While the Marino Community Hall is being re-built, Marino Repair Café is up and running at Seacliff Uniting Church, Wheatland St, with thanks to all at the Church for their welcome. The Repair Café is held 1pm until 4pm on 3rd Sunday/each month. It’s called a café as the volunteers give their time freely and only ask for a donation if your item is repaired. And like all good cafés there is barista coffee and cake.
The Café belongs to the Australian Repair Network which is part of a world-wide movement advocating for the Right to Repair which helps keep independent shops open. When manufacturers don’t make parts and tools available, they create repair monopolies and hurt small businesses. 96% of independent repair shops surveyed have to turn customers away because of repair restrictions. If the Right to Repair is not protected in law, their businesses will suffer. Manufacturers at their own service centres can push you to buy new instead of repairing. They can set prices wherever they like. And they can shred reusable devices in stead of recycling them. Having to compete with independent shops keeps manufacturers honest.
Check out the Marino Repair Café details on Facebook.