Who can fix my typewriter in Milwaukee?

Sure, it might seem strange that an online magazine would post an article about typewriters, but OnMilwaukee.com did it anyway. After all, OnMilwaukee.com loves all things "Milwaukee" and Brew City is said to be the birthplace of the modern typewriter.

It's true: in 1868, Christopher L. Sholes, a journalist, poet and part-time inventor, created the first modern typewriter in Milwaukee called the Sholes & Glidden.

Sholes also invented the "qwerty" keyboard, which places the letters Q, W, E, R, T and Y as the first six keys in the upper left corner of the keyboard. This arrangement of letters has been the standard for typewriters ever since. (Originally, the keys of Sholes' typewriter were arranged in alphabetical order, but the mechanical bars kept jamming, so he rearranged his keyboard, putting the letters that jammed farther apart.)

Sholes sold the rights to his machine to Remington in 1873. He died in 1890 and is buried in the Forest Home Cemetery, 2405 W. Forest Home Ave.

Now fast forward 130 years later. Despite the ubiquitousness of computers, the typewriter is still used today in practical and strictly-aesthetic capacities.

For example, Bay View couple Lane Burns and Jason Boose will exchange vows in the summer of 2011, and their wedding will include three vintage typewriters from the early-to-mid 1900s. The plan is to have guests type messages on swatches of muslin in lieu of a guest book.

Guests will then hang their typed-on swatch from an attractive "clothesline" for others to enjoy during the wedding. Burns says after the wedding she plans to have the swatches made into a quilt.

"One of these typewriters has been in Jason's family for a long time," says Burns."We wanted to include them."

Bob Robinson is the executive director of marketing for Royal, a company that once dominated the typewriter industry. Today, the business still sells typewriters, but predominantly sells office supplies.

"People are still using typewriters," says Robinson. "Mostly portable ones. And we sell a lot of typewriters in Mexico, because they don't require electricity."

Individuals and businesses still use typewriters to type out forms that cannot be filled in online or because their office has not converted to digital. For others, using a typewriter is easier than learning how to use a computer and/or they like the privacy of typed documents because they are uncomfortable with information "floating around" on the Internet.

Also, some -- such as Burns and Boose -- enjoy the aesthetic of typewriters and use them to type letters or invitations.

"Typewriters are a heck of a lot easier to use on envelopes," says Edward Skibba, who started the Ace Business Supplies Company in 1964 in Milwaukee.

Because people are still buying and using typewriters, there is still a market for repair in Milwaukee. So, to fix that sticky T on an Underwood, here are a couple of places that still repair typewriters.

Ace Business Machines
6022 W. National Ave., (414) 476-6720
In 1964, Edward Skibba started his typewriter repair business, which is now run by his son. The Skibbas repairs "everything but computers" including shredders, fax machines, printers and typewriters. The cost is $70 per hour.

Blue & Koepsell
739 N. Mayfair Rd., (414) 746-5041
Originally called International Typewriter Exchange, Blue &Koepsell has serviced Milwaukee typewriters since 1934. Today, thebusiness is also an office supply company, but they still repair between 10and 12 typewriters every week. The cost is $60 per hour.