Upcoming Repair Cafe in October

Submitted by Brian Hanson-Harding

What do you do with that wobbly wooden chair or that flickering lamp or that computer you can’t get to boot up?

Throw it away?  No way!  Bring it to Rutherford’s Repair Café!

The Rutherford Green Team will hold its 16th  Repair Cafe on Saturday, October 17, 2026, from 11:30am - 3:30 pm in the basement of the Rutherford Public Library at 150 Park Avenue, Rutherford. Enter through the library’s rear courtyard. Last entry at 3:00.

This repair café coincides with the 10th anniversary of International Repair Day.  Hundreds of events around the world will be celebrating how repair brings us together. https://repairday.org/

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, 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.

Participants are limited to one item (or two knives) at a time. Participants with multiple items must go back to the end of the line after having their first item fixed. 

October's repair café will have the following stations:  bicycles, jewelry, small appliances*, computers and electronics, lamps, wooden items, sewing**, sewing machines, and knife sharpening*** Other categories  may be added: check the Rutherford Repair Café Facebook page or the Green Team page on the Rutherford Borough website closer to the event, or email the Rutherford Green Team to inquire about what is being fixed or any last-minute changes:  greenteam@rutherfordboronj.com.

*We cannot work on paper shredders, dehumidifiers, robot vacuums, or Kcup coffee makers

**All clothing should be clean

***At this Repair Café, we can sharpen only standard-bladed kitchen knives—no serrated knives, no scissors, no loppers, no pruners, etc.