Trends in American Repair Cafés: sewing is making a comeback

Anyone who thinks that sewing, darning, and mending are old-fashioned is mistaken. In the United States, more and more young people are finding their way to Repair Cafés, and handicrafts are making a surprising comeback. Three American pioneers explain why repairing together is so contagious.

“Repair Café has literally changed my life”, says Elizabeth Knight, co-author of the book Repair Revolution and founder of two Repair Cafés.  We spoke with her during a video call, along with Suzie Fromer and Don Fick, two other key figures in the American Repair Café movement. Suzie Fromer is the coordinator for Repair Café Hudson Valley, a consortium of 75 Repair Cafés in New York State. Don Fick joins us as executive director of Repair Café North Carolina. He is also the initiator of a monthly Zoom call where Repair Cafés share their experiences. What trends are these three observing in the American repair movement?

A wake-up call from the pandemic

Three years after the first Repair Café opened in Amsterdam in 2009, the initiative took root in the United States. Although Europe has the most Repair Cafés, the number in the U.S. is also rising sharply, with over 250 initiatives today. Don Fick has noticed an increase in interest since the pandemic. “Previously, our repair gatherings were small-scale, with about ten volunteers and thirty to forty visitors. I think the pandemic marked a turning point. For the first time, people were faced with empty store shelves. Perhaps that was a wake-up call, showing that cheap replacements for products aren’t always possible. Since then, our events have been attracting as many as 120 to 180 visitors at a time.”

Gen Z wants to sew, knit and crochet

There are more and more young people among the visitors. According to Elizabeth Knight, there’s a connection to the resurgence of crafts among Gen Z. “Articles in The New York Times and other newspapers report that sewing, knitting and crocheting are ‘cool’ again, especially among teenagers. They want to take a break from screens by learning practical, hands-on skills.” Suzie Fromer confirms: “Visible mending, for example, is popular. In our Repair Café, the vast majority of repairs involve textiles and are done at the sewing machine.” Elizabeth continues: “Moms drop off their eager-to-learn teens at the Repair Café so they can learn from our volunteer repairers.”

Young people visiting Repair Café Jersey City

Repair Cafés share experiences via Zoom

Still, the shift to digital hasn’t left the Repair Café untouched. During the pandemic, Don Fick began organizing hybrid repair meetups that could be attended both in person and online. In 2023, this was followed by the launch of the Repair Economy Organizer Open Zoom, which holds monthly meetings to discuss questions such as: How do you find a suitable venue for your Repair Café? And how to deal with difficult volunteers? “I often call it the Virtual Watercooler where peers gather to ask questions and share experiences as organizers. New Repair Cafés in particular can benefit from this”, says Don.

Repair Café can change your life

What motivates these key figures to invest so much time and passion in the repair movement? Don reflects: “It’s a bit addictive! Although I have a regular job, I’m involved with Repair Café every day. For me, it’s about empowering people. All too often, we go through life feeling like victims. By encouraging people to pick up a screwdriver, they can actually make a positive change in the world.” Suzie really enjoys helping people. “A Repair Café is a wonderful place to really see the impact you’re having on a community.”

Don continues: “Making a social impact gives me a lot of satisfaction as well. Loneliness seems to be the great affliction of our time. Our gatherings bring people of different ages and ethnic backgrounds together. Elizabeth responds: “At the Repair Café, people can meet each other without judgment. They don’t ask ‘What do you do for a living?,’ but ‘What item did you bring?’”

Being involved in Repair Café literally changed her life, she says at the end of the call. “I’ve met so many kind, helpful people, who have become friends. And when the director of Jersey City’s eleven libraries learned, at a community meeting, that I had started our city’s Repair Café, he offered me a job on the spot!”

More information

• Check the website repaircafe.us if you want to learn more about Repair Cafés in the US;
• Everyone is welcome to join the Zoom meeting of the Repair Economy Organizer Open Zoom on the third Thursday of the month (just scroll down to the event Monthly Repair Economy Organizers Virtual Shop Talks );
• Read one of the articles about teens and young adults who want to sew that Elizabeth refers to.