A GIRL stares, agog, at a shiny typewriter. “A Christmas Dream Come True!” proclaims the poster. “You’ll know why they call it longhand after you’ve used an Underwood,” insists another. The framed 1950s ads capture bygone excitement that Adam Henze and Siren Hand are reviving in Indy Type Shop. In 2020, Hand gifted Henze a vintage typewriter, and the poet was so enamored that he acquired 100 by 2024. The shop was born with the mission to save a piece of culture. Many early typewriters were given to WWII scrap metal drives, and countless more were tossed once PCs took over. But hope springs. “People are excited to find out we’re here,” Henze says. The resurgence of analog media like film cameras and vinyl buoys typewriters, too. Some days, Henze reports, his supply—harvested from Facebook Marketplace and local sources—can’t meet demand. But this isn’t the place to go if you want a cool accent piece for a shelf, he insists. “We put a ton of effort into renewing them. They’re meant to be used.” Hand, a veteran, does repairs with skills learned in the military. Parts are scarce, but 3D-printed replicas work. The duo also sells typewriter ribbons, tea, books displayed on old North Central High School Library carts, and comics, the latter of which regularly draws Jack Ludington from Carmel. “Adam is really knowledgeable,” the 13-year-old says. “He doesn’t sell stuff just to sell it. He cares.”
2621 Shelby St., Garfield Park
