Dare to Repair

Let’s change our relationship with our stuff. Too often we buy it cheap, toss it when it breaks, and quickly replace it with the next new thing. It’s not our fault really – we’ve grown up with planned obsolescence for most of the stuff we own. But it’s time for that to change.

One way to escape the endless buy-use-toss-replace consumption cycle is to repair something when it’s broken. This can take time, tools, skill, knowledge and can thwart any well intentioned person pretty quickly. Enter the Repair Cafe. They are popping up all over the world (Repair PDX is a Northwest example) as one aspect of the new sharing economy that’s changing how the world does business.  It’s up there with tool lending libraries, open access repair manuals like ifixit.org, car sharing services and other collaborative endeavors.

At a repair cafe, people bring their broken items to learn how to fix them with folks who have the skills and tools. Ideally, people leave with not only a functioning item, but perhaps the knowledge of how to fix it in the future, or even better, the daring to just go ahead and open up an item. After all, it’s already broken, you have nothing to lose by just opening it up!

The repair cafe is a community driven event. Maybe you have an item that you can easily repair, you just haven’t gotten around to doing it. Bring it and fix it within community. Maybe you have an idea for how to repurpose or upcycle something, but want ideas to carry out your vision. Bring that too!

Want to bring tools? Have a repair skill to share? Contact us. In the meanwhile, gather your ripped jacket, your broken toaster, your “when i get around to it” project, and stay tuned for details. Let’s live with more community, and less stuff.

DARE TO REPAIR!

Check our calendar for information about the next one!