Get your fix: WNC Repair Cafe comes to Haywood

Apr. 17—Do you have any gizmos or thingamajigs that need fixing? Whether it's a clock that hasn't ticked in decades, a lamp that hasn't lit up a room in years, or a broken heirloom collecting dust, what seems like a complicated repair is often a surprisingly simple fix at the WNC Repair Cafe.

The WNC Repair Cafe is a volunteer-based workshop that offers free fixes to common household items. It is making its Haywood debut 10 a.m.-2 p.m. on April 20 at the Haywood Community College remote campus at the Regional High Tech Center.

The repair workshops have been stationed in Asheville since 2018. Organizers are now bringing their services to Haywood — and looking for volunteers to assist them.

But what is a repair cafe?

In a throwaway culture, when it is often cheaper to buy a new item than to fix the old, the repair cafe is a sustainable solution to extend the lives of appliances and other items.

"It's totally about sustainability. It's about diverting from the landfill, so we don't have to throw it away," said Dan Hettinger, organizer of WNC Repair Cafe. "And it's about saving money, learning skills, passing down knowledge, and learning new repair knowledge."

At WNC Repair Cafe, volunteers of various ages and skill sets set up shop for people to bring in an item to repair. Folks will sit beside the volunteer as their item is being repaired and gain insights into what fix was needed, while enjoying refreshments.

People often walk away with a higher level of confidence in their ability to make repairs themselves after walking through the process with a volunteer, Hettinger said.

"That's really our main goal, is just to add repair back in the conversation. Have it as an option before you decide to throw it away," he said.

Th idea of a repair cafe is not only about breathing new life into household items but building "resilient communities," he added.

"It's building a community network of people that know repair skills, and having those people have conversations with each other and get to know each other," Hettinger said.

WNC Repair Cafe typically consists of 10 active volunteers. Seven volunteers have already committed to the Waynesville event, and Hettinger anticipates more volunteers once the cafe is established in Haywood.

The only requirement is that volunteers must have some sort of background with tinkering and repairs, or even be equipped with sewing skills for their 'sewing and mending repair' workshops.

"It might be that you're particularly skilled in appliances or you've got some electrical knowledge or carpentry and furniture, or just a general, like handy fix-it kind of person," Hettinger said. "People that can sew, people that can fix sewing machines are really helpful. We'll have some people there that can fix small engines."

All skillsets are invited to volunteer — as long as the volunteer can confidently repair and vouch for themselves, Hettinger said. And if repairing isn't your gig, volunteers can provide the 'cafe' element, or snacks, for the workshop.

Past repairs have included lamps, appliances and old family heirlooms that get a second lease on life.

"Last year, we had somebody come with an umbrella that their great grandmother had when they were a child. That was a really satisfying repair for us. It's always fun to fix things that can be fixed," Hettinger said.

Other memorable fixes have been a controller for a pinball machine and a sewing repair of a 60-year-old stuffed animal.

Hettinger said the typical wait time before sitting down with a volunteer to work on repairs is 20 minutes.

"We have some repairs that are done in five minutes, and we have some that take an hour. Usually if we can't finish it in an hour, we're easily ready to move on," Hettinger said. "But oftentimes, we can fix it. I would say that we usually have about a 75 to 80% successful repair rate."

Repairs requiring more than an hour's work are often the result of items that cannot safely be put together or a lack of parts.

"We don't make our stuff like we used to," Hettinger said. "Oftentimes, especially with appliances, we see appliances come in that are just simply not built, or designed, to be repaired. So, it's possible that whatever broke is inaccessible. And more often than not, what did break is just simply not available in terms of a spare part."

"I would encourage anybody with a complicated, complex repair to email me ahead of time," Hettinger said. "That helps me prepare and have parts available if we need them."

Hettinger was inspired to start WNC Repair Cafe after doing repairs in his house that he previously expected to be unmanageable. He realized he was able to save hundreds of dollars in repair or replacement costs as well.

"I walked away from that repair, saying to myself that it was a lot easier than I thought it was going to be in both cases," Hettinger said. "It's just a matter of having the confidence to open it up and look inside. And oftentimes we can physically see what's wrong with it. And that was an inspirational moment for me, thinking, 'well, if other people just open it up and look inside....'"

The idea of a repair cafe is not unique to Western North Carolina. The events are becoming popular globally.

"There's repair cafes happening predominantly in Europe, but they're popping up all over the world and really seem to be taking off in the United States now, especially in North Carolina," Hettinger said.

WNC Repair Cafe began operation as a loose-knit group of volunteers in an educational program at Living Web Farms in Hendersonville.

After COVID the farm doors closed, but the repair cafe lived on and found a new home in the Asheville Tool library, among other Buncombe County libraries.

All events are volunteer-led and completely free. Registration is not necessary, but visitors are encouraged to read the house rules and email WNCRepairCafe@gmail.com with details about incoming repairs.