Tell me about your Repair Cafe experiences

MSE_Laura_F

The Repair Cafe gets mentioned frequently on the Forum - it runs centres where you can take your broken things (electrical appliances, clothing, furniture etc) and get help repairing them. It's free but donations are welcome.

🔨🧵🪡🎨

I'd like to hear from people who have used one. What did you have repaired? Before and after photos would be a bonus!

Thank you.

Slinky

No photos, but I had a skirt repaired at our local Repair Cafe. The lining fabric was tearing by the zip and a lady very kindly restitched it far more neatly than I would have done. It's my favourite skirt so I was very pleased to get it repaired.

I've also had garden tools sharpened.

thriftwizard

Not usually a customer, but a repairer here! I volunteer at our local Repair Café, doing textile repairs with my daughter's machine or by hand, but also helping adjust customer's own sewing machines as long as there's no electricity involved - the electricians are welcome to sort that out, I'll sort out the threading/tension problems! That said, I will be taking in my own Dremel next time we're "on" as there's clearly a loose connection inside to be sorted out.

I'll see if I can take some pics next time, with permission; in the "sewing room" we've done all sorts, usually clothing, but also hemmed curtains, replaced or mended zips in cushions, re-stitched handbag & backpack handles, visibly or invisibly darned jumpers, replaced the velcro on a pair of trainers & given a very elderly teddy new button eyes. In the big hall, there are electricians, woodworkers, computer, phone & TV techies, & the actual café, and outside there's a bicycle repairer. We only do small-ish jobs, the sort that professional repairers usually turn down, as we wouldn't want to take trade away from them, and we do pass people on to them if appropriate. Every café is different & has volunteers with different skill-sets, we can only envy one up to the north of us that has a knife-&-scissor sharpener, for example. It's great fun being involved, very sociable, and feels like a very worthwhile thing to do; people always seem to be delighted when we can help them.

MSE_James

Took my childhood toy hedgehog to my local repair cafe at the weekend - it had come unstitched and I wanted my young daughter to be able to play with it too

In less than 10 minutes it was all beautifully repaired

twopenny

I go frequently 😄 they now greet me.

As someone who likes what they have and want to keep it they're great.

Favourite radio that also plays CDs, phones, mp3 and from memory sticks you can't buy the like now. The cd player suddenly wouldn't open. The guy knew it was a small drive belt and went home to get the right one from his stash while I had coffee and cake. Fitted and working 😃 honestly it's not as grubby as the photo looks 🙄

Stitched the seam of a pair of trousers.

Stitched a new cover for a pillow because both times my machine isn't working.

Advised on glass front for antique mantle clock.

A couple of things, cd player (got the wrong person, he couldn't even work how to switch it on) and a 75yr old teddy they wouldn't tackle but was given advice on cleaning.

This Saturday I'm taking a lamp for a new holder which I'll buy. I used to be able to do these but no longer have the right pliers and it's fiddly.

I've got an electric fire to restore and will take for advice on getting the right element.

I've seen people with huge things go in, modern to old they fix. They weigh each item to see how much won't go to landfill and that gets them a small grant. The rest is donations. I always give a decent donation because it's done there and then and still a fraction of what I would pay a business even if you could find one that would repair such a wide range of things.

Also we have a van outside that will take old phones to laptops which they'll get working to give to people on low income etc.

Thanks Thriftwizzard for being there for us money savers!

kimwp

I fix some my own things, but wouldn't be comfortable fixing someone else's things, so I volunteer in the cafe part of my local repair cafe. There are also greeters and people who guide each person to their repairer so there are plenty of roles for people who similarly don't feel they could offer repair skills.

Rosa_Damascena

The SouthMenders Repair Cafe is having an extended break atm - I'm sure there is plenty of demand for it to reopen!! I would be at the front of the queue but would also like to learn how to fix stuff so I could be helpful to others.

Slinky

I've had a couple of sewing repairs done. I don't have a machine so anything other than simple hand stitching needs to be done by someone else. I've also had garden implements sharpened. They couldn't fix my Christmas lights which was a shame as they'd been in the family since the 1950s, but it was hardly surprising.