Launching on Saturday 31 October, a new Repair Cafe is opening in Artarmon to give locals the chance to fix broken household items, reduce waste and connect with other members in the community.
For Lilian, a volunteer at the Repair Cafe in Artarmon set to open later this month, throwing away items was never an appealing solution.
“Sometimes something in my house breaks and I kind of just stare at it. Like I don’t want to buy a new one,” Lilian said.
But after hearing about the Repair Cafe, Lilian believed it was a way for her to reduce waste and contribute to an eco-friendlier lifestyle.
“It’s why I volunteer, because I think it will help bring sustainable living as an ideal,” she said.
A new Repair Cafe is opening in Artarmon on Saturday 31 October, offering the chance for members of the community to repair household goods, rather than replace them. Besides getting their items fixed, there is also a chance for people to learn about the repairing process.
Once a month, volunteers will gather to share their skills and help locals repair a range of household items. These skills range from knife sharpening, sewing, repairing pots and pans to fixing jewellery and troubleshooting IT software.
If you would like to get something repaired, check out the Repair Cafe’s Facebook or Instagram, for updates on what repair categories are available. There is no need to book in advance.
This year, the cafe will be running on 31 October and 28 November from 2-4 pm at the Barry Thompson Community Hall in Artarmon. From next year onwards, the cafe will run on the last Saturday of each month starting in January at the Artarmon Bowling Clubhouse.
Beyond repairing items, the cafe also creates a space where members of the community can get together, learn, share skills and connect with each other.
Lilian hopes the Repair Cafe will become a “community staple”, encouraging people to repair items rather than throw them away and “buy something new to replace” them.
By giving these items a second life, the cafe aims to “reduce as much waste as possible”.
“The whole idea of having a Repair Cafe and prolonging the life of household goods really gels with me,” Lilian said.
For anyone interested in volunteering to fix more household goods, you can reach out to their socials on Facebook and Instagram.
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