Repair Cafés

[phkrause]

The great repair revival

Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios. Stock: Getty Images

Americans are reviving the lost art of fixing their possessions — and pushing back against a culture of buying and tossing things. Repair Cafés are popping up in libraries and community centers across the country, where volunteers are helping people mend their broken toasters, busted zippers and family heirlooms for free. Why it matters: Most of us have too much stuff. Fixing what we own instead of throwing it away is a simple way to save money and cut waste. 🔎 Zoom in: In Houston, Axios' Shafaq Patel got her mom's sewing machine fixed at the local library's Repair Café. Volunteers told her that people have come in with jewelry, clocks, lamps, stuffed animals and more. In Des Moines, Axios' Linh Ta had a torn backpack strap stitched back together at another library Repair Café. In New Paltz, N.Y., volunteers rewired an antique fan, restored old family photos and replaced clasps on necklaces, AP reports. 🪛 Zoom out: In today's modern, disposable culture, many people have lost the ability to repair household goods, a skill that was once nearly universal, engineer Peter Counter told AP. He's studying Repair Cafés as part of a doctorate at the University for the Creative Arts in Farnham, England. "The idea that you can fix your own stuff has receded because the skills are not being passed down. … If you want something fixed, it's almost certainly cheaper to go buy a new one." 🧰 Repair Cafés are helping preserve those disappearing skills. More than half of volunteers are over 60, according to a global survey, giving younger visitors a chance to learn from those who grew up fixing stuff.