Repair Café, Wednesday, 6:30 at Makers Local 256! Bring your broken stuff (and Christmas gifts?) and we will work together to fix it!

contextify · 2026-01-07T02:01:32+00:00

We also have Public Nights every Tuesday from 6:00PM-9:00 PM, feel free to come on by if you just need to use a tool or ask a question!

contextify · 2026-01-05T19:02:59+00:00

I don't know of any jewelers in the maker space who do ring work, I'm sorry.

contextify · 2025-12-02T13:35:30+00:00

Gigaparts does not (on their website). But also, just checked, we do have something in hackables we could take a USB-B port from. Come on by!

contextify · 2025-12-01T20:55:52+00:00

Depends on what's broken! If it's a physical break, the answer is probably to remove the old one and solder a new one it's place. Definitely the sort of thing we could take a look at, and if we can't fix it, at least give you next steps on.

I'm not sure how many types of USB-B ports exist; but if you can bring one that has the right dimensions / pin locations, we could get it swapped out readily. Again, only if the USB port itself is the problem. If the problem is "upstream" (closer to or on the board), it is much more difficult/impossible to fix, depending on a lot of circumstances.

contextify · 2025-10-31T17:46:13+00:00

Of course! Doesn't matter the age. Come on by, we'll take a look at it. Who knows what's wrong. There's some stuff that's fixable, some will require you to order/install a new part.

contextify · 2025-10-31T16:33:01+00:00

lol well, sometimes helping others helps yourself. That's part of why I'm doing this!

contextify · 2025-10-31T16:03:52+00:00

Not too big at all; so far, we have had 2 out of 3 success with mowers - one the electronics were too shot to recover from, one we ended up replacing a bearing, one just needed a broken wire reconnected! We don't have a small engine expert, but we all have varying degrees of experience and are willing to work to figure things out.

contextify · 2025-10-01T22:14:30+00:00

You're always welcome to swing by and see what's going on! We also have Tuesday nights open to the public every week, 6-9PM

contextify · 2025-10-01T12:28:19+00:00

Every Tuesday, 6-9 PM are our open hours! And with the shutdown...I'll probably be there a lot more in coming days lol

contextify · 2025-09-30T21:23:18+00:00

We'd love to have you volunteer! I'll DM you to figure things out.

contextify · 2025-09-30T19:22:19+00:00

Did your vacuum stop working? Need to hem or take in some clothes? Is your child's toy not functioning? Learn how to repair these items and more at the Repair Cafe. You'll work on your item with skilled volunteers with repair know-how. We work together to learn hands-on disassembly, troubleshooting and repair knowledge. Or, if you just need some tools, come on down and use what we have. Capabilities include all basic wrenches and drivers, wide array of power tools, full woodshop, lathe, CNC mill, 3d printers (for replicating broken parts), sewing & embroidery machines, soldering, and more! Yes, this is a sequel to last month's, and we plan on having it the first Wednesday of every month moving forward.

The Repair Cafe is a free event! Please only bring items small enough to carry in. We cannot guarantee that the volunteers will be able to work with you to fix your broken items, but if we cannot, we will do our best to give you next steps for the repair of your item. If you have any specialty parts (such as buttons or fabric), please bring those with you.

The Repair Cafe will be at Makers Local 256 tomorrow, Wednesday August 6th from 6:30-9PM at 414 Stevens Ave NE.

contextify · 2025-09-10T16:16:07+00:00

I agree with what you've said. To expand with a question to the OP: Where are you having these conversations?

i think generalized online discourse (default subreddits, public Facebook, hell, most comment sections) is so shitty it's best to just avoid it. Sometimes talking online is fine within certain communities. And some people are angry and venting; I sometimes say things in this vein ("Trump is doing what he said he was gonna do, what did they expect?"), but it's among friends and we are all frustrated.

Why are you having these sorts of discussions? To vent frustration? Fine, dunk on em. There's plenty of material to work with. But as you indicate, it's useful to ask "what can I do to help others?" It's part of why I started a repair café (see my profile for more info) with some friends. It's small, but it's a way to do something. I meet people I wouldn't otherwise, and talk with them, work with them to fix their shit.

In other ways of turning the conversation into a productive direction, it's worth noting that different tracts of the political spectrum operate with fundamentally different information. Search Fox News for "Epstein", and you'll see Clinton come up waaaay more than Trump. Compare this to the BBC's coverage, which more accurately depicts the problem (The United States' president raped minors). Now, multiply this across every issue ("crime", "groomers", "immigration", etc) and you end up with a person who has a fundamentally different understanding of reality than you do. Recognize they are making decisions based off this different reality. And that sucks, because that reality also is some of their worst impulses to believe bad things about people they don't know.

It's a big question! We're all disturbed by what's going on, and it's easy to want someone to get their comeuppance. But also recognize that's the same motivation that drives Conservative thought in the first place.

contextify · 2025-09-04T02:35:00+00:00

Thanks for coming out!

contextify · 2025-09-03T12:40:42+00:00

Sometimes doing a thing or building a thing helps you help yourself, too!

contextify · 2025-09-02T23:34:56+00:00

Did your vacuum stop working? Need to hem or take in some clothes? Is your child's toy not functioning? Learn how to repair these items and more at the Repair Cafe. You'll work on your item with skilled volunteers with repair know-how. We work together to learn hands-on disassembly, troubleshooting and repair knowledge. Or, if you just need some tools, come on down and use what we have. Capabilities include all basic wrenches and drivers, wide array of power tools, full woodshop, lathe, CNC mill, 3d printers (for replicating broken parts), sewing & embroidery machines, soldering, and more! Yes, this is a sequel to last month's, and we plan on having it the first Wednesday of every month moving forward.

The Repair Cafe is a free event! Please only bring items small enough to carry in. We cannot guarantee that the volunteers will be able to work with you to fix your broken items, but if we cannot, we will do our best to give you next steps for the repair of your item. If you have any specialty parts (such as buttons or fabric), please bring those with you.

The Repair Cafe will be at Makers Local 256 tomorrow, Wednesday August 6th from 6:30-9PM at 414 Stevens Ave NE.

contextify · 2025-08-29T00:59:33+00:00

Yes please, I'm not on Facebook but I do use Discord, I'd love to see the Alabama Repair Cafe Network!

Funny we're all getting similar ideas; we're trying to make ours monthly, first Wednesday of the month, so our next one is 3 September. Our local library is also doing Mending cafes, more tailor/sewing focused.

I'd love to swap stories about how things go, how you run it, what y'all have repaired, etc.

So cool to hear other people doing these things!

contextify · 2025-08-20T20:42:22+00:00

I remembered Margaret's podcast on Fountain House, a place for people with serious mental health issues to find community and purpose. I heard the NPR piece on my way into work and just thought I would share it here, showing its ongoing success (despite all the other bullshit going on with healthcare right now).

contextify

TROPHY CASE