Swift current
repair café
Got a broken thing? Anything? Bring it and we'll help you fix it - for free!
Changing the world
one repair
at a time!
Swift Current Repair Café
April 1st, 2023
Palliser Pavilion, Kinetic Park
REPAIR!
The action of fixing or mending something to extend it's lifespan.
The value of the Repair Cafe is that people are going back into a relationship with the material things around them. Swift Current’s Repair Café aims to build a more sustainable society and counter the throwaway mindset. The Repair Café supports the model of the sharing economy through building a community where people with repair skills are valued and organizations collaborate and innovate for the common good.
things
we can repair...
Electronics - digital clocks, battery chargers, headphones, cd players
Small electric appliances - toasters, coffee makers, hair dryers, blenders
Clothes - wool socks, missing buttons, holes or tears
Furniture - small tables or chairs, frames, jewellery boxes
Toys - wood or plastic
Jewellery - necklaces, earrings
Art - paintings, frames, etc.
Computers and technology
Small engines - lawnmowers, scooters, snow blowers
Ceramics and pottery - platters, tea cups
Books and paper - hardcover and soft cover books, documents
Household appliances - sewing machines, old clocks, lamps
Bicycles and tricycles (at the spring cafe)
House plants - bug infestations (at the spring cafe)
Why should people attend a Repair Cafe?
Because the longer we repair and reuse - the less we take from the earth and discard - the longer the earth will sustain - the more time we will have to fix all the problems we created.
People should participate as a statement against the corrupted designers and manufacturers who deliberately waste products and materials - who offend and damage our earth out greed and effort to make a little surplus cash.
Kim Houghtaling, woodworking expert.
MEET OUR EXPERTS
ANDREA MCCRIMMON
Andrea McCrimmon is an Information Expert and the Manager of the Swift Current Library. She can show you the power of libraries to connect you to the people, information, and ideas that you need to change the world. A large part of her work at the Swift Current Library has focused on making technology training accessible and comfortable for people of all ages. Talk to Andrea about how the library can help you learn, get inspired, or stay entertained. Ask her the meaning of life, or how to fix a toilet. She’ll help you find the answer!
SWIFT CURRENT PUBLIC LIBRARY
GARY HAMMER
I have always been interested in woodworking but never had the space or the tools to do it as a regular hobby. I did
however make space and time in my life for acquiring antiques and many needed repair.
Thirty five years ago a close friend had a business in Swift Current and although they sold antiques, his strong skill set was refinishing and repairing items. I spend many hours in his shop as he shared his skills with me. It might have been gluing a chair, fixing a drawer, or tightening up the legs on a wobbly plant stand.
I consider what we do as a type of recycling, restoring items or even
repurposing them for a new use.
Raene Poisson
Raene Poisson has always naturally worked with her hands and fiddled with stuff, even from a young age growing up on the farm. With her family as a great influence for repairing things and "figuring it out" she also mirrors those qualities. With the formal education of a BFA and a Cultural Conservation diploma, her training includes the repair and conservation of objects - such as ceramics, paper, textiles, metals, and wood - for museums and private clients. One of her favourite conservation treatments was a rare "Brown Bess" Musket from the 1800's (whose length was nearly as tall as her!).
SWIFT CURRENT LIBRARY
OUR PARTNERS
We have the best partners
helping us put on the Repair Cafes.
Thank you.
OUR SPONSORS
Thank you to all our sponsors. We could not put on this event without their support. Please help us thank them by using their services and shopping in their stores.
OUR IN-KIND
SPONSORS
All events take help from many people and businesses. Thank you to the businesses who believed enough in our Repair Cafe's to provide things we needed to host this event.
Contact
Shann Gowan, Organizer
PO Box 872, Swift Current, Saskatchewan S9H 3W8