Rutherford's Next Repair Cafe

Submitted by the Rutherford Green Team

Do you have well-loved things around your house that don’t work but that you just don’t have the heart to throw away? Before you toss that troublesome toaster or wing that wobbly wooden chair or lob that flickering lamp, bring it to Rutherford’s next Repair Cafe!

The Rutherford Green Team will hold its fifteenth Repair Cafe on Saturday, May 16, 2026,  from 11:30am - 3:30 pm in the basement of the Rutherford Public Library at 150 Park Avenue. Enter at the back of the library through the rear courtyard. Last entry at 3:00.

At a repair café, area residents bring in non-functioning or damaged items to expert volunteers who try to fix them for free.  While waiting, participants can enjoy coffee (generously provided by the Rutherford Coffee Company), tea, and a home-baked snack, or try their hand at making crafts out of trash and recyclables. This is a drop-in event where people are helped on a first-come, first-served basis and are encouraged to learn how to fix things themselves while reducing waste.  Volunteers will have the necessary tools and may have some spare parts available for a nominal fee, but participants are encouraged to obtain the necessary parts beforehand: for example new batteries, bicycle tubes, or lamp switches.

May's  repair café will have the following stations:  bicycles, clothing and cloth items, small appliances, computers and electronics, lamps, jewelry, wooden items (furniture, picture frames, etc.), sewing machines, and knife sharpening.  (We will not be able to work on small engines or cell phones or leather items, nor will we have experts in visible mending.) All clothing should be clean. Participants are limited to getting one item fixed (or two knives sharpened) at a time. Participants with multiple items go back to the end of the line after having their first item fixed. Important: check the Rutherford Repair Café Facebook page or the Rutherford Borough website closer to the event to find out about any last-minute changes in what services will be offered. Or follow us on Instagram!