Our 2nd ever Repair Cafe was a success! It took place January 25th at Walnut Creek's Civic Park Community Center. We are thankful to the City of Walnut Creek, Recycle Smart, Republic Services, and Sustainable Rossmoor for collaborating on this big event. Heartfelt gratitude to Rooted Coffee and Noah’s Bagels for donating drinks and food for our guests. We are especially thankful to the 27 volunteer Repair Coaches who were able to produce these amazing results.
Items were brought for repair in these categories:
- 76 general appliances
- 39 jewelry
- 37 clothes
- 6 bikes
- 6 other
164 Items Total:
- 102 items fixed (62%)
- 24 items partially fixed (15%)
- 38 items not fixed (23%)
77% of items were fixed or "partially fixed." (For example, the guest was instructed to order a missing part and the Repair Coach showed them how to install it.)
That means that 126 items were kept out of the landfill by our wonderful repair coaches!
Quotes heard around the room:
“I’ve had the bracelet for probably 15 years, and it broke. I prefer not to make any garbage; that’s my main concern. Even if it’s little. This is really good for the world.”
“I really like the idea of the person sitting with the person who’s repairing it, not only for conversation, but you can watch, you learn, you pass it along. It’s nice, I love that idea. People get excited to tell their stories about their stuff, and it’s really sweet to be a part of.”
“Everyone comes together, and young people want to learn stuff like this. I want to learn stuff like this. Having someone who’s experienced enough to still know these things is really a valuable resource. So retired people can play an enormously important role in the community, socially and practically, and have a good time doing it.”
“My mother gave me this necklace when I was a teenager. I don’t remember what year. Maybe my 16th birthday? This is a great place to come.”
“It’s so great to have a real community... The technology that we think is driving us further apart is really bringing us back together into the community like this.”
If you live in West Contra Costa be sure to join us on 3/22/25 for our next Repair Workshop in El Cerrito at the Community Center (7007 Moeser Lane, El Cerrito, CA).
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