KGW8
4/4/22
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BzU26AjSF34
"CAMAS, Wash. — The parents of a Camas teenager don't have to worry about prying the phone out of his hands. That’s because he spends his spare time on typewriters. No scrolling, but plenty of tinkering and he recently turned his hobby into a business.
Last year, 15-year-old Benjamin Hromodka launched Camas Typewriter Co. He runs the business out of his family’s home, giving what some may call relics rebirth. He also buys, restores and sells typewriters.
“It's almost ironic in a sense,” Hromodka said. “Most typewriter repairmen are older and they learned how to type on typewriters… It seems like I was born in the wrong generation.”
The Camas High School sophomore still does most of his homework on a laptop but said if he can use a typewriter he will. He believes they spark a unique type of creativity.
“You think about the past of a typewriter, like, where has this come from? Who used it and why?” Hromodka said. “That gives you a lot of ideas to write.”
Hromodka has 22 typewriters in his collection but it all started with one: A 1937 Royal Model O. His father gave it to him when he was 6 years old..." (Katherine Cook)
The Columbian
3/26/22
"Benjamin Hromadka, 15, wants to change the narrative around young people always being on their phones.
Hromadka is the owner and founder of Camas Typewriter Co., a one-man business focusing on restoring and selling vintage typewriters. While many may think typewriters are outdated, Hromadka hopes that the passion he brings to his work will inspire people to reconsider.
“I really believe that typewriters aren’t going to die any time soon,” he says. “There are people all around the world that still love clicking away at their machines and I don’t see them going anywhere.”
Hromadka’s love for typewriters goes back to when he was 6 and received his first typewriter as a birthday present from his father. Hromadka describes the experience as having a switch flipped in his brain, sparking his passion and driving him to learn more and more about the machines.
Since then, Hromadka has collected 20 typewriters. As his collection grew, so did his curiosity. He began to consider how best to care for and maintain the delicate old machines, which were often dirty or out of working condition." (Hope Martinez)
The Columbian
4/9/22
https://www.columbian.com/news/2022/apr/09/camas-typewriter-co-sees-business-boom/
"CAMAS — The Columbian recently published a Working in Clark County story featuring local high school sophomore Benjamin Hromadka, who runs his own typewriter repair and restoration business, Camas Typewriter Co.
Following the publication of the piece, Hromadka received several contacts from Columbian readers excited to finally have the opportunity to give their old typewriters a new lease on life. One of these readers was Sheila Craven, who has been in a possession of a 1964 Hermes 3000 manual typewriter for decades. After years of collecting dust, Craven was happy to pass along the antique to such a passionate local collector. Hromadka said he is ecstatic to be in the possession of such a wonderful vintage item." (The Columbian)