#WashingtonStateRepairCafes - #RepairCafes & #FixIts

The What

- Repair Cafes & Fix-its (or Fix-it Fairs/Repair Fairs/Repair Cafés) are free community gatherings in which people with repair skills share their time and talents to fix their neighbors’ belongings.
- These gatherings can be organized by friends, a neighborhood group, a nonprofit organization, or even a city or county entity. They range in size from a handful of people to a few hundred!

The How & Why

- Organizers designate a time and place for people to gather and community members bring items that are broken, torn, or otherwise non-functional.
- Then, volunteer fixers do their utmost to get the items back in working order (at no cost to the community member) while sharing information about the repair process with the item’s owner.
- When feasible, a fixer may invite the owner of an item to participate in the repair in order to boost knowledge and confidence that anyone can fix things!
- This not only creates an opportunity to spark meaningful connections with others and help community members get new life out of beloved possessions, it saves items from going to the landfill!

Common services

- Bike repair
- Sewing and mending
- Small appliance and electronic tinkering
- Woodworking
- Knife and tool sharpening
- Jewelry repair
- Computer and device repair

Other Services

Groups may choose to add other “stations” that draw on unique talents, interests, or needs in their community. These may include things like:

- Plant and Seed Swap
- Gardening advice and soil analysis
- Paper and Fabric Crafting
- Free Table (where you can bring things you no longer need and pick up items you do)
- Haircuts
- Instrument repair
- Word-Smithing (advice on resumes, creative writing, and more)

Learn more:
https://dev.repaireconomywa.org/fix-repair/
#RepairCafe #RepairCafes #StartingARepairCafe #SolarPunkSunday #RepairCafesWashingtonState #BuildingCommunity #FixIt #DIY #RightToRepair #RightToRepairMovement #CircularEconomy