The Greenbelt MakerSpace traditionally hosts a quarterly Repair Café. Our Repair Café is a free community service staffed by volunteers who help people learn to repair their broken or damaged items. We will set up several repair stations focusing on different types of objects, including clothing and fabric items, computers, electronics, small appliances, jewelry, small motors, bicycles, and furniture.

Feel free to bring items such as clothing, furniture, kitchen appliances, computers, jewelry, toys, and more for the challenge of making them useful again. We can also handle some simple bicycle repairs and may offer tool sharpening.

Some types of repair work will be made easy simply by having the right tools for the job such as a sewing machine for a ripped shirt sleeve, glue and clamps for a loose chair leg, or silver solder for a damaged earring. Other repair work may need experienced people to help you rewire electrical connections or diagnose a tough computer glitch. Some items may need matching materials or spare parts to complete the repair, which the owner may already have. Otherwise, owners will be assisted in ordering the needed parts from local businesses, and repairs can be made at a later date.

While we strive to fix as many items as possible, not everything can be repaired, and some may need to be recycled, including electronics. We cannot guarantee that every item will be successfully repaired.

Volunteers are always welcome (and needed!) to help make this a great community event—no experience necessary!

The next Repair Café will take place on October 18 from 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM.