Pop-up Repair Cafés in unusual venues: from museums to universities

Repair Café Silicon Valley organizes events at unique locations —from the Museum of American Heritage to a Buddhist center. These ‘pop-up’ events attract hundreds of visitors and dozens of repairers. Volunteer Jon Freilich explains how this successful formula works.

Silicon Valley is, of course, known for ‘big tech’ companies like Google, Netflix, and eBay. But did you also know that the very first Repair Café in the United States started here over fifteen years ago? A second location soon followed. In 2023, the two initiatives decided to merge as Repair Café Silicon Valley, with a shared mission: to organize Repair Café events throughout this well-known region in California, from Palo Alto to San Jose.

From a fixed location to a traveling concept

Jon Freilich, who has been involved as a volunteer since 2018, explains how this ambitious plan came about. “Back then, there were only about five gatherings a year. For me, that wasn’t enough—I wanted more! We often held our Repair Café at the Museum of American Heritage, so I suggested a pop-up event at a local garden fair, then another at a community waste event. Those turned out to be a success, and I volunteered to organize more events.” Libraries, a university, a Buddhist center, and even a hackerspace also joined as host venues.

Ad hoc approach

These ‘pop-up’ Repair Cafés don’t follow a fixed schedule. “We operate more on an ad hoc basis and announce the Repair Cafés as events via our newsletter and social media. That works surprisingly well. About 30 to 40 volunteers usually sign up per event. And around 150 people show up with broken items.”

When he travels to Europe for work, he encounters a very different approach. “For example, Repair Cafés take place ‘every third Saturday of the month,’ or on a fixed evening during the week. We’re not quite there yet. We do return to the same locations, but we’ll set a date six months down the line, for instance.”

In California, you can repair outdoors

So they really go all out for their events! How does that work in practice? “We look for locations that already have tables and chairs. Our tools are stored in a trailer, which a volunteer picks up and drives to the location. The great thing about California is that we can also set up outdoors year-round. At our regular spot in Palo Alto, we have indoor space for about 20 repair tables, but we also spill out in the courtyard under party tents.”

Free space

The advantages of this setup? “We usually get the space for free, which is typically the biggest expense. The Buddhist center where we set up for the first time this year was amazing! They had almost as many volunteers on hand as we did! In exchange for this hospitality, we help raise awareness of what’s happening at their location.”

And the challenges? “Usually, we stop accepting repairs three-quarters of the way through the event, because not everyone can get a turn. And the registration system could be smarter, for example with a QR code. “Manually matching damaged items with repairers turns out to be a bottleneck as soon as things get busier.”

A tip for other Repair Cafés

For Repair Cafés that want to experiment with a pop-up approach themselves, Jon has the following tip:
“Seek collaboration with local organizations. That way, you can still put on a big event with limited resources. And visit a successful Repair Café to learn the ropes. You’ll go home full of energy and inspiration.”

Jon himself gets a lot of joy from the community surrounding Repair Cafés: “When I’m in Germany or the United Kingdom, I always visit a local Repair Café to help out. We often go for a drink afterward. That’s where friendships are formed!”

Have you had any experience organising or visiting a pop-up Repair Café at a special venue? Let us know by leaving a comment below this post!

Further information

• Would you like to find out more about Repair Café Silicon Valley? Then take a look at their website.
• Check out the latest newsletter from Repair Café Silicon Valley for information about the new digital registration system they have now developed for visitors to their events.