Survive in the Digital Age

Manual Typewriter Service

Survive in the Digital Age

Daros (69) smoking in his front door, looked pensive facing the highway, just like his old typewriters that lined up in his old blue-painted stalls while awaiting for the customers who have not been come these several week.

His self-titled typewriter service store "Daros" opended since 1987. He’ve been try to work several variety job before to stay busy himself. Until one day he saw the opportunity service service typewriter which he said at the time the business is quite easy.

In its heyday, when the demand for typewriters was very crowded. Daros can hire some technicians. Currently he is only accompanied by a technician, and even then when his workers can’t attend, he was forced to do it himself even though his ability is limited to doing things.

Along with the digitalization era, people began to using computers to doing the task. Nevertheless, Daros still does not lose its customers who mostly come from government agencies as well as students. "It used to be very helpful with the selection process that requires using a typewriter, or students who were told to do the task using a typewriter," said this old man with eight grandchildren.

Along of Dewisartika street, East Jakarta. Daros is not the only one who offering of typewriter service. At least in the 1990s, there were eight other store that offering similar services. But now there are only three store that can survive incuding him. And even then, two of them are business with additional bussines in their store,usually they mixed services of electronic goods or printing services to survive.

To survive, He also resell the typewriters in his store, and open a side business as a rented owner.

Until now he has undergone his business for more than 26 years, but none of his children are interested to continue his business "yes there are friends, they want to continue to contact my family," he said.