read here. Michael is indeed a great guy, and based on reviews, he must know repair. Based on that, I would say you can trust him to repair a machine. And you hope you do! These days, Ridgeway Typewriter Co. is a Michael plus a cluttered pile of typewriters in someone's garage -- he rents half of the space. The dirty clutter and the pile may disturb you if you care about typewriters. Old printers and typewriters piled on top of each other, typewriters sitting on the floor of the garage. I would love to have helped him organized this heap for free, or even photographed some so he could sell more (again, for free), but he was not interested. When I visited, he was more interested in selling me a machine than solving my problem machine. He finally quoted a price to repair it, then later quoted again at a higher price. I had paid $80 for it, and I was not going to pay $125 minimum just for him to look at it. He didn't seem to care about the economics, just the sale. Out of pity (he really is sweet), I bought two new ribbons I needed for $15 each. And I give Michael kudos for persistently calling me after I left my first message. I got calls every day or so (I wanted to drag out to Brooklyn from Manhattan but it is so far), and that is a sign of a goodnik who wants a sale. I give him credit. I would encourage you to give Michael your patronage, but out of fairness, this is no longer a "store," and the condition of the heap of machines piled on each other may jar you. If you know this going in, you will be more prepared. Myself, I will continue to look for a more realistically priced repair place, or continue to do what I am now -- learning to clean, condition and repair typewriters on my own. (I own several Olivettis, two Hermeses and two Royals, an exquisite Consul, and a Smith Corona. I am serious about taking care of all of them.)
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March 2020 by Abigail Steward
Very helpful and informative, had my typewriter fixed within minutes! Great price too. Thank you!
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February 2020 by Kris Pajarito
Absolutely a genius with my 1930s Royal typewriter. It was damaged from poor packaging when shipped from the west coast and all looked doomed until he took some time with it (which wasn’t long at all). It’s in beautiful working shape and I couldn’t recommend him more!
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August 2019 by Judith Caughey
I brought my 1940's smith-corona manual typewriter to be repaired. The work done was first class; the turn around time was amazingly fast - fewer than two days. The typewriter works like a brand new machine again. And for a very fair price of the service. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
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October 2018 by C M.
I found an old Underwood typewriter out with somebody's trash (people, donate stuff like that, don't just put it in a landfill), and wanted to see if it could be fixed up. Michael did indeed fix it up, and was pleasant and straightforward about the machine. He told me that I could probably type on it as is with no repairs if I just wanted to have some fun with it, or could have the roller sanded, ribbon replaced, etc. so as to make it actually work well. I did get it repairs and am glad--it's really usable now. He also very kindly tried to lend me a dolly when he realized I was lugging it to the R station nearby (really he went out of his way to be helpful). Also: I think this shop is actually located at 513 72nd st, not 515--call before you go to make sure he's there, as other Yelpers have suggested; the shop is in the little garage at the end of the driveway near 513.
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September 2018 by Moe Thanks
His business is labeled "typewriter", but the owner is very experienced in electronic repair and can look into resolving whatever problem you may have with whatever electronic device. This guy can fix anything!
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April 2018 by Shay S.
I was gifted an old Underwood 5 typewriter from a friend who inherited it from her grandfather. The typewriter was beautiful - worn with age, of course, but laden with history and experience. I fell in love with it the moment i saw it. The problem was that it did not function whatsoever. I looked online for a typewriter repair shop in the relative area and came across the listing for Ridgeway Typewriter. I brought the typewriter in to Michael and he immediately gave me feedback on the quality and what he could do to get it working again. Michael not only repaired the typewriter, he polished it up and reinvigorated it. The typewriter works perfectly now and I absolutely love using it. Michael was a pleasure to work with and his price was very reasonable. I recommend him to anyone looking to get a typewriter repaired!
