2026 Schedule Coming Soon!

Hi Friends of WNC Repair Cafe! 

A Repair Cafe is a place where you’ll find volunteers with tools and supplies, available to fix broken objects while offering instruction hands-on experience in the art of repair.   Repair Cafes are free programs, where you are encouraged to bring in your broken appliance, stuck zipper, rusty tools, old bicycle, dull pruning shears – whatever you can imagine – and work with volunteers to make the necessary repairs to keep it running.

Repair Cafes around the world help build resilient communities by:

Helping​ ​a​ ​neighbor​:​ Restoring valuable material items at no cost of labor. 

Sharing skills: Teaching repair skills and encouraging hands-on learning

Sharing ​ideas:​ Sharing insight and appreciation of how things made, repaired, and disposed of. 

Diverting​ ​resources​ ​from​ ​the​ ​landfill:​ Engaging in practical action on waste reduction.

Empowering our community with the skills and resources to prosper in a sustainable economy.  

WNC Repair Cafe started in Mills River in 2018,  and following the pandemic, expanded to various communities in Buncombe and Haywood Counties. For 2026, we're proud to announce we are including regular events in Weaverville, as well as expanded pop-up workshops in Madison and Yancey Counties, along with continued partnerships with Henderson County Repair Cafes.   Repair Cafes are expanding rapidly across North Carolina and the United States. We are proud to be a part of this tradition of helping neighbors, thriftiness, good conversation, and passing down skills to future generations.

 

2018 WNC Repair Cafe Volunteers in Mills River NC
 

Along with our expansion in 2026, we'll be focusing on improving the experience for visitors and volunteers alike.  For the next two months, WNC Repair Cafe is building an advisory team to help organize and improve a variety of metrics, including successful repair rate, visitor educational experience and volunteer satisfaction. This is a lot of work, so please be patient as we head in 2026!  We'll be releasing our schedule shortly after the new year.  For now, you can expect an ambitious schedule of over 24 workshops, and in-person repair workshops to resume in February 2026. 

2024 WNC Repair Cafe Volunteers in Asheville

2025 WNC Repair Cafe Volunteer Sewing Crew

interesting in Helping? There are many ways you can help:

Join our Mailing list and be the first to receive notices of new events by sending an Email to WNCRepairCafe@gmail.com

Follow us on Social Media @WNCRepairCafe

Are you a skilled fixer? We need your help!

Do you have other skills you are excited to offer? Can you provide snacks? Help with fundraising, media, or data management?  We need your help too!

Are you in Weaverville? Help us build our volunteer base for 2026 workshops


 

 

2025 Schedule

 



2025 is going to be a big year of recovery for Western North Carolina and community repair will be as important as ever.  We're pleased to announce a robust schedule of events with our community partners at Buncombe County Public Libraries, Asheville Tool Library and Haywood Community College, while also leaving room for Pop-up repair events at the Organic Growers School spring conference, Asheville Maker's Faire.  Stay tuned as we'll be adding MORE pop-up events in early spring and summer, along with a special FREE high-school repair education program taking place in Haywood County this spring.   

Sewing and Mending Repairs include: all things that can be fixed with thread, including hand stitching and those that require sewing machines and sergers.  Zipper repairs and boot/shoe glue repairs will be offered as well.  Sorry, no sewing machine repairs are offered here. 

House Hold Repairs include: all small home appliances, tools, heirlooms, small engines, furniture, sewing machines and almost anything else you can imagine. "If it comes from your house and if fits in your car, we'll fix it for free."  Sewing repairs are typically not offered here, but may be offered in the future.  Additionally, we reserve the right to limit repairs for concerns of safety, for example, CRT TVs, firearms, automobile repairs are not offered. 

Please email WNCRepairCafe@gmail.com for questions and volunteer opportunities.