Zitner’s, the Philadelphia candy company known for their signature chocolate-covered eggs, turns 100 this year, and it’s still churning out ovoidal confections filled with coconut, buttercream, peanut butter, and its signature “Butter Krak” concoction.

The local treats were born when a couple, Sam and Anne Zitner, began making and selling candy eggs at their home in the 1920s, before operationalizing their business a few years later. The business isn’t in the family anymore, but it’s been based out of the same North Philadelphia factory for around 80 years, according to current owner Evan Prochniak.

Article in Billy Penn at NPR newsletter post
by Asha Prihar
April 15, 2022

Oliver Evans chapter members toured the Zitner Factory in 2002.

Bryan Kravitz, a friend of Joel Spivak’s,  is passionate about typewriters. He has established a workshop with machines and tools for restoring them. Shortly you will see a notice here about a tour of his workshop on March 11, 2023.

Bryan was tapped by the Literature Department at Parkway Central Library to present an 8 part series entitled “The Typewriter in the Workplace.”
Unfortunately, unknown to us, the first program was presented in November. Here is the information on the program and the schedule for the rest of the series.

Join the Literature Department and Philly Typewriter for this 8-part typewriter series. Bryan Kravitz will share applications of the typewriter and how the machine changed industries for women, the railroad and more.
The program will take place onsite in the Heim Center. You must enter through the Wood Street entrance at the back of the library. There is usually metered street parking around the library and a paid parking lot at back with the entrance on Callowhill Street. This program is free. 

Please register at https://phillytypewriterFLP.eventbrite.com 

From the 19th-century prototypes to the IBM Selectric, Philly Typewriter specializes in the restoration and preservation of typewriters. Our focus is to mechanically restore each machine using our fifty years of experience while performing museum-level aesthetic restorations. Every typewriter is backed by our two-year warranty and annual tune-up service programs for home and business. We are the founders of The Philadelphia Public Typewriter Program, which places typewriters throughout our community into schools, libraries, bookstores and many locations free of charge, enabling people to once again have access to these mechanical marvels. Come visit our two thousand square foot location in South Philadelphia and see our workshop, meet our apprentices learning the trade, sign-up for a repair class or take in our exhibits and writers’ lounge. Whether you’re searching for a place to bring your typewriter back to life or looking to buy your first machine, we are proud to say that you needn’t look any further than Philly Typewriter.


Wed, February 15, 2023 5:30 p.m.
The Typewriter in the Workplace
Bryan Kravitz will share applications of the typewriter and how the machine changed industries for women, the railroad and more.

Wed, March 15, 2023 5:30 p.m.
Innovations & Standardization of the Typewriter
Bryan Kravitz will discuss the QWERTY keyboard to Magic Margins, a look at the evolution of the Typewriter & its functional staying power.

Wed, April 19, 2023 5:30 p.m.
The Personal life of the Typewriter
Exploring how the Typewriter found its home in the lives of artists, musicians and in our homes.

Wed, May 17, 2023 5:30 p.m.
IBM & The Rise of the Selectric
Learn how IBM and their “Mechanical Computer” became the secretarial standard.

Wed, June 21, 2023 5:30 p.m.
The Typewriter Revolution of Today
Bryan Kravitz will share why the Typewriter is experiencing it’s Renaissance, and the figures who are leading the charge.

Wed, August 16, 2023 5:30 p.m.
Philly Typewriter: The Age of Restoration & Preservation
Bryan Kravitz discusses the organization, Philly Typewriter, and how they are helping lead the world in the resurgence of the mechanical typewriter.