Local typewriter shop to host costume party ‘type-in’

‘It’s like Comic Con for typewriters.’

Mice. Bugs. Mold. Cobwebs.

These are not just filthy nouns vaguely associated with spooky season; they’re also maladies that Trevor Brumfield deals with as a typewriter repairman every day.

Brumfield’s typewriter showroom and shop, TB Writers Plus, will soon celebrate the season with a costume party type-in. The event is on Oct. 27. Guests must RSVP to attend.

But to the chagrin of all the witches, ghosts and black cats out there, TB Writers Plus is not hosting your run-of-the-mill costume party; attendees are asked to dress from the era of the typewriters they bring to the type-in.

A type-in is an event where enthusiasts gather to use vintage typewriters. Participants can bring their own, or use one of the many (read: around 600) typewriters at TB Writers Plus. Everyone uses them in a collaborative setting, to work on creative projects or to just type. The goal is to communally experience the tactility of the machines, share tips on repair techniques (likely via Brumfield) and get to know other local typewriter enthusiasts.

Attendees can bring classic models or more recent ones to the type-in. It’s a celebration of the craftsmanship and history behind the machines, and a chance to test drive other typewriters.

It’s sort of like a car show, or a cruise-in, but you get the keys to a Royal Quiet Deluxe instead of a ‘57 Chevy Bel Air.

This is the third type-in that TB Writers Plus has hosted, but the first to involve costumes.

“We’ve had people come in who are authors, reporters, poets, blue collar folks and factory workers,” said Trevor, who also works as a mechanic. “Those are people from all walks of life that come together and geek out over one thing; it’s like Comic Con for typewriters.”

Many find the physical feedback from typewriters to be much more appealing than modern digital keyboards. Brumfield — who bought his first typewriter three years ago, expanded his collection into the hundreds and co-founded a business with his wife, Becca, dedicated to repairing and reselling machines — is one of them.

The Brumfields recently took their business from their garage to its current location in the Davis-Linden Building. TB Writers Plus has also started hosting events, like this costume party type-in, to bring together the typewriter community.

“By matching the costumes to the era of their typewriter, visually we’ll be able to see what this looks like as it went through time,” Becca said. “Not just the machines themselves and how they change, but how the world around us changed.”

In the shop, a few decades are already covered, even before the costume party type-in: Becca is wearing a Mid-century bow tie neck dress, and Trevor is in a 1930s vest with a pocket watch chain dangling from it. He said it didn’t feel right fixing vintage and dignified machines in a tank top.

The costume party will be a fun social event where attendees can learn more about the mechanics of typewriters, their history and how to maintain them… all while wearing costumes that were once considered normal clothes.

So, if this writer were to bring his 1960s Smith-Corona Skywriter to the party, he’d be dressing as a reporter of the time, with a bad combover and a brown suit in need of dry-cleaning — as opposed to the same writer who is currently in cut-off denim shorts, typing out all of this on a laptop.

Contact this contributing writer at branberry100@gmail.com.


What: TB Writers Plus Costume Party Type-In

When: 2-8 p.m. Oct 27

Where: TB Writers Plus, 400 Linden Ave., Dayton

RSVP: www.tbwritersplus.com/event-details/costume-party-type-in

Cost: Free

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