Repair Cafe

♦♦Notes from the Repair Cafe♦♦

Notes from our November 16, 2024 Cafe
 
Many thanks to all the coaches that came out for the community on this last Repair Cafe of 2024.  Nineteen Coaches and Volunteers helped 61 guests by fixing 91 items, (only 7 items could not be fixed).  We were so very busy!
“I came to the Repair Cafe to have a wood shoe box fixed. The people that helped me were knowledgeable and did a wonderful job fixing this antique for me. Thank you to such a wonderful staff and this venture.”
“The jewelry team fixed two rosaries, one pair of earrings and some bracelets. George replaced four watch batteries and Virginia helped me with my iphone. What a wonderful group of volunteers who helped us keep items of all sorts out of the landfills.  They are great!”
We drafted Hulya, photographer, and Helen, woodworker, to work with Lesley who otherwise would have been solo at the very busy sewing table. Together they repaired 18 clothing items ranging from pants, jacket, dress, a belt and more.   Henry and Helen at the woodworking table fixed 7 items; eg: a stool, table, chairs,  and a shoe polishing box.   The tech table, staffed with Virginia and Kevin addressed issues with six items, but encountered five unfixable situations. During down time Kevin doubled up with electrical fixes.  
“These volunteers are patient, skilled and know their craft. They are all awesome. Thank you!”

Thanks to Peter, Bryan, George, Dave, Ava, Chris and Jen the electric/mechanical tables turned around 33 fixes that included lots of lamps and items like an iron, water pick, electric guitar, radio, vacuum cleaner, battery replacements and lots of sharpened knives.   Karen and Eleanor reached a high by repairing 26 jewelry items, including a pair of eyeglasses.

“Once again, Repair Cafe comes through! Thanks to George . Nice to meet you and Jen!
Our greeters Lee and Janice were joined by a newcomer, Linda. 

“I came to the Repair Cafe and found the people very knowledgeable. They were polite and patient and were able to fix my weather station! Success!  Thank you!”

“The electrical team managed to remove a stripped screw I was unable to handle. Very impressed!
 
We are grateful for the abundance of generosity in time and resources that coaches give.
It is incredibly heartening to see people helping one another – and being appreciated for it.
“Thank you – woodwork guy graciously reattached my zipper tab on my jacket (even though not his area of expertise!)”
“Thanks so much for the help with sewing and gluing our things. They mean a lot to me and we’re very grateful. Thanks again!”
 
We hope to see you at our Spring 2025 Repair Cafes on March 8th  and May 17th!
 
 
 
 
 
 
Photo credit: Hulya Sakarya
Notes from our September 28, 2025 Cafe.

This Cafe was a first for our new collective Repair Cafe Coordinator Team of Barbara Brandfon, Lee DeLoucy and longtime RC coach, April Chau!

What a beautiful autumn day we had. Thank you to all the volunteers: we had 14 coaches/fixers and six other volunteers who helped. We want to heartily thank coaches from surrounding communities (Rivertowns and Yorktown) who responded to our call for HELP!   It certainly was a busy day, having fixed 41 items and sharpening about 50 knives. Only two items could not be fixed.

 

Bruce was the muscle behind setting up the tables, chairs, making morning treats and coffee. At the jewelry table Eleanor was joined by Sarah and they repaired earrings, necklaces, bracelets and replaced watch batteries. The electrical-mechanical tables were manned by Peter, Bob, George, Bill, John and David. Julie at the sewing table was joined by Christl.  Tech by our regulars Virginia and Dave. Henry Skutch and his grandmother Helen Ogrinz repaired several wooden items. We had some atypical requests to repair a rosary, weedwacker, clock pendulum, crucifix and wind chimes.

 

Many many thanks to Hulya, our photographer, who captured many of our coaches at work and happy customers on the way out. 

“Thank you for such a wonderful service! This is the best!” – Sasha

“So happy to be able to fix the things that are fixable / Great Folks as well!” – Hilary 

“Thanks! can still wear my coat with the zipper repair!” – Robin 

“George was GREAT! Fixing my many watches!” – Nancy 

“Great service! FIX IT, DON’T DISCARD IT.”  – Michael 

 

 

 

 

 

And of course our greeters, Lee, Barbara and Janice who kept everyone flowing. 

We hope to see you at our next Repair Cafe on November 16th! Same time, same place.

 

 
 
We’ve got two Repair Cafe’s left in 2024! Saturday September 28th and November  16th!
 
This month, we’ll be offering:
  • Clothing Repair
  • Costume Jewelry
  • Wood Repair including chairs and small tables
  • Electronic and Electrical Repair **
  • Ceramic Repair
  • Knife Sharpening
  • Tech Support for Computer & Mobile Devices
  • Toys
  • Bikes (not including tires!)
  • Computer E-Waste Drop Off:Computers in any condition will be repaired and donated to others in need (Thanks REBOOT!)
 
**we are not able to service audio-visual equipment or printers.
 
 
NOTE: We do not repair any gas-powered items.
 
We’d like to thank our partners First Village Coffee, Melrose Lumber, the Village of Ossining and the Ossining Recreation and Parks Dept.
 
For more information, contact our Repair Cafe Coordinators (Thank you April, Lee and Barbara!!) at RepairCafeGreenOssining@gmail.com.
 
See you soon!
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Our next Repair Cafe is just a few weeks away!
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 

 

Notes from our Saturday, March 2, 2024, Cafe:

What a great event we had on Saturday March 2nd  at the community center!  Despite the rain, we had a large turnout and sent many happy people home with repaired items-45 to be exact!  We also evaluated and advised  on 26 items that we were not able to fix at the Cafe   Some of these items needed parts which the owners will purchase, and return to us in May.  

 

Even though items are fixed for free,  we received over $100 in donations, which will be used to purchase eyeglass repair kits, fabric patches, watch batteries and lamp parts.

Repair Cafe volunteers are special people.  Our greeters/traffic flow people  were Lee DeLuccy and Janice Rost.  Lee is one of our organizers and she is the one who orders lunch, an important part of the day!   Our other organizer, Barbara Brandfon, was unable to make it Saturday because of an injury.  Get well, Barbara. 

 

 

Jude and Jack Brisson were floaters and Jack made sure everyone had a name tag.  Thank you, Jack.  Manning the electrical/mechanical table were Bob Wilson, John Leyden and Bryan Montgomery.  They were kept very busy with broken lamps and appliances.  Eleanor Vivaudou was our lone stalwart at the jewelry table, and  in addition to jewelry, changed a number of watch batteries.  April Chau, Julie Woodward and Chris Osborn met many interesting challenges at the sewing table, including turning a shirt collar and many moth holes. 

Henry Skutch and his grandmother Helen Ogrinz repaired several pieces of furniture, including an adorable children’s bench.  Hulya Sakarya and her son Noe Lebanidze took photos of repaired items, and generally helped out. 
A number of old computers, printers and phones were dropped off and delivered to Sam Nadol, a local high school student, who refurbishes them.  Then, an organization called Reboot PC  distributes them.  More on this later.

 

We are grateful to the Community Center staff for their help in setting up the room.  It’s a great space for the cafe.

The next Repair Cafe will be held May 4th.  This cafe will feature 

 

bicycle repair, and we hope to see a lot of bikes pulled out of garages and readied for fun!  Please pass the word about bicycles.

 

Submitted by Chris Osborn, Ossining Repair Cafe Organizer
Questions  may be emailed to Chris at ceosborn@optonline.net

 

 

 

Notes from our Saturday, October 14, 2023

Our first Green Ossining Repair Café “under new management.” 

Pictured: Michele Stone and Chris Osborn

A special thanks to Michele Stone and Glen Simonelli, who volunteered even as they were preparing to move in three days!   Michele was the original founder and coordinator of our Cafe, directing it for the past seven years. She and Glen are moving to Washington D.C. to be near a soon-to-arrive grandchild. We will miss them, and we wish them the best.

 

Pictured: Chris Osborn, Barbara Brandfon and Lee Deluccy

 

The new Cafe Coordinators are Barbara Brandfon and Elissa (Lee) DeLuccy, two long-time volunteers, and Chris Osborn, who only came in May to get her necklace fixed and was persuaded by Michele to take on the Cafe!

 

 

 

Forty three items were repaired including a bicycle, a coffee-maker, 4 lamps, a vacuum, a weed trimmer, 2 clocks, a laptop, a drawer, 2 chairs, 10 pieces of jewelry and 8 items of clothing. Eight watch batteries were replaced. There was a lot of talent and skill in the room!

One participant had this to say about the café: “Fantastic! What a wonderful service to the community! Thanks so much!”

Fifteen volunteers assisted community members with their repair projects. Thank you to Elena Sabatini, Frank Buddingh, Jeff Osborn, Virginia Benedict, Helen Ogrinz, Henry Skutch, Dave Heinl, Amy Rosato, Karen Romero, April Chau, Cathy Sarti, Lesley SanMarco and Felino Menez. Photos credit: Jeff Osborn.

The next Repair Cafes are scheduled for March 2, 2024 and May 4, 2024 from 11-3 at the Community Center.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Notes from our Saturday, January 21, 2023 Cafe.

(PS…Save-the-Date – our next Repair Cafe is on Saturday, March 18th)

Thanks to all the great volunteers on this very busy day–Lee, Janice, Barbara, Ichiko, Austin, Karen, Dave, Glenn, Bob, Julie, Helen,  Hulya, Allison and Michele –who collectively signed in 36 community members and repaired or advised on 49 items, including but not limited to: lamps, paper shredder, pencil sharpener, watch battery replacements, computers, Christmas ornament, earrings, medallion, necklace, purses, buttons, sweaters, pants, coat zippers, chair, small easel, and tuned a guitar. 
 
Many photos were taken of happy community members with the new sign of our logo and “Fixed It” on it. 
Thank you to our sponsors at the Joseph Caputo Community Center, Melrose and First Village Coffee.
There was a great community feeling with so many connections made among us.
Thank you for all  your time and effort to make today a success.
~Michele
@hvrepaircafe @repaircafehudsonvalley

Photo credit and an abundance of thanks to Hulya Sakarya!  (you can follow Hulya on Instagram at @hulikosakarya)

Welcome 2023!

Dates for our upcoming Cafes:

Saturdays, January 21st, March 18th, and May 20th.  We hope to see you there!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Notes from Saturday, November 28, 2022

Wow! What a great busy day at the Green Ossining Repair Cafe! Thirty-three people signed in with often multiple things to repair.
 
Volunteers Lee, Janice, Julie, Helen, Jude, Jack, Sarah, Dave, Glenn, Sam, Virginia, Karen, Bob, Hulya and Michele were there to help repair. Here’s our little list of beloved but broken items:
 
  • pepper grinder, two CD players (no luck!), loose arm lamp, two hot water pots, vacuum cleaner (diagnosed, not fixed) steam iron, 4 lamps, Fan/heater (not fixed) electric shaver, five watch batteries replaced, a virus scan on laptop, cleaned laptop, ipad screen (not fixed), three legged stool, ceramic glass fish bowl, dehumidifier (diagnosed), jeweled belt, necklace chain enhancement, table leg, chipped veneer on of coffee table (referred elsewhere), two dining chairs, chair leg, frayed sweater, waist band tightening, belt tag, pillow, leather jacket, glued purse and backpack, darned sweater, pants hem, two curtain hems, comforter with multiple rips!
 
Also, received donations of three laptops, three phones, a keyboard and printer for RebootPC rehabilitation and future donation.
 
In addition to monetary these kind words were written in our notebook:
“This is an absolutely wonderful service for our community and our environment. Fix things rather than throwing them away. Thank you”
 
“I’m so grateful to Glenn for saving my iron! A broken wire could have sent it to the landfill, but I can keep using it thanks to him and the repair cafe.”
 
Thank you to our sponsors at the Community Center, Melrose and First Village.
 
We had fun repairing and creating connections with folks who needed repairs as well as each other. Thank you so much for all the great vibes!
~Michele

Notes from Saturday, September 17, 2022

Thank you to the 15 volunteers–Julie, Lesley, Elissa, Janice, Tom, Frank, Jude, Jack, Eleanor, Elena, Virginia, Dave, Sarah and 
 
Sam–who collectively, often collaboratively, not always, but mostly successfully repaired:
  • three chairs, mirror frame, eight watches for batteries, toaster oven, watch bands, vacuum, shade fixture, three lamps, microwave oven, bike brakes, wooden shelf, six necklaces, one pair of earrings, two pant patches, two shirt patches, reconstruct handles and side seams on bag, mend cashmere sweater, zipper removal and flap addition on sundress, pants seam, blanket, configured and upgraded two iphones, replaced mechanical assembly on clock, soldered cable on antique milkshake mixer, lamp switch, and received four recyclable laptops for our friends at RebootPC.
Thank you to our sponsors at the Community Center, Melrose and First Village Coffee.
 
We appreciate the community effort that goes into making these repair events happen. The folks who bring in items express a lot of appreciation for our work with kind words and some monetary tips!
 
Warm Regards, Michele


 

 

 

Photo credit: Jude Brisson

The Repair Cafe Returns this Fall on Saturday, September 17th and November 12th!

Join us as we return from summer hiatus.  In addition to our usual opportunities at this September’s Cafe, we will also have a special guest: Sam Nadol of RebootPC will be joining us to help fix computers, but we are also holding a USED COMPUTER DRIVE to benefit his organization whose mission is to repair and recycle non-working computers, donating them to families, organizations or individuals who would otherwise lack access to technology.   So far this year, this Ossining-based org has donated 215 computers in need.

 

 

 

 

Our May 14, 2022 Repair Cafe

Bravo to all the volunteers that made our May 14 Repair Cafe successful! Twenty people signed in and someone made a very generous donation with Tom once again volunteering to take a more complicated lamp home to repair. A very special thanks to Jude and April for leading the charge.
 
Some of the items repaired: 1 bracelet, 3 necklaces, 3 pairs of earrings, frog lamp (a work in progress–Thank you Tom!) chair, small table lamp, piano stand, wooden chopstick box, watch battery replacement, 1 glove finger! 
 
Thanks to all of you–April, Jude, Elissa, Janice, Eleanor, Lesley, David G., Dave H., Tom, and newcomers, Dhruv, Danny, and Kellie!
 
Have a great summer and we will see you in the Fall.   Dates to-be-announced soon!
 
Photo credit: Jude Brisson!
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Our Next Repair Cafe, scheduled for Saturday March 12th,  is on!

Bring your beloved but broken items down to the Rec Center between 11a-3pm and see if one of our community-member repair coaches can fix it/them. See the poster for categories of currently repairable items.
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A word/reminder of how we got started:  Learning about Repair Cafes on Facebook, we were inspired by the idea of creating a community, among volunteers with fix-it skills and those with “beloved but broken” items in need of repair, a neighbor to neighbor venture! We launched the first Repair Cafe in Westchester County on June 24th, 2017.
Ossining’s motto “Old in history, young in spirit” describes our beautiful historic downtown and the progressive spirit of our diverse community. This spirit is typified by the all-volunteer Town/Village committee, Green Ossining, which is committed to sustainable projects and the lead sponsor of Green Ossining Repair Cafe.
 
We appreciate the continued support of the Village of Ossining Parks and Recreation for the use of a spacious room in the Community Center for our events. We thank Melrose Hardware and Lumber for providing lamp replacement parts at cost, and First Village for providing delicious coffee for our volunteers.
 
Got any repair skills you can share with the community, or know anyone else that may? We do not expect you to be an expert, but if you have a skill in repairing items (electronics, bicycles, ceramics, sewing, computers hardware/software, etc.) – and you are willing to help others in your community – we’d love to hear from you! Please contact our one-and-only Repair Cafe Coordinator, Michele Stone, at mstonepeaceworks@gmail.com to learn more.
 
Be sure to thank your amazing neighbors who are so giving of their time and skills in volunteering to make the Repair Cafe possible.
@hvrepaircafe @repaircafehudsonvalley

 

 

Notice of Cancelation of the January 15th, 2022 Repair Cafe!

We’re sorry to have to cancel our first Repair Cafe of the year, but due to necessary precautions, its the wisest thing we can do at this time.

We hope to see you at our next scheduled Cafe on Saturday, March 12th.

 Be healthy and safe out there!

 

Notes from the November 13, 2021 Repair Cafe
 
We’re so pleased to have had the opportunity to return with two Cafe’s this year.   Our November Cafe will be the last in 2021, but no worries!  We plan to be back on the following upcoming dates, so Save-The-Date(s)!
  • January 15th, 2022
  • March 12, 2022
  • May 14th, 2022
Today’s Repair Cafe saw a lot of happy people: we diagnosed and worked a long time on an electric typewriter;diagnosed a sewing machine issue; repaired ceramic wall art and a decorative duck;  lubed and adjusted two bikes;  sewed: sweater arm seam, pants seams, pants fraying, sleeve patch, three elastic waistbands on pants; fixed jewelry: restrung a necklace and a bracelt, made a bracelet from necklace, repaired two necklaces, restrung bracelet, repaired a belt chain; fixed a coffee maker, electronic keyboard, and an LED lamp; and replaced five watch batteries, among other repairs and diagnoses.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Got any repair skills you can share with the community, or know anyone else that may? We could always use repair coaches. We do not expect you to be an expert, but if you have a skill in repairing items (electronics, bicycles, ceramics, sewing, computers hardware/software, etc.) – and you are willing to help others in your community – we’d love to hear from you!  If you have any doubt how grateful people can be about the help you give them, just check out the comments we’ve received from today’s Cafe!

“This is a wonderful program that you provide to the community. We will definitely return in a few months. Glenn worked so hard to try to fix my son’s keyboard. He had patience and                                experience working with electronics. Thank you for helping us out”

“I had the pleasure an opportunity to work with Frank who helped me fix my grandmother’s 565 Underwood typewriter. We had a blast taking it apart!”

“We appreciated the help fixing my daughter’s lamp. Thanks to all ofthe volunteers who gave up their Saturday to help”

” We’re so happy to have you back. My stone duck has his head glued back onand the talented jewelry lady transformed my broken necklace into a beautiful bracelet. Thanks!”

Wishing our extended community a safe and happy holiday season!  See you in 2022!!
 
Please contact our amazing Repair Cafe Coordinator, Michele Stone, at mstonepeaceworks@gmail.com to learn more.
 
 

We’re pleased to be returning on September 18, 2021!

As home of Westchester County’s first Repair Cafe, Green Ossining is pleased to be bringing the Cafe back on Saturday, September 18th.
 
Got any repair skills you can share with the community, or know anyone else that may? We could use some repair coaches in time for our re-opening on Saturday, September 18th. We do not expect you to be an expert, but if you have a skill in repairing items (electronics, bicycles, ceramics, sewing, computers hardware/software, etc.) – and you are willing to help others in your community – we’d love to hear from you!
If you have any doubt how grateful people can be about the help you give them, just check out the comments we’ve received from past Cafe’s below!
 
Please contact our Repair Cafe Coordinator, Michele Stone, at mstonepeaceworks@gmail.com to learn more.
 
Upcoming Repair Cafe dates are:
                • November 13, 2021
                • January 15th, 2022
                • March 12, 2022
                • May 14th, 2022
 

Ringing in 2020! We welcome everyone to stop in to our upcoming Repair Cafes begining with our first one of the new year on January 11, 2020.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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May 4, 2019 Thank you all for finishing out our Repair Cafe “season” with so much good heart and careful work. Some stats: 25 people signed in, 39 items were repaired, advised on or created!

  • There was a mixing of repair coaches and items at the wood and electric tables, keeping Ken, Glenn, Mustafa, David, John, and Victor busy repairing: 5 lamps, 2 clocks, a turn table, 3 fans, bike tube, replaced castors on 2 oak desk chairs, kitchen chair, rebuilt hardwood chair, 2 dining room chairs, 2 wood office chairs, and a steel butter knife dish caddy.
  • April, Janet and Marcia did meticulous and creative work at the sewing table, applying 4 patches on jeans in a quilting manner and altered 2 waistlines on pants.
  • At the Kid’s Table, Jude guided kids to make a musical doorbell, parallel fans and a motorized walker.
  • Virginia and Dave at the Computer table helped with a tablet the wouldn’t turn on and cleaned another, provided tech support number for a bad Kindle battery, taught how to configure a strong pass code, Password recovery for a laptop, taught people how to secure their devises.
  • Karen repaired 8 necklaces and added a charm to a bracelet.
  • Elissa, Barbara and Janice greeted, signed in and managed the waiting queues.

We also had the fortunate and honored experience of being part of a resident’s ‘road to confirmation.”  David (pictured here with Repair Coach extraordinare, Ken Skalski), fulfilled some of his High School community service hours with the Green Ossining Repair Cafe.   We saw such a transformation in his confidence from the first time he was with us.   What a pleasure for all. See you in September at our next Repair Cafe or sooner at some summer Ossining event!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

On Saturday, January 12th, we held our first Repair Cafe of the year – ringing in the New Year with our largest attendance yet!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We had 51 people sign in with things, sometimes multiple things, to be repaired. Two groups visited with us to get ideas to start their own Repair Cafes, one from Hastings-on-Hudson and one from the Pound Ridge/Bedford area. Repair Coaches Frank, Ken, Glenn, Mustafa, Jim, Karen, Kate, April, Janet , Michele, Virginia, Dave and newcomers Lesley, David, Davis and Tom worked to repair:  ELECTRONICS ET AL: at least 12 lamps, 3 vacuums, electronic Christmas figures, soldered a bracelet and other metal work, toaster, heater, boombox, amplifier, radio, turntable, electric clock, 2 coffee pots, a blender; REPAIRED JEWELRY: fixed 4 necklaces/ 4 pair of earrings, 1 chain, 1 bracelet and 1 pendant; SEWING REPAIRS: tear in jacket, ripped lace, zipper, pants pocket, many small holes in sweaters,cuffs on sweatshirt , sweat pants, jacket holes, put darts in pants and affixed a button; COMPUTER REPAIRS: Taught someone how to maintain service and installed Google Duo, 2 units of Apple Pro, Mobile service screen broken, Samsung laptop, Removed unwanted start-up programs and other pop-ups, CD Ram cover off, Chrome logging issues with acct, Removed McAfee anti-virus, set up windows, 3 mobile phones.  Jude was so busy at the “Kid’s Table” with both youngsters and adults  Comments from attendees:

  • “I’m so thrilled to have gotten my lamp fixed…Thank you.”
  • “Frank did a great job soldering my broken garden ornament.”
  • “The Repair Cafe is not only an exceptional resource, but a wonderful reflection of a vibrant community. On a practical level, our lamp and toaster now have a new lease on life!”
  • “Excellent work! Keep up the good work.”
  • “Great job by Mustafa. Fixed my lamp in 2 minutes.”
  • “Excellent”
  • “Thanks for help with my laptop and mending an antique lace pillow cover. You provide a valuable service for the community. Many, many thanks.”
  • “Love the place!!! I wish I had a special skil to offer, but I’ll spread the word.”
  • “This is an amazing place. Thank you for fixing my shopping care. And it’s  a fun place too.”
  • “This was absolutely amazing! Thank you so much. Ireally appreciated all the caring attention to my light.”
  • “This was so fun.”
  • “Thank you for everything!!”

Some photos from the Cafe!  See you at our next Cafe’s on March 9th and May 11th

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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The Repair Cafe had a very successful 2018.  Below are scenes from Our November 10, 2018 Repair Cafe along  with the variety of items repaired.   In 2019, we hope to see you when we return on Saturday, January 12, 2019.  Same time. Same place.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Notes from the Cafe Our Kid’s Table was often busy and  Jude really engaged a couple of young people demonstrating in series and parallel circuits and used a 555 integrated circuit:) The Electrical Table kept four of our coaches, Frank, Ken, Glenn, Mustafa and one novice,David, joining us for community service, very busy. Repired were: a 3-way lamp, chest, vacuum, brass lamp, food processor, wood chipper (pretty impressive sound and dirt), Conair hair dryer, repaired travel case latch with silver solder (very excited recipient for that), colander repair, electric screw driver found to need batteries. Kate at the Jewelry Table gave advice on polishing, fixed 3 set of earrings, 1 necklace and one beaded bag. David and Mustafa at the Toy and Wood Table gave great effort to fixing a karaoke machine, sewing kit handle repair. Virginia, joined by a new volunteer, David, at the Computer Table: consulted on Ransomware, flash light, provided advice on setting up a wireless printer, looked at an issue with an upgrade from Windows & to Windows 10, recommended contact Microsoft for additional assistance, consult on security. April, Janet and Michele were kept busy at the Sewing  Table:  replaced 4 buttons, repaired 4 seams, leather and knit jacket seams, pillow cover, hems, backpack and bag.

From our Comment Notebook:

  • “I am so happy they were able to fix my lamp.”
  • “Very appreciative of all the help!!”
  • “Thank you so much for all the organizers you were able to fix my daughter’s lunch bag, which I was going to put in the garbage already and a hair dryer. I am so happy and thankful.”   
  • “Happy Thanksgiving to everyone.”
  • “This event is a God send! Thank you for all your work for the earth.”
  • “Thank you for offering this valuable service! You are able to save an old metal colander and my vacuum cleaner. I greatly appreciate your help.”
  • “I am thrilled with the hard work and expertise of Michele and Frank. I am also grateful that they volunteer their time in order to enact actions that dovetail with our values!”
  • “An antique brass lamp was taken apart and rewired by a team of repair geniuses.  A family heirloom restored to working order! Thanks!

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Next Repair Cafe? Saturday, September 15th.

Hope to see you then!

(NOTE: Apologies for any we have inconvenienced, but we must postpone our EWaste Drive to a later date (tbd).)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Notes from our Repair Cafe : June 19, 2018

The Green Ossining Repair Cafe was honored by Westchester County Executive, George Latimer, with an Eco Award for our efforts to bring this program to our community.

Many thanks to our Repair Cafe coordinator, Michele Stone and husband Glenn Simonetti, for their efforts – and to all of ourRepairCafe coaches who have been givinging so freely of their time in sharing their skills to help fix “beloved but broken items.”  We are also very grateful to the Village of Ossining who saw the value in this program in our community and fully supported it. As well, with community partners in the Ossining Recreation Department for providing us the space to host the Cafe, Melrose Lumber for providing us parts at cost, and to First Village Coffee for keeping our coaches pleasantly caffeinated through our Cafe days.  Lastly, many thanks to the Repair Cafe – Hudson Valley and the guidance and support of John Wackman!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Notes from our Repair Cafe: May 19, 2018

Marvelous things happen at the Repair Cafe. A gentleman that lives in Holland (The Repair Cafe started not far away in Amsterdam) and was  visiting the states, sought us out for a visit to see how we do it here in the U.S. . Funny- we put him to work!    Then there was this lovely lady who heard about the Repair Cafe on @Ossining Padres Hispanos Facebook page … she was so appreciative that she came back and delivered warm fresh baked goods for the coaches and attendees.This month, knives were sharpened, family heirloom candlesticks were fixed, beloved stuffed animals were repaired, among so many other things. Don’t miss us when we re-open after the summer on Saturday, September 15th!

 

 

 

Notes from our Repair Cafe for our Launch year, 2017

In 2017, Green Ossining launched the first Repair Cafe in Westchester County.  This skill-sharing community gathering to fix beloved but broken items FOR FREE, begun in Europe over a decade ago, has joined our com

munity in a very special way.   Even kids got in on it and shared their toy-repair skills.   Our last one of 2017 combined the Repair Cafe with an E-Waste Drive.

In 2018, our next two will be held on Saturday,March 24th and May 19th from 11a-3pm at the Joseph Cavuto Community Center (aka Ossining Rec).

Check back for a list of items we hope our community repair coaches can tackle.  And stop in to see what its all about!

 

Notes from the Repair Cafe

On Saturday, January 12th, we held our first Repair Cafe of the year – ringing in the New Year with our largest attendance yet!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We had 51 people sign in with things, sometimes multiple things, to be repaired. Two groups visited with us to get ideas to start their own Repair Cafes, one from Hastings-on-Hudson and one from the Pound Ridge/Bedford area. Repair Coaches Frank, Ken, Glenn, Mustafa, Jim, Karen, Kate, April, Janet , Michele, Virginia, Dave and newcomers Lesley, David, Davis and Tom worked to repair:  ELECTRONICS ET AL: at least 12 lamps, 3 vacuums, electronic Christmas figures, soldered a bracelet and other metal work, toaster, heater, boombox, amplifier, radio, turntable, electric clock, 2 coffee pots, a blender; REPAIRED JEWELRY: fixed 4 necklaces/ 4 pair of earrings, 1 chain, 1 bracelet and 1 pendant; SEWING REPAIRS: tear in jacket, ripped lace, zipper, pants pocket, many small holes in sweaters,cuffs on sweatshirt , sweat pants, jacket holes, put darts in pants and affixed a button; COMPUTER REPAIRS: Taught someone how to maintain service and installed Google Duo, 2 units of Apple Pro, Mobile service screen broken, Samsung laptop, Removed unwanted start-up programs and other pop-ups, CD Ram cover off, Chrome logging issues with acct, Removed McAfee anti-virus, set up windows, 3 mobile phones.  Jude was so busy at the “Kid’s Table” with both youngsters and adults  Comments from attendees:

  • “I’m so thrilled to have gotten my lamp fixed…Thank you.”
  • “Frank did a great job soldering my broken garden ornament.”
  • “The Repair Cafe is not only an exceptional resource, but a wonderful reflection of a vibrant community. On a practical level, our lamp and toaster now have a new lease on life!”
  • “Excellent work! Keep up the good work.”
  • “Great job by Mustafa. Fixed my lamp in 2 minutes.”
  • “Excellent”
  • “Thanks for help with my laptop and mending an antique lace pillow cover. You provide a valuable service for the community. Many, many thanks.”
  • “Love the place!!! I wish I had a special skil to offer, but I’ll spread the word.”
  • “This is an amazing place. Thank you for fixing my shopping care. And it’s  a fun place too.”
  • “This was absolutely amazing! Thank you so much. Ireally appreciated all the caring attention to my light.”
  • “This was so fun.”
  • “Thank you for everything!!”

Some photos from the Cafe!  See you at our next Cafe’s on March 9th and May 11th

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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The Repair Cafe had a very successful 2018.  Below are scenes from Our November 10, 2018 Repair Cafe along  with the variety of items repaired.   In 2019, we hope to see you when we return on Saturday, January 12, 2019.  Same time. Same place.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Notes from the Cafe Our Kid’s Table was often busy and  Jude really engaged a couple of young people demonstrating in series and parallel circuits and used a 555 integrated circuit:) The Electrical Table kept four of our coaches, Frank, Ken, Glenn, Mustafa and one novice,David, joining us for community service, very busy. Repired were: a 3-way lamp, chest, vacuum, brass lamp, food processor, wood chipper (pretty impressive sound and dirt), Conair hair dryer, repaired travel case latch with silver solder (very excited recipient for that), colander repair, electric screw driver found to need batteries. Kate at the Jewelry Table gave advice on polishing, fixed 3 set of earrings, 1 necklace and one beaded bag. David and Mustafa at the Toy and Wood Table gave great effort to fixing a karaoke machine, sewing kit handle repair. Virginia, joined by a new volunteer, David, at the Computer Table: consulted on Ransomware, flash light, provided advice on setting up a wireless printer, looked at an issue with an upgrade from Windows & to Windows 10, recommended contact Microsoft for additional assistance, consult on security. April, Janet and Michele were kept busy at the Sewing  Table:  replaced 4 buttons, repaired 4 seams, leather and knit jacket seams, pillow cover, hems, backpack and bag.

From our Comment Notebook:

  • “I am so happy they were able to fix my lamp.”
  • “Very appreciative of all the help!!”
  • “Thank you so much for all the organizers you were able to fix my daughter’s lunch bag, which I was going to put in the garbage already and a hair dryer. I am so happy and thankful.”   
  • “Happy Thanksgiving to everyone.”
  • “This event is a God send! Thank you for all your work for the earth.”
  • “Thank you for offering this valuable service! You are able to save an old metal colander and my vacuum cleaner. I greatly appreciate your help.”
  • “I am thrilled with the hard work and expertise of Michele and Frank. I am also grateful that they volunteer their time in order to enact actions that dovetail with our values!”
  • “An antique brass lamp was taken apart and rewired by a team of repair geniuses.  A family heirloom restored to working order! Thanks!

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Next Repair Cafe? Saturday, September 15th.

Hope to see you then!

(NOTE: Apologies for any we have inconvenienced, but we must postpone our EWaste Drive to a later date (tbd).)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Notes from our Repair Cafe : June 19, 2018

The Green Ossining Repair Cafe was honored by Westchester County Executive, George Latimer, with an Eco Award for our efforts to bring this program to our community.

Many thanks to our Repair Cafe coordinator, Michele Stone and husband Glenn Simonetti, for their efforts – and to all of ourRepairCafe coaches who have been givinging so freely of their time in sharing their skills to help fix “beloved but broken items.”  We are also very grateful to the Village of Ossining who saw the value in this program in our community and fully supported it. As well, with community partners in the Ossining Recreation Department for providing us the space to host the Cafe, Melrose Lumber for providing us parts at cost, and to First Village Coffee for keeping our coaches pleasantly caffeinated through our Cafe days.  Lastly, many thanks to the Repair Cafe – Hudson Valley and the guidance and support of John Wackman!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Notes from our Repair Cafe: May 19, 2018

Marvelous things happen at the Repair Cafe. A gentleman that lives in Holland (The Repair Cafe started not far away in Amsterdam) and was  visiting the states, sought us out for a visit to see how we do it here in the U.S. . Funny- we put him to work!    Then there was this lovely lady who heard about the Repair Cafe on @Ossining Padres Hispanos Facebook page … she was so appreciative that she came back and delivered warm fresh baked goods for the coaches and attendees.This month, knives were sharpened, family heirloom candlesticks were fixed, beloved stuffed animals were repaired, among so many other things. Don’t miss us when we re-open after the summer on Saturday, September 15th!

 

 

 

Notes from our Repair Cafe for our Launch year, 2017

In 2017, Green Ossining launched the first Repair Cafe in Westchester County.  This skill-sharing community gathering to fix beloved but broken items FOR FREE, begun in Europe over a decade ago, has joined our com

munity in a very special way.   Even kids got in on it and shared their toy-repair skills.   Our last one of 2017 combined the Repair Cafe with an E-Waste Drive.

In 2018, our next two will be held on Saturday,March 24th and May 19th from 11a-3pm at the Joseph Cavuto Community Center (aka Ossining Rec).

Check back for a list of items we hope our community repair coaches can tackle.  And stop in to see what its all about!