Don’t toss that broken vacuum — you can fix it for free at Five Cities Repair Cafe
A new free event is aiming to help Five Cities residents fix their broken appliances and household goods rather than throw them away — and you can thank a hot pot cooker for the opportunity.
“I’d plug it in, and it might work for 30 seconds, then it would stop working,” Arroyo Grande resident Linda Busek told The Tribune. “And I was like, ‘What is going on?’”
At that moment, Busek wished she had a resource she had become very used to while living in the Bay Area: a Repair Cafe.
Repair Cafe brings together volunteer fixers with people who need a hand repairing broken items — everything from clothes with wonky zippers to malfunctioning blenders, toasters and larger appliances.
The first Repair Cafe was launched in Amsterdam 10 years ago by Martine Postma, as a way to encourage people to fix rather than throw away their broken items, according to the Repair Cafe website.
There are more than 1,900 established Repair Cafes worldwide, including eight in California.
Thanks to Busek and her hot pot, the Five Cities area is going to be home to No. 9.
The inaugural Five Cities Repair Cafe will be held at the Grover Beach Exploration Station, 867 Ramona Ave., on Oct. 6, from 1 to 5 p.m.
“I’m doing this because I’m really happy to be living here,” Busek said. “I feel really blessed, and I want to give something back. ... I’m just really happy that I found the Central Coast and I want to make it better than it already is.”
How Repair Cafe works
Busek said volunteers who can repair bikes, computers, clothing, jewelry and small appliances will be on hand Oct. 6 to help people fix their stuff.
Organizers will also have people who can sharpen tools, offer technical advice and repair other miscellaneous items, she said.
Anyone expecting to just drop off their items at the Exploration Station should be prepared to roll up their sleeves instead.
Busek said Five Cities Repair Cafe participants will receive tickets when they check in that will put them in line with the correct volunteers for their needs. While they wait, they can enjoy refreshments or pick up fresh produce at an “abundance table” with food gleaned from local orchards or gardens, she said.
Once a participant’s number is called, he or she takes the item to the volunteer fixer, who will then demonstrate how to repair the item. Usually, this just means showing participants how to open up the item, Busek said, or how to replace parts.
If possible, you should bring replacement parts with you to the event, Busek said. But if you aren’t sure about what you need, the volunteer will be able to direct you to the type of part needed and show how to replace it once you acquire it.
If you have larger items that aren’t easily transported — like a broken door jam or an air conditioning unit — you can take photos to show to volunteers so they can walk you through the steps to fix the items, she added.
Items that can’t be fixed can be donated to San Luis Obispo shop Junk Girls, where they can be possibly repurposed into artwork or decorative items.
The most important aspect of the Repair Cafe is that it makes people be actively involved in fixing their own items, Busek said.
“We’re trying to establish this new culture of, ‘Hey I might be able to fix this myself, or look at it. Let’s see if I can take it apart,’ “ Busek said. “It’s intimidating to see a blender or to see a vacuum cleaner, and you think, ‘I have no idea how to pop this open.’ But then you do it and it’s not that hard.”
Can’t make it to the Oct. 6 event? Busek said organizers are planning another Five Cities Repair Cafe for Jan. 12.
This story was originally published September 27, 2019 at 5:05 AM.
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