A group of dedicated local residents are behind Repair Cafe Sydney North. A repair cafe is a group of skilled local residents who want to fix things instead of throwing them away. Lane Cove residents are invited to bring broken items from home and watch them being repaired. You may even be inspired to learn how the repairs are made.
Volunteers aren’t necessarily tradespeople, but they are good with their hands – people who love to work with objects.
The Repair Cafe Sydney North celebrated its ninth birthday in January 2024.
Besides fixing household/electrical items like toasters (see our photo below), Repair Cafe Sydney North provide repairs for clothing (buttons, zippers, mending holes etc.), shoes, bags, umbrellas, and sharpens knives and gardening tools. They also fix jewellery and ceramics (they may not have jewellery and ceramic volunteers always available).
Most things are fixed during the Repair Cafe Sydney North opening hours. However, more challenging items might be referred to a local speciality repair shop.
Prolonging the Life of a Favourite Shirt
A fabulous sewing repair and quoting from our repairer “This was a much-loved cotton shirt. Approximately 30 years old. The fabric was starting to disintegrate in a few places. I did a few areas of very fine darning to prolong the life of the shirt and sewed up a partially ripped sleeve seam”!
Even if it Seems Trivial – It Still Makes A Difference
Sometimes even what might be considered trivial and cheap is worth fixing. Like the kitchen tongs (pictured below) now have a new smart brass rivet. They might be cheap to buy at the supermarket, but hey, we sure pay in other ways with the environmental and social damage created through mining the raw materials and the energy (both human and machine) taken to manufacture. Not to mention disposal costs!
When is the Repair Cafe Open?
1st and 2nd Sundays of the month 2-4 pm.
Where is the Repair Cafe Located in Lane Cove?
The Living and Learning Centre, 164-180 Longueville Road, Lane Cove.
What is the Procedure?
Please queue up for a time spot and the Repair Cafe Sydney North volunteers will try to fix your item on the same day whenever possible.
You will be allocated a time slot between 2-4 pm.
The last time slot for gadget/electrical repairs is 3.30 pm.
The last time slot for other items is 3.45 pm.
Indicative timetable
First. Sunday of the Month – Gadgets/electrical, Sewing, jewellery/ceramics, Shoes/leather, tool/knife sharpening.
For the coming Sunday, March 3, they have 5 repairers to fix household appliances/electrical, 3 on sewing and skilled volunteers to help with jewellery/ceramics, shoes, umbrellas, and bags, plus sharpening knives and gardening tools.
Second Sunday of the Month – Gadgets/electrical, Sewing, simple Jewellery repairs, Shoes/leather, tool/knife sharpening
What Does the Service Cost?
There is no charge for the repairs, donation in cash or credit card is welcomed. To make an online donation click here and scroll down the home page until you see the yellow donate button (see below).
When Is the Repair Cafe Next Open?
March 3 and 10 (always the 2 first Sundays of the month)
Time: 2 pm to 4 pm
Is there a website where I can find out more about the Repair Cafe Movement?
Here is the link
Repair Cafe Sydney North Contact Details
Website: https://repaircafesydneynorth.net/
Facebook: @RepairCafeSydneyNorth
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/repaircafesydneynorth/
Email – [email protected]
Phone: Wendy D on 0410 280 912
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