A small business in Southeast Portland’s Richmond neighborhood had a “You’ve Got Mail” moment last week when a manager for Tom Hanks emailed, saying the Oscar-winning actor wanted to stop by. Antony Valoppi, the owner of Type Space, proceeded to have a “Sleepless in Seattle” night to prepare for the special visit.
Valoppi told The Oregonian/Oregon Live that when Hanks stopped by the next day, the two chatted about their shared passion: typewriters. Hanks was in Portland to promote his new novel, “The Making of Another Major Motion Picture Masterpiece.” He jokingly posted about making frantic, eleventh-hour changes to the book via typewriter.
Before he left the shop, Hanks mentioned that he’d been searching for a Smith Corona to add to his collection of approx. 200 typewriters. Valoppi happened to have one that he sold to Hanks for $185.
The Portland business owner said the rumors about Hanks are true: he’s simply a “really great guy.”
