Repair Café brings new life to broken treasures

Ashley Ropp carefully repairs an antique crocheted window dressing handcrafted by Denise Gingerich’s grandmother. Diane Danen photo

By Diane Danen

On Saturday, Nov. 1, the Nith Valley EcoBoosters hosted a Repair Café at Zion United Church in New Hamburg.

The event ran from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and offered community members a chance to bring in broken items for free repairs. Repair Cafés are community events where volunteers help people fix their broken belongings for free while teaching repair skills and promoting sustainability. The goal is to reduce waste, share knowledge and strengthen community connections.

Organizer and EcoBoosters member Kathy Mostardi played a key role in coordinating the event. Fellow member Patty Clarke welcomed guests and directed them to the appropriate repair stations. Volunteers from the EcoBoosters, joined by Murray Zink of 4RepairK-W, were on hand to help visitors mend everything from small, household items to treasured keepsakes.

The café featured several repair stations, including sewing and crochet, jewelry, book repair, and general household or mechanical fixes. Volunteers repaired ripped seams, replaced earring hooks, fixed torn book pages and even restored wooden items. One highlight of the day was the repair of an ornate table base that had been broken for 17 years.

Ashley Ropp, a member of the Nith Valley EcoBoosters, carefully repaired an antique crocheted window dressing brought in by Denise Gingerich of New Hamburg. The piece had been handmade by Gingerich’s grandmother, Emma Doering of North Easthope. Gingerich had kept it tucked away for 10 years and was thrilled to finally have it repaired.

“My goal by coming here is to support other communities and encourage people to help others,” Zink said. “It makes the world more sustainable, one repair at a time.”

More Repair Cafés are coming in the new year, so start gathering household items that need a little TLC and keep an eye out for the next event!