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.
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.
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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.
