We are excited to announce that we are hosting Edmonton's first ever
Repair Café event on Saturday August 21, 2021, from 10am to 4pm
Repair Café event on Saturday August 21, 2021, from 10am to 4pm
What is a Repair Cafe?
The Repair Café concept comes from the Netherlands. It was formulated in 2009 by Martine Postma, who was at the time an Amsterdam-based journalist/publicist. Postma hit on the idea of setting up low-key meeting places nationwide where neighbours could repair their broken items themselves, supported by specialists and in a relaxed atmosphere.
This means on August 21, you'll be able to bring broken items to the parking lot of the Edmonton Tool Library to have them repaired. We will have volunteer experts guiding you to repair items, specializing in:
Do not bring : chemical hazardous items such as gas-powered items, HVAC equipment, cellphones, other highly specialized items, vehicles.
Due to the nature of volunteers and repairing activities, please read the below Repair Cafe House Rules.
Who are our Repair Experts?
Neighbourhood community enthusiasts, non-profits, and upcyclers!
Sewing & Upholstery Station
Cathy Jack, Sarah Janzen, Blenderz Garment Recyclers
Bizz McKilligan, Waste Free Edmonton
Tania Sarkar
Nicolette Horvath
Bike Tune-Up Station
Chris Corrigan
Volunteers from Bike Edmonton
Small Appliance and Tool Maintenance Station
Aerance Teo
Haribhai Pambhar
Sharpening Station
Gerry Desilets
Resident ETL & Tool Expert
Tristan Cameron, ETL volunteer board member
Why?
The Edmonton Tool Library wants to reduce waste. We'd rather see broken items get repaired than replaced and we know how frustrating it is that the cost to repair is often much higher than buying new. We want to champion a repair culture in Edmonton in addition to our mission to strengthen the local sharing economy, to make the most of valuable resources and reduce our impact on the environment. We also hope that you wish to be part of this culture, by learning from our repair experts and passing on the repair knowledge.
How will it work on the day?
Do you have a broken toaster? Or a sweater full of holes? Bring it!
No need to book an appointment. Limit of one item per person for repair. If you want to bring along a second item, you will have to go to the back of the line. If small crowds gather, consider it an opportunity to learn from our experts as they assist others to make repairs.
What else?
On the day you'll be able to:
- Check out the Edmonton Tool Library space (we are always changing!)
- Sign up for a membership!
- We will have excess tools for sale by donation (we have a lot of screwdrivers for example!)
- We will also be accepting tool donations.
Due to the nature of volunteers and repairing activities, please read the below Repair Cafe House Rules.
- The work carried out is performed free of charge on a voluntary basis by the repair experts at hand.
- Visitors carry out the repairs themselves whenever possible, but repair experts on site can help if necessary.
- The experts performing repairs make no guarantee the item will be fixed and are not liable if they continue to not work or become worse.
- Repair Experts are entitled to refuse to repair certain items.
- Repair Experts are not obliged to reassemble disassembled objects that cannot be repaired.
Can I volunteer?
If you have any questions or comments or would like to volunteer at the event or with ETL,
please reach out to us at [email protected]
The Repair Café concept comes from the Netherlands. It was formulated in 2009 by Martine Postma, who was at the time an Amsterdam-based journalist/publicist. Postma hit on the idea of setting up low-key meeting places nationwide where neighbours could repair their broken items themselves, supported by specialists and in a relaxed atmosphere.
This means on August 21, you'll be able to bring broken items to the parking lot of the Edmonton Tool Library to have them repaired. We will have volunteer experts guiding you to repair items, specializing in:
- Bicycle care & tune-up repair
- Sewing & upholstery
- Household electronics
- Tool maintenance & repair
- Tool sharpening (* ADDED *, Please bring sharp objects in a towel, will also blunt tips)
Do not bring : chemical hazardous items such as gas-powered items, HVAC equipment, cellphones, other highly specialized items, vehicles.
Due to the nature of volunteers and repairing activities, please read the below Repair Cafe House Rules.
Who are our Repair Experts?
Neighbourhood community enthusiasts, non-profits, and upcyclers!
Sewing & Upholstery Station
Cathy Jack, Sarah Janzen, Blenderz Garment Recyclers
Bizz McKilligan, Waste Free Edmonton
Tania Sarkar
Nicolette Horvath
Bike Tune-Up Station
Chris Corrigan
Volunteers from Bike Edmonton
Small Appliance and Tool Maintenance Station
Aerance Teo
Haribhai Pambhar
Sharpening Station
Gerry Desilets
Resident ETL & Tool Expert
Tristan Cameron, ETL volunteer board member
Why?
The Edmonton Tool Library wants to reduce waste. We'd rather see broken items get repaired than replaced and we know how frustrating it is that the cost to repair is often much higher than buying new. We want to champion a repair culture in Edmonton in addition to our mission to strengthen the local sharing economy, to make the most of valuable resources and reduce our impact on the environment. We also hope that you wish to be part of this culture, by learning from our repair experts and passing on the repair knowledge.
How will it work on the day?
Do you have a broken toaster? Or a sweater full of holes? Bring it!
No need to book an appointment. Limit of one item per person for repair. If you want to bring along a second item, you will have to go to the back of the line. If small crowds gather, consider it an opportunity to learn from our experts as they assist others to make repairs.
What else?
On the day you'll be able to:
- Check out the Edmonton Tool Library space (we are always changing!)
- Sign up for a membership!
- We will have excess tools for sale by donation (we have a lot of screwdrivers for example!)
- We will also be accepting tool donations.
Due to the nature of volunteers and repairing activities, please read the below Repair Cafe House Rules.
- The work carried out is performed free of charge on a voluntary basis by the repair experts at hand.
- Visitors carry out the repairs themselves whenever possible, but repair experts on site can help if necessary.
- The experts performing repairs make no guarantee the item will be fixed and are not liable if they continue to not work or become worse.
- Repair Experts are entitled to refuse to repair certain items.
- Repair Experts are not obliged to reassemble disassembled objects that cannot be repaired.
Can I volunteer?
If you have any questions or comments or would like to volunteer at the event or with ETL,
please reach out to us at [email protected]
Big Thank Yous to our sponsors!
City of Edmonton
Blenderz Garment Recyclers
Bike Edmonton
Waste Free Edmonton
And The Neighbourly Volunteers Like You!
City of Edmonton
Blenderz Garment Recyclers
Bike Edmonton
Waste Free Edmonton
And The Neighbourly Volunteers Like You!