They say life is like a box of chocolates — you never know what you're going to get.
That was the case for Tom Furrier Tuesday at his typewriter shop in Arlington, Massachusetts, after receiving the gift of a lifetime out of the blue.
"FedEx comes through the door with a big box," explained Furrier, owner of Cambridge Typewriter Co. "I cut it open and started opening the box up and the first thing I see when I open the top lid is a green towel with this logo that says 'Playtone' on it. The second I saw it, I yelled out, 'Tom Hanks!'"
Playtone was the name of the fictitious record label in Hanks' 1996 film "That Thing You Do!" Two years later, the actor launched a production company by the same name.
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Furrier, who's owned his business for 43 years, said he was in disbelief.
"My apprentice was out back cleaning a machine and I said, 'Matt, get out here! Tom Hanks just sent us something,'" he recalled.
The typewriter, a 1960 Olympia SM4 from West Germany, was sent and signed by the famous actor and included a personal note.
"Attention Cambridge Typewriter, to whom it may concern. Tom Hanks here. I am presenting you with this typewriter," it began.
Aside from his Hollywood career, Hanks is known to collect and gift typewriters to people around the world.
While this particular one needs some fixing up, Furrier said it would only take him a few hours.
"I love fixing them. I love giving them back to people and seeing how excited they are. Like, really excited," he said. "When people come in to buy a machine, their first machine, I wish I could film it. Because it never gets old."
Furrier said that the timeless piece is one that he, too, will pass on in the future.
