Volunteers at the Five Cities Repair Café are here to fix

A loose screw. A disconnected wire. A ripped seam.

Sometimes all it takes to use an item for another decade is a little bit of collaboration, expertise, and elbow grease—the very reason repair cafés exist.

When Linda Busek lived in the Bay Area, she discovered the local repair café in Palo Alto. It was the very first location that popped up in the U.S. after the concept originated in Amsterdam in 2009.

To keep items out of the landfills, volunteers help residents fix small appliances and household goods free of charge. There are more than 3,800 repair cafés worldwide.

“There’s great energy at these events, people meeting their neighbors and learning new stuff and just having a good time,” Busek said.

One of her early memories at the Palo Alto gathering is bringing in her harvest gold Hamilton Beach blender. It was more than 20 years old. Volunteers disassembled it, determining Busek needed a small part, but they didn’t have it on hand. Instead, they showed her how to order it online (for just $5) and where to install it in the blender.

“I felt absolutely so accomplished because I was able to repair it myself once that little part came in,” Busek said.

She wanted to re-create the magic on the Central Coast and has been a lead organizer of the Five Cities Repair Café since 2019. Between 125 to 150 people attend each event, hosted by around 40 volunteers. The repair rate sits right around 80 percent.

Five Cities Repair Café hosts events once a quarter. People often leave with fixed lamps, vacuums, electronics, bicycles, and clothing. The general rule of thumb is if someone can carry an item inside, the “fixers” will look at it, Busek said. 

Many fixers specialize in one area, like the volunteers from the Cal Poly Radio Club who can tackle anything in the technology realm. Other volunteers set up and take down the events and engage with people while they’re waiting for a fixer.

“We don’t advertise that it’s a community builder, but it is,” Busek said. “While people are waiting for their pairing up with a fixer, we have puzzles and games that they can play. … We provide a seating area, and they have a chance to talk to other folks and kind of make a connection too.”

Busek would like to help start more repair cafés on the Central Coast. She said there’s also a thorough manual from the “mothership” in Amsterdam about how to kick-start one.

“We just want to make it so that volunteers have a good experience and they meet people that are like-minded, that are caring and community oriented,” Busek said. “We can make a difference in our communities by fixing stuff and keeping repairable items out of the landfill.”

Fast facts

• The SLO Children’s Museum is inviting kids to enjoy and learn from its new open-ended exhibit, the Amazing Airmaze. Kids can experiment with the power of air, make predictions, test theories, and solve problems. Adults are also encouraged to play with kids and resolve challenges. The museum’s science-based programs are the result of support from the Harold J. Miossi Charitable Trust.

• SLO County residents can learn about proposed offshore oil drilling and ways to protect the California coast through a virtual educational forum on Jan. 12 from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Speakers will include Assemblymember Dawn Addis and Congressman Salud Carbajal’s senior district representative, Greg Haas. Register via Zoom at http://bit.ly/rsvp-stopdrilling. An in-person gathering will take place on Jan. 16 from 4:30 to 7 p.m. at a location revealed upon registration at http://bit.ly/slo-actionsocial. ∆

Reach Sun Staff Writer Madison White from New Times’ sister paper at mwhite@santamariasun.com.

This article appears in Volunteers 2026.

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