Michail knows how to repair typewriters, his hours are 9 am-12 noon You can bring your broken obsolete electronics and he will bring it back to life! read more

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! read more

Ridgeway Typewriter - Michael examining my Royal. - Office Equipment Near Me - Brooklyn, New York

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.) read more

My husband is so pleased with how his typewriters came out. Highly recommend this place

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. read more

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! read more

I recently purchased a 1930's Royal typewriter for my girlfriend. She has fond memories of using her grandfather's typewriter and I thought it would make a great Christmas gift. I was able to purchase a very nice, rather unusual 1930's model from a dealer and my girlfriend was very pleased with it. While the typewriter was in very good condition, the roller needed to be replaced, it needed a good cleaning and a few other minor tweaks. I knew there wouldn't be too many shops out there that still repair these things but I was very fortunate that one of the few happened to be a 10 minute subway ride from my apt. I took the typewriter to Ridgeway Typewriter where I met the owner, Michael. Michael was very friendly from the start and said he good fix it. I brought it in a few days before New Year's, he gave me a reasonable quote and I left with him. Four days later I get a voicemail from Michael saying it's fixed and ready to pick up. When I got there, the thing worked beautifully! Even Michael was impressed with how well it typed for a 70+ year old machine. Old school customer service, friendly, knowledgeable and reasonably priced. A+ all the way! read more

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. read more

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. read more

Michael is so warm and helpful - he actually solved my problem without charging me - my IBM Selectric I's paper mechanism was out of place... He also told me 95$ to fully clean it and replace a part, but that it was in perfect working order and it didnt need anything. It seemed fair to me! Make sure you call before you go to make sure he is open, its the first floor of a brownstone to the right of a regular storefront on the left side of the street. read more

Michael was so friendly and helpful. He did a fantastic job oiling and cleaning my Hermes 3000 in ONE DAY (deciding to come in to work on it on his day off). He refurbished it to like-new condition with a new ribbon for only $95, and now I'm happily typing away again. I will definitely bring my machine back when it needs a tune-up. Thanks, Michael! read more

Easy now! Just walk away. That's right, there's nobody here. This place isn't real and really neither are you. After all, you are on the Yelp app reading a review about a typewriter place. Perhaps you are hearing the click-clack of the Monarch machine or a Smith Corona- like the one your aunt had smelling of cigarette smoke and metal lubricants. Maybe if you idle in your daydream a little longer you may even get a glimpse the door opening just slightly and through it you will spot an old record player balanced haphazardly on the shells of outmoded PCs and if you look close enough in the vinyl you'll spot a reflection of your own nostalgia looking back at you through a mirror that is loosing its luster... read more