Note: This story is the second in a four-part series.
Jewel Jackson was worried her favorite sweater was a goner. Then she met Joanna Tassin at the Repair Café on Sept. 27.
Jackson pointed out how the collar had separated from the neckline. It saddened her to think she’d have to discard the piece, but Tassin took a look at it, threaded the bobbin on her portable sewing machine and explained to Jackson that it was a quick fix as she reattached the collar.
(Marilyn Thomas/H-F Chronicle)
Jackson, of Olympia Fields, walked away delighted. She was one of the more than 40 people who attended the first Repair Café. Their items would likely have been tossed had they not found someone to make a repair. The program was free.
The event at the Flossmoor Village Hall was sponsored by the Chicago Southland Green Committee whose members represent the villages, schools and libraries of Homewood, Flossmoor, Olympia Fields, Park Forest and Richton Park.
Flossmoor resident Carrie Malfeo, chair of Chicago Southland Green Committee, said the response to this first café was “overwhelmingly” positive. The committee is planning for a second Repair Cafe in March at the Richton Park Village Hall, but it will be held in the evening.
The repair staff, designated as fixers, were all volunteers. Several were teachers with expertise, others were professionals at their trade and still others were hobbyists or people who acquired knowledge throughout their lives. They were able to provide help with simple electrical needs, repairs for broken mementos, tears in fabrics and other specialty items.
Guests at the Repair Café were limited to one or two items and given 15 minutes per repair. There were no guarantees that the fixers could bring items back to a usable condition, but in most cases owners walked away with their item given a second chance.
Dominica McBride of Flossmoor was happy to get her fountain figurine working. It hadn’t worked as a fountain for a few months. McBride came to Julie Baker’s table hoping the STEM teacher, who is also certified in computer repairs, could work some magic. Baker took the fountain portion apart and discovered that the hosing was being blocked. She explained to McBride how to clean it out and showed her an easy way to reassemble the apparatus.
Scott Wolf of Flossmoor came to the Repair Café with a figurine of a bird that was a gift from his mother-in-law for him and his wife, Sherry. Laura Van Cleve, director of the Richton Park Library, applied glue and patiently worked the figurine and the broken feather together. Then Wolf and Van Cleve chatted while the glue dried.
Bill Merchantz, a teacher at Homewood-Flossmoor High School, brought his set of tools and did repairs on lamps and other items, but it was a chair that really fascinated him. He estimated it was more than 120 years old and was built without any metal, so no nails, screws or other supports.
The woman who brought it to him was concerned that a support or two was lose. Merchantz told her it was a simple fix with wood glue she could buy at the hardware store.
“Here’s what I like about this. It’s like the reverse of Antiques Road Show,” he said. “You get to look at stuff instead of a true antique … and (tell people) here’s what you can do at home to make it useful.”
