Got something that needs fixing?
Come to Mission Viejo this Saturday, Nov. 29, to get broken items repaired on the spot by volunteers, free of charge, at Orange County’s first Repair Café event.
The event is walk-in only and will begin at 10 a.m., with last call at 2:30 p.m., in the Jacaranda Room at the Norman P. Murray Center, located at 24932 Veterans Way in Mission Viejo.
“The idea is for our fixers to teach folks how to repair things, so the next time something breaks in their home, they’ll think, ‘Hey, this doesn’t look so hard — I’ll give it a try,’” said long-time Mission Viejo resident Jill Packard, who partnered with the city to launch the event after being inspired by similar repair cafés in Europe and Los Angeles.
Packard said there is “lots of different talent coming in” to help as volunteers, ranging in skillsets from woodworking to computer hardware and software repair.
A total of 21 volunteers will be on hand to assist with repairs at the event. They include “fixers” who can work on small appliances or anything with a cord, such as an electric tea kettle or hair dryer. The “sewists” will be there to handle clothing and textile mending, and can demonstrate various methods to fix a rip in a pair of jeans or a hole in a sweater.
Another person will be on site to help with jewelry repairs, such as fixing a broken necklace. Another volunteer will assist with bike-related issues and can show attendees how to replace or patch a flat tire or fine-tune brakes.
Packard, who retired five years ago, said the inspiration for the local event came during her travels. She first visited a repair café in a small village in the Scottish Highlands before exploring a similar event in Pasadena, which has been running for nearly a decade, though on a much larger scale.
She said Mission Viejo city staff have been very receptive and supportive of the event, giving special credit to Hazel McIntosh, an associate engineer in the city’s Public Works Department. Packard said McIntosh took the idea and “ran it up the chain of command at the city.”
“It’s kind of a two-fold thing,” said Packard. “One is the repair aspect — let’s not throw things away, let’s not buy new, let’s repair what we have. The other is getting to know your neighbors: neighbors helping and teaching neighbors, sharing their talents.”