New venue allows Repair Cafe to expand services
Levin's Repair Cafe started in November 2020 at Te Whare Mahana on Bristol Street, and is now ready to move to a new location – the Senior Citizens Hall, on the corner of Cambridge and Montgomery Streets.
The first meeting there will be on the 2nd Saturday of August. The team needed a bigger space and the new venue means they can expand their services.
The Repair Cafe offers repair services for all sorts of things. “We encourage people to learn how to fix useful and treasured items themselves,” said Victoria Gregory. “While this isn't always possible, especially with electrical goods that need registered electricians to sign repairs off, skill-sharing is often a highlight of the monthly event, not only between the visitors and repairers, but also between the repairers themselves.
“The enthusiasm of the repairers is evident when you see two or three working together to repair a particularly challenging item, such as a World War II Land Girl's sewing machine.
“To enhance skill sharing we are offering bi-monthly workshops on different topics. The first workshop was about maintaining and fixing bicycles. Bikers, parents, grandparents and children worked with repairers, and the feedback reinforced that we were on the right track. Further bike maintenance workshops will be offered, especially with the rise in petrol costs, it's good for the environment, your health and its fun.”
In August a sewing and knitting workshop will be held, so you can bring in items that need sewing, patching, or darning.
Gregory said the sewing and knitting repairs is one of the most popular. “Covid-19 lockdowns has sparked interest in people wanting to learn or develop these skills, as well as wanting clothes, duvets, or knitted items, mended, darned or repurposed.
“Clothing is one of the biggest global waste management issues, and we love that we're helping minimise waste. We welcome new ideas for workshop topics.”
The Repair Cafe already has a dedicated team of volunteers, hosts, cafe´ organisers and repairers. New volunteers are regularly showing up, bringing a variety of skills and experiences to the team. The newest volunteer
is a computer whiz.
Items that can be brought in include: electrical household goods, leather items, sewing, knitting, computers, small wooden furniture, picture frames, toys, bikes, garden tools and knives to be repaired or sharpened.
“We have basic supplies to fix items, but if specific parts are necessary please bring them along or we can advise you on what's needed. If we can't fix an item we will try to put you in touch with someone who might be able to. Koha is appreciated to cover our costs.