Volunteers at the Thunder Bay Repair Café are making old things new again while helping to reduce clothing and items heading to the landfill.
They methods are saving costs for new items and teaching people how to do their own repairs.
“It’s Circular Economy month,” said Nancy Saunders, founder of the Thunder Bay Repair Café. “It’s all about keeping things in circulation, eliminating waste and promoting sustainability by trying to keep things for as long as we can. And a big part of that is the repair part, where you can fix the items so that their lifespan doesn’t end.”
Saunders said volunteers with experience in repairing textiles, small appliances, and other items meet every two months at either the Mary J.L. Black Library or the Waverley Library branch to hold repair workshops for the public.
Today, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., the Repair Café will be available at Intercity Shopping Centre with a textile workshop featuring 18 volunteers ready to help people sew.
“Participants can get hands-on experience in visible mending, sewing on buttons and hemming clothes, darning socks and wool items, and creating their own sewing kit,” Saunders said, adding that although they prefer online pre-booking for sessions, they will happily take walk-ins.
She added that when volunteers share their repair or sewing skills, it has people thinking about how they don’t need to throw things out or buy a replacement.
And the best part is it’s free.
Shannon Young, marketing manager at Intercity Shopping Centre, said they are excited to welcome the Repair Café for a textile-themed repair event.
“The idea of keeping materials in use for as long as possible is one we fully support,” Young said. “Repairing and recycling not only reduces waste but also saves energy, limits the need for new raw materials, and helps continue the cycle of sustainability.”
The textile events are popular, and Saunders says that they speak to fast fashion and people.
“We can keep our clothing living a lot longer,” she said. “It’s also really cool to see people bring in something that has a sentimental value, like an item of someone close to them,” she said. “The emotional attachment is a way to urge people to learn how to fix stuff on their own so that they can keep them in their wardrobe and purchase less.”
Young said the goal for their events is to help make fixing things so accessible and encouraging that it becomes second nature.
“Shared repair experiences can lead to new connections and a stronger community, too,” Saunders said. “People can register in advance and let us know about the item that they have that’s broken or that needs some care or troubleshooting, and then they bring it to the event, and our volunteers try their best to fix it, while teaching their skills.”
Booking a textile repair slot, registering for a workshop, and learning about future events can be done online at tbayrepaircafe.org.
