Fixer Guide
Everything you need to know about volunteering as a Fixer at London Repair Café
About London Repair Café
The London, Ontario Repair Café started at Reimagine Co, which houses a package-free grocery store, Thing Library and community event space. There were 12 Repair Café events from 2018-2020 and we recently started again following the pandemic.
Location: Reimagine Co is located at 206 Piccadilly St in the heart of downtown London - just west of Richmond Row. We have free parking in front of our building, as well as bike parking, and we're easily accessible by bus and via the TVP. There is additional free parking at Kal Tire adjacent to our building.
Note: We are hosting the Repair Café at Reimagine AND at London Public Library branches. Please carefully note the location of the event you are registering for :)
Repair Café is supported by our volunteer Fixers who enjoy repairing household items while helping visitors learn the how-to. Our Fixer team has been growing steadily since our launch in 2013. Some of them are professionals while many others are hobbyists.
Thanks to our awesome team of volunteer "fixers", more than half of all the broken items that are brought in get repaired! Some of the items that have been repaired in the past are: toaster ovens, curling irons, clocks, lamps, jeans, purses, coats, chairs, radios, microwaves, etc.
Your Role as a Fixer
Here is some information to help orient you to your first Repair Café. It's also important that you're familiar with our Rules & Waiver.
1The Event
Events generally last for two hours. You might want to visit a Repair Café the first time simply to observe, without feeling obliged to get to work.
We ask volunteers to try to arrive between 5 pm and 5:30 pm, because extra hands are helpful in setting up and fixers like time to set up their workspace. Fixers can arrive any time from 5:30 pm onwards.
As a volunteer fixer, you will be paired up with a visitor seeking help in your area of expertise. Bring any tools you like to work with. Many fixers share tools and Repair Café provides some basic gear. You are here to enjoy yourself and may decline an assignment for any reason.
An apprentice fixer can work together with a more experienced fixer, or move around to observe a variety of repairs.
2Before the Event
You will receive an email before each Repair Café from our volunteer coordinator.
The email will ask if you plan to attend. This information helps us to set up the event site. There is no obligation to come to every event, so feel free to come as it suits you.
The email will give more information about the upcoming event and reminders about what the volunteers need to know, details such as travel directions, parking, tools and supplies – and a list of what broken items attendees have already indicated that they are bringing.
This list will help you decide what tools and supplies to bring. If you have any questions about the broken items, reply to the email and your question will be forwarded to the person in question.
3What to Bring
It's up to you what tools and supplies to bring. Some fixers bring a large amount of tools and others bring much less. The list of broken items can help you decide what to bring, but there are always some surprises, so being well-stocked is not a bad thing!
Sewers generally bring a sewing machine, but there is usually also hand-sewing to be done.
4The Role of the Fixer
A key goal of the Repair Café is to help people learn how to repair things. When a visitor comes to your table, check to see if s/he prefers to work on the item themselves with your guidance, jointly, or observe while you do the repair them.
If you are doing the fix on their behalf, be sure to explain the diagnosis and repair steps. Try to encourage your visitor to sit with you throughout the repair process. Of course you should feel free to collaborate with other fixers.
5Items for Repair
Each visitor will be helped with one item per turn. For a second item, the visitor needs to line up in the queue again.
Feel free to bring an item of your own for repair. You will need to register this item in the queue.
6Repair Parts & Referrals
As part of Repair Café's House Rules, neither Repair Café nor the Fixer is responsible for providing new replacement parts. If we don't have the parts, you can suggest to the visitor what to look for (and possibly return with to complete the repair).
7Donations
When offered a financial donation at events please direct the donor to the donation box or one of the Repair Café organizers. This does not pertain to any repair arrangement for pay made between fixer and visitor outside a Repair Café event.
8Photographs & Video
There are often volunteers (sometimes media representatives) taking photos and videos at Repair Café's, creating material for promotion and a record of events. If you don't want to be included in camera shots, just inform the volunteer coordinator or photographers.
Other Volunteer Opportunities
The Repair Café operates in partnership with London's Thing Library.
The Thing Library's sharing economy is powered by passionate people who want to make a difference in sustainability, community and belonging in London.
Volunteers are the beating heart of our Thing Library. They dedicate their time, share their skills, and work directly with the London community. We believe there is power in sharing and that together we can build more while wasting less. If you do too, we would love to have you join the team.
We strive to find the right fit for our volunteers. There are a number of ways to be involved with the Thing Library and we hope you find the one that allows you to explore your interests, share your talents, and ultimately elevate our cause. We just ask for a minimum commitment of 3-5 hours per month over the course of 6 months (some exceptions may apply).
Volunteer roles fall in one of three main areas: Operations, Programs and Communications. This page on our website includes some of the volunteer roles. If you would like to volunteer with the Thing Library, please complete the application form on that webpage, or email [email protected] if you have any questions.
Ready to Get Started?
Please contact Heenal Rajani at [email protected] if you have any questions, or complete the volunteer application form to indicate your interest.