Have a toaster that no longer toasts? A bicycle with a stubborn brake? A favorite shirt that needs mending or a small appliance that suddenly stopped working?
Before you toss it in the trash and buy a new one, some handy Westchester neighbors would like a chance to help fix it.
The first Westchester Repair Cafe will take place Saturday, October 24, from noon to 3 p.m. at 6716 W. 87th St., offering residents a free opportunity to bring in broken or non-functioning household items for assessment and, hopefully, repair.
The first-ever Westchester Repair Cafe will have volunteer “Fix-it Coaches” to help troubleshoot the problem. The volunteers will provide workspace, specialty tools and expertise, while residents are encouraged to participate in the repair and learn something along the way.
For longtime Westchester resident Grant Francis, the idea began after a friend told him about a Repair Cafe event in Long Beach.
Francis went on his own, and what he saw impressed him.
“I was blown away by all the people there doing all this stuff,” says Grant. “It seemed like there were as many volunteers as there were clients bringing stuff in.”
Grant talked to some of the participants, watched how the event worked and quickly began thinking about bringing the concept home.
“I said, ‘You know what? This can’t be that hard to get something going like this in Westchester,’” said Grant.
He began calling friends and within weeks a small group had come together. Francis says 16 people have already volunteered to serve as “Fix-it Coaches,” with skills ranging from sewing and bicycle repair to electronics and mechanical repairs.
Exactly what they’ll be asked to fix is still anyone’s guess.
“I have no idea,” Grant, a retired woodshop teacher at Venice High, says with a laugh. “We’ll see what comes in.”
Potential items include electronic gadgets, small appliances, computers, toys, bicycles, clothing and other fabric items, as well as small pieces of furniture. There is one important limitation: if you can’t carry it into the Repair Cafe, it’s probably too big. So, leave the car that needs an oil change at home.
When residents arrive, they’ll first check in and fill out a form describing the item and its problem. They’ll then be matched with a volunteer who has the appropriate skills. From there, they’ll head to a work area and see if they can get the item functioning again.
There are no guarantees, of course. Some items may be beyond repair, and others may require replacement parts that aren’t available at the event. Participants are asked to provide any necessary replacement parts themselves, and small donations are encouraged to help replenish consumable supplies.
But successfully repairing every item isn’t necessarily the point.
Even when something can’t be fixed, participants may come away understanding more about how it was made, how it works and what went wrong. And rather than simply handing over a broken object and waiting for someone else to repair it, residents will have the opportunity to work alongside volunteers and learn how to tackle similar problems themselves in the future.
That educational component is particularly important to Ann Madden, who plans to share her sewing skills during the event.
Ann learned many of her sewing skills from her grandmother and later from teachers at Westchester High School. She thinks the Repair Cafe is a way to keep that kind of practical knowledge moving from one person to another.
“These are the things we want to share with our community, the things that we’ve learned and we’ve applied throughout our lives that hopefully we can teach those coming in as well,” says Ann.
There’s also an environmental benefit to giving old possessions a second chance.
“The landfill has got enough junk in there,” Grant says. “We don’t need to put this stuff in there as well.”
Repair Cafe volunteer George Kaplan points out that throwing something away and replacing it also consumes additional resources.
“It’s not only the landfill, but the resources that are needed to make these things,” he says. “We might as well just use what we have.”
George has spent years fixing things around his own home and helping friends with repairs. At the Repair Cafe, he expects to work primarily on bicycles, simple electronics and mechanical items.
When asked whether artificial intelligence might play a role at the Repair Cafe, board member Stephanie August initially joked that the event would rely on something a little more old-fashioned.
“I don’t think we need AI for this,” she says. “This is more like NI, or natural intelligence.”
George, however, says he regularly enlists the internet when he needs information or a manual while working on something and expects he may do the same at the Repair Cafe.
So perhaps Westchester’s Repair Cafe will offer the best of both worlds: A little modern-day technology combined with plenty of natural intelligence.
For organizers, however, repairing objects is only part of the mission. They also hope the event helps repair something less tangible: the connections between neighbors.
Stephanie, who lives near LMU, remembers being more involved in the community when her children were younger and participating in activities such as soccer and Scouts.
“As your kids grow up and go away, you don’t get as involved,” she says. “So, this is a great way to get involved and to help people.”
Ann, who grew up in Westchester, agrees.
“I want the people moving into Westchester to know what a great place it is to live and that we can always depend on our neighbors to help us,” she says. “It’s a good place to get to meet people as well and to know their strengths.”
That sense of community is familiar territory for Grant. Born in Westchester in 1942, he has spent most of his life in the neighborhood and previously founded Clean Up Westchester, which brings together residents every other Saturday to beautify the community.
He sees the Repair Café as another way to get neighbors working together.
“It’s not only an exciting thing to get people involved with, but it’s making the community better,” says Grant, who also co-founded the Westchester Team Challenge.
Stephanie believes those connections could even prove valuable in an emergency. Knowing which neighbor can repair something, solve a mechanical problem or handle another practical task could become especially important following a natural disaster.
“I hope to see more community connectedness coming out of it,” she says.
The October 24 Repair Cafe is technically a trial run, but Grant is already thinking ahead. He has reserved four Saturdays next year at the Westchester Senior Center in hopes the Repair Cafe can become a regular community event.
For now, organizers are eager to see what and who shows up at the first one.
The inaugural Westchester Repair Cafe will be held Saturday, October 24 from noon to 3 p.m. at 6716 W. 87th St. Services are free. Participants should bring any replacement parts their items may require, and small donations are appreciated to help replenish supplies.
For questions or more information, please contact granttfrancis@gmail.com.
Sponsors include Westchester Pharmacy, Drollinger Properties, Tomat, Jags Barber Shop, law Offices of Edgar Saenz, Olive It, SoCalSport, Ayara and Compari.
By Shanee Edwards