Repair Cafe wraps up Waste Reduction Week in Kamloops

“We’d like to let people know they can fix it,” Adams explained. “We’re really about giving people the skills so that they machete repairs themselves.”

Haley Feller was one of the Fixers helping out at the Repair Cafe

“Last year I got really into Zero Waste, which is just reducing consumption and waste overall, and repair is a big part of that,” Feller explained.

On Saturday, the self-taught amateur upholsterer gave a workshop for people looking to fix up their old furniture by refreshing the fabric on the seat cushions. While Haley’s never learned the “proper” way to go about upholstery, she says just figuring it out is just part of the fun.

“I don’t necessarily know the techniques that your professional upholsterer would use, but it works, and things turn out looking nice and lasting for a long time,” Feller said.

Many manufacturers build their products to fail after a certain number of uses in order to get people to buy new items.

“Our culture has kind of made us think that we need more and new stuff all the time,” Feller said. “[That’s] simply not making people happier.”

That’s one of the reasons the folks at the Kamloops Makerspace decided to run the Repair Cafe event.

“We want to make sure people not only realize people can fix things but when they make a buying decision they think ‘Can I fix this?’” Adams said.

Adams also added that if anyone is hoping to learn more about making their own repairs, or are interested in being a part of the Makerspace, they can head down to the Old Courthouse on Victoria Street Wednesday evenings.

by Adam Donnelly

Repair Cafe wraps up Waste Reduction Week in Kamloops

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