After an 11-year hiatus, Repair Cafe Nanaimo is returning on April 11, where broken household items can be worked on by volunteer experts, free of charge. (Image Credit: Repair Cafe Nanaimo on Facebook)

By Jordan Davidson

ask the experts

‘DIY tinkerers:’ Repair Cafe returns to Nanaimo

Mar 25, 2026 | 5:34 AM

NANAIMO — A popular volunteer-based fix-it event is returning to the Harbour City, helping to divert more items from the landfill.

Repair Cafe Nanaimo returns on April 11, from 1 to 4 p.m. at St. Andrews United Church on Fitzwilliam St., where experts in a variety of fields will repair your broken household items, free of charge.

Co-organizer Stenson Lindal said items can often be fixed right on the spot.

“…or even the [people] are shown and given the confidence to fix the item themselves. Anyone from mechanical engineers to DIY tinkerers, general repair people, and electricians…they’ll be basically DIY people, and there will be professionals.”

The last time a Repair Cafe Nanaimo was held was in 2015, with two other events already being planned for this year at the end of May and the middle of June.

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Several Repair Cafes have been held in Oceanside since 2024, with another one planned for April 25 at St. Stephen’s United Church.

They are part of a worldwide movement through the Repair Cafe International Foundation, with over 3,000 held globally each year.

Lindal said if you can carry it, you can get it repaired.

“We’ll have a team of sewists there for basic repairs. Small appliances, small furniture, lamps, posters, electronics, coffee makers, hair dryers, that sort of thing.”

Volunteers of all kinds with various skills and expertise are always needed for future Repair Cafe events. (Image Credit: Repair Cafe Nanaimo)

He said he was inspired to organize the Repair Cafe by watching his parents fix their household appliances when he was a kid, a belief he carried into adulthood, now working as a machinist.

Lindal said he hopes they’re able to establish a core group of local repair people and coordinate with local businesses like bike repair shops for future events.

He said experts will explain the repair process and provide tips on preventative maintenance, but they won’t have spare parts for every item ever made on hand at the event.

“We’re going to be doing basic repairs with the tools that we have, and hopefully we can point people in the right direction for local repair businesses, and if the item is unrepairable, then the goal is to show people where to put those items responsibly.”

With the event a few weeks away, Lindal is “constantly looking” for volunteers with a variety of expertise to help out, including in jewelry repair, outdoor yard appliances, and more, as well as mutual community partners willing to donate their skills, spare parts and materials, or even food.

More information on the Repair Cafe Nanaimo, including how to get involved as a professional volunteer, can be found on their website, repaircafenanaimo.ca, or on Facebook.

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