Don't throw it away, fix it at the Repair Cafe!

Join us at the Repair Cafe Downingtown to have your broken and beloved items fixed by one of our friendly repair coaches.

Women smiling holding wooden chair and sign that says, 'fixed'.
People repairing a chair at Repair Cafe Downingtown.
Repair Cafe Downingtown Circular Logo
Repair coaches listen to a visitor with item for repair at Repair Cafe Downingtown.
Bicycle being repaired at Repair Cafe Downingtown.
People repairing a chair at Repair Cafe Downingtown.

About Us

The Repair Cafe is a free community-based event, staffed by an all-volunteer team meeting at a central location.

At the event, our repair coaches repair many items including clothing, small electrical appliances, bicycles, toys, lamps and wooden items like chairs and small tables to name a few.

Repair Cafe Downingtown meets six times a year, typically on the second Saturday every two months at the Central Presbyterian Church in Downingtown, Pennsylvania.

What to Expect

When you arrive at the Repair Cafe, you will be greeted by one of our friendly volunteers who will pair you with one of our repair coaches.

There is a limit of two items per person. All repairs are performed free of cost. Lamp and bike parts are available for purchase at our cost.

Some of the items we repair include:

Mechanical & Electrical

Clothing & Textiles

Wooden Furniture & Items

Computers & Electronics

Bicycles

Soft Toys - Dolls and Stuffed Animals

Soft Toys - Dolls & Stuffed Animals

Jewelry

Sharpening

Where We Are Located

Repair Cafe Downingtown events are held at:

Central Presbyterian Church
100 W. Uwchlan Ave. Downingtown, PA 19335

Click here for Google Maps Directions.

Everyone is welcome, you don’t have to be a Downingtown resident.

Upcoming Events

September 14th, 2024
10am-2pm

Repair Cafe
Central Presbyterian Church
100 W. Uwchlan Ave. Downingtown, PA 19335

November 9th, 2024
10am-2pm

Repair Cafe
Central Presbyterian Church
100 W. Uwchlan Ave. Downingtown, PA 19335

January 11th, 2025
10am-2pm

Repair Cafe
Central Presbyterian Church
100 W. Uwchlan Ave. Downingtown, PA 19335

The Repair Cafe Movement

Founded by Martine Postma (pictured here) as a local effort in the Netherlands, Repair Cafes have grown into a worldwide grassroots movement that strives to preserve repair skills in society and to promote more repairable products.

Besides the Netherlands, there are local Repair Cafes in Belgium, Germany, France, the United Kingdom, the United States and in dozens of other countries around the world. Repair Cafe has even made its way to India and Japan!

Why a Repair Cafe?

We throw away vast amounts of stuff. Even things with almost nothing wrong, and which could get a new lease on life after a simple repair. The trouble is, lots of people have forgotten that they can repair things themselves. Especially younger generations no longer know how to do that. Knowing how to make repairs is a skill quickly lost. This is a threat to a sustainable future and to the circular economy, in which raw materials can be reused again and again.

That’s why there’s a Repair Cafe! People with repair skills get the appreciation they deserve. Invaluable practical skills are passed on. Things are being used for longer and don’t have to be thrown away. This reduces the volume of raw materials and energy needed to make new products. It cuts CO2 emissions, for example, because manufacturing new products and recycling old ones causes CO2 to be released.

Every item repaired at the Repair Cafe is a step in the right direction.

Contact Us