Someone You Should Know: Typewriter Repairman
CHICAGO (CBS) -- He came to America and made a living doing something that was essential for most businesses at the time.
But eventually, things changed. Now, he's one of the last of the typewriter repairmen.
George Czubek is someone you should know, CBS 2's Harry Porterfield reports.
Some 40 years ago, Czubek turned his passion into a profession when he opened a typewriter repair shop on Chicago's Far Northwest Side. In 1964, he immigrated here from Poland, unable to speak English and without knowing anyone who could help him.
Located at 7508 W. Belmont Ave., Czubek quickly established himself in the then-booming typewriter repair business. One of his accounts was Marshall Field, which kept a steady stream of challenging repairs coming.
"It gave me fascination," Czubek says. "I like a challenge."
The typewriter had its day, and Czubek remembers when the sun began set on his thriving repair business. First, it was the advanced electric typewriters in the 1970s.
And then the computer came along.
Yet there are still those who bring their typewriters to him along with FAX machines, check writers, printers and copiers. Customers come from as far away as Lake Geneva, Skokie and Evanston.
"Every day, something different to repair," he says. "Every day, you want to refresh your mind."
