A Repair Cafe for PDX

nancyforarciform • May 21, 2013

I love Portland! Just when I think we’ve reached our maximum quotient of hip, cool, nerdy individuals, great restaurants and diverse events, this thriving metropolis adds something new to the mix.

Sit down for this proclamation: Portland is not perfect.

I know. Crazy, right?

But Portland has been missing something. A place that everyone needs and needs to love – a Repair Café. These cafés exist in Europe, where people stop by the venue on designated nights to have a coffee and get their toasters repaired. Or the hole in their sweater darned, or perhaps a ripped piece of drapery fixed. Like-minded citizens volunteer their services and skills in an effort to keep goods in good working order and out of the landfill. People stay busy, connected, and perhaps well-hydrated (or, at least well-caffeinated). Pretty cool.

Sounds like such a simple concept – and one that simply must exist in Portland, the greenest, grooviest city around. Palo Alto has a Repair Café. But when I started snooping around, I found out Portland didn’t. The world was clearly out of balance! And then a group of like-minded individuals started contacting people around town who had expressed interest in Repair Cafés. They got the ball rolling. Meetings ensued, and damn, they got this crazy-smart idea started up right here. With the help of people from Metro , anti-plastic crusaders, the Reuse Alliance , people who know how to repair (you name it), the Tool Library (do you have a tool inventory like my dad or Ace Hardware in the pics above? I do not!) and many others, the first Repair Node event (a Café is still in the works) will take place at Alberta’s Last Thursday event on May 30th . The repair experts – a sturdy team of volunteers – will be at work from 5:30 to 8:00pm on NE 17th Avenue and Alberta Street strategically perched between the Community Cycling Center and the Umoja Center.

Years and years ago, I saw Sex, Lies, and Videotape at the theater. (Yes, I’m that old.) In one scene, Andie MacDowell is discussing the many reasons she cannot sleep, and one item on her list (per my imperfect memory) was I think about everything in the landfills. How long can we keep putting stuff in landfills? Well, I felt like I’d met a kindred spirit. I’m one of those dorks who looks in my garbage can and says, How do I cut this in half? I hate the mountains of garbage we are creating. When and why did it become OK to toss everything at the first sign of wear and tear? Let’s reverse that trend. And to that end I will be taking holey sweaters to Last Thursday, baby. I’m going to take the right thread, too, just in case there’s a darner there with time on his or her hands. Which brings us to the actual repairing.

For this first outing the group will likely be providing:

  • shoe polishing (shoe repair to follow)
  • sewing (bring those draperies!)
  • and computer repair.

The group is working on adding small electronics repair to the mix (don’t throw out your broken toaster just yet), as well as toy and jewelry repair, plus much more.

The second Repair Café event is planned for June 20th at Ford Food and Drink from 630 to 900PM . More information to follow.

If you are curious about the logistics of a Repair Café, please check out the website for the Repair Café in Palo Alto. See the list of items that can commonly be repaired, plus the caveats they have delineated.

And then sit back and think about landfills and our disposable culture. How can you help avoid wasting? How you can fix something that ain’t (that) broke? Repair rather than tossing! Perhaps you would like to repair goods in an altruistic, nerdy, authentically PDX way, but have no fix-it skills to speak of. Perhaps you have a skill that would help operations run smoothly?

Well, volunteers are also needed to check people in, keep things moving, set up, take down, you name it. Perhaps you actually do have other marketable skills. Do you solder, sew, tinker, fix bikes? If you do, check out the Repair Node Facebook page and consider volunteering (the website will be up soon at www.repairpdx.org ). Or stop by NE Alberta Street on May 30th or Ford Food and Drink on June 20th to talk to the team. We would love to see you. And, you’ll get a kick out of all the stuff that can be fixed and learn more from the people who fix all that stuff.

About Nancy Ranchel

Nancy is an accountant who offsets the practicality of her day job with extravagant and outrageous remodeling projects, often involving massive amounts of scrap metal.  In her free time she can be found dreaming up new ways to turn her house into an art installation, digging through scrap heaps, and contemplating a world without plastic. Check out Nancy’s blog here: www.replaceinpdx.com/

Portland's Architecture

A Century of Style: Portland’s Architecture from the 1850s to Today

By Anne De Wolf • 15 Sep, 2023
Since the easiest way to know the different styles is to understand the art, fashion, science, and industry of the times when they were built, you’ll also understand how Portland’s diverse architecture has told, and continues to tell, our collective story. History deepens experience. You’ll never see Portland through the same eyes again!
The Walter

The Walter: A Labor of Love

By Marty Hegg • 01 Sep, 2023
The next time you’re in the Mt Tabor neighborhood, hiking in the park , picking up plants at Portland Nursery , or ordering take out from Ya Hala , make a detour and drive up SE Belmont Street between 55 th Avenue and 58 th . Better yet, park the car and take a stroll. In the middle of the long block proudly sits the Jacob H. and Etna M. Cook House , built in 1892-93 and looking as handsome as ever. This historic home has journeyed through thick and thin, and current owner Lyrin Murphy is the reason it’s so beautiful today. Originally built as a Victorian in 1892 for Alexander and Maria Warner, it was one of several Victorians with small farms and orchards at the base of Mt. Tabor. They sold the home in 1904 to Jacob H. Cook, a local businessman and lumberman, and his wife, Etna. In 1909, the Cooks completed a major renovation of the home, transforming it into the Neoclassical style we see today. This was a trend amongst socially elite Portlanders, drawn to less-fussy, more open Colonial Revival, Neoclassical, and Craftsman designs, perhaps inspired by travels and exhibits at the 1905 World’s Fair in Portland . They often entertained in their home, hosting dance parties, luncheons, club events, and out-of-town guests. Their large-scale remodel helped push the area into upper-class status in Portland. Some prominent exterior changes were adding the main façade’s massive portico with Tuscan columns, a full-width porch and 2 nd floor balcony, and a smaller balcony at the 3 rd floor.
The Harlow Hotel

The Harlow Hotel: From High Hopes to Hard Times to a New Heyday

By Marty Hegg and Peter Herring • 05 May, 2023
The Italianate brick building – NW Portland’s second oldest remaining commercial structure – has had its share of ups and downs. Captain John Harlow, a Maine sea captain and co-founder of the City of Troutdale, built it as the Grand Hotel in 1882, hoping to cash in on the coming transcontinental railroad station, just blocks away. High hopes were soon lowered, as Grand Central Station (now Union Station) was delayed for fourteen years.
Show More
Portland's Architecture

A Century of Style: Portland’s Architecture from the 1850s to Today

By Anne De Wolf • 15 Sep, 2023
Since the easiest way to know the different styles is to understand the art, fashion, science, and industry of the times when they were built, you’ll also understand how Portland’s diverse architecture has told, and continues to tell, our collective story. History deepens experience. You’ll never see Portland through the same eyes again!
The Walter

The Walter: A Labor of Love

By Marty Hegg • 01 Sep, 2023
The next time you’re in the Mt Tabor neighborhood, hiking in the park , picking up plants at Portland Nursery , or ordering take out from Ya Hala , make a detour and drive up SE Belmont Street between 55 th Avenue and 58 th . Better yet, park the car and take a stroll. In the middle of the long block proudly sits the Jacob H. and Etna M. Cook House , built in 1892-93 and looking as handsome as ever. This historic home has journeyed through thick and thin, and current owner Lyrin Murphy is the reason it’s so beautiful today. Originally built as a Victorian in 1892 for Alexander and Maria Warner, it was one of several Victorians with small farms and orchards at the base of Mt. Tabor. They sold the home in 1904 to Jacob H. Cook, a local businessman and lumberman, and his wife, Etna. In 1909, the Cooks completed a major renovation of the home, transforming it into the Neoclassical style we see today. This was a trend amongst socially elite Portlanders, drawn to less-fussy, more open Colonial Revival, Neoclassical, and Craftsman designs, perhaps inspired by travels and exhibits at the 1905 World’s Fair in Portland . They often entertained in their home, hosting dance parties, luncheons, club events, and out-of-town guests. Their large-scale remodel helped push the area into upper-class status in Portland. Some prominent exterior changes were adding the main façade’s massive portico with Tuscan columns, a full-width porch and 2 nd floor balcony, and a smaller balcony at the 3 rd floor.
The Harlow Hotel

The Harlow Hotel: From High Hopes to Hard Times to a New Heyday

By Marty Hegg and Peter Herring • 05 May, 2023
The Italianate brick building – NW Portland’s second oldest remaining commercial structure – has had its share of ups and downs. Captain John Harlow, a Maine sea captain and co-founder of the City of Troutdale, built it as the Grand Hotel in 1882, hoping to cash in on the coming transcontinental railroad station, just blocks away. High hopes were soon lowered, as Grand Central Station (now Union Station) was delayed for fourteen years.

Site Measures – Part 2: Documenting Home Systems: Mechanical, Electrical & Plumbing

By Sarah Crouse • 03 May, 2023
Measuring a home is more than sizing and locating walls, windows, and doors. There are many more complex parts of a home that need to be captured in order to set our design team up for success during the design process. With remodeling comes moving openings, walls and fixtures, which inevitably means moving systems. Mechanical, electrical, and plumbing systems are typically hidden within walls and between floors, requiring a bit of know-how and experience to properly document, which is crucial for helping our design team to determine the feasibility and cost implications of our choices. Mechanical Systems:

Site Measures - part 1

By Sarah Crouse • 04 Oct, 2022
Remodeling is an art that requires many talents – of course craftsmanship and technical knowledge – but also creativity AND organizational skills. No other step in the process taps into all of those trades quite like as-built documentation. When we pull out a tape measure, we do not only document distances, but how pieces are put together. Knowing why a post is in a particular location, or noting that a duct bisects a space helps the team document the as-built properly and makes communication during all phases of construction clearer and more concise. While measuring a house might sound simple and straightforward, it takes a seasoned crew to be efficient! Our team has a well-vetted checklist of things to measure and note, in addition to an order of operations that helps ensure nothing is missed and our client’s time is well-spent. Here is a peek into how we go about collecting this data: HOT TIP: Make sure to take breaks and have plenty of snacks and drinks on hand. Making mistakes during site measures can waste a lot of time, so making sure everyone is energized is key!

Return to Romance

By Snow Blackwood • 09 Jul, 2022
As I walk to the door of Gretchen Newmark and Jim Gerber’s 1910 Craftsman Bungalow, painted in a pale yellow with cream and periwinkle trim, I notice I’m feeling a little nervous, but I’m not sure why. Jim is a nutritionist who spent 40 years as a professor, teaching nutrition and supervising interns. Gretchen was a dietitian in private practice, collaborating with other health professionals to help people recover from eating disorders. Now she focuses on her passion—spiritual direction. They’ve spent many years helping people find healthy paths in life. I decide my nervousness is just an artifact of this long pandemic as I notice their garden, full of vivid blooms that settle my nerves. My photographer Christine and I mask up as I knock on their door. When Gretchen opens the door, she immediately puts us at ease. “No masks, unless you prefer; we’re fully vaccinated,” she says. We are, too, so we gratefully remove the cloths. I remark on the lovely garden, and how nicely it complements their home.

In Good Hands: Project Manager JOE HOFFMAN

By Marty Hegg & Sarah Crouse • 09 Jul, 2022
Quiz time: which ARCIFORM employee was raised in Detroit, Michigan, has held jobs as a fine woodworker, a stay-at-home-Dad and sailing instructor before his current job at ARCIFORM?  The one and only dependable, often-goofy and incredibly patient Joe Hoffman! As one of two Joes and one of two Hoffmans at ARCIFORM, Joe definitely knows how to set himself apart and make a lasting impression on staff and clients alike.

Building Trusting Relationships by Design

By ARCIFORM • 09 Jul, 2022
Building Trusting Relationships by Design Arciform has been a premier design-build renovation and remodeling company for older buildings and homes in the greater Portland Metro area since 1997. From the very beginning, we set out to be the designers and craftspeople you could trust to achieve your vision. We aim to create a smooth, transparent process that involves you from start to end, and to deliver zero surprises – except the delighted surprise you feel when you see your finished project. For decades we’ve partnered with hundreds of people in the Pacific Northwest to bring their dreams to life. We believe that it is the relationships we build in the process of designing for you that are the real foundation of our success. Over time we’ve found that our relationships with our clients are similar to successful relationships we have with partners, good friends and family. They rest on trust engendered by the integrity of open communication, doing what you say, following up, and quickly making good if anything goes awry. So we thought we’d write a little about the ingredients that we think go into creating great relationships that, like our designs and work, endure. 
Fried Durkheimer House

By Saving “One of the Last of Its Kind,” ARCIFORM Preserves Portland’s History

By Holly Cullom • 09 Jul, 2022
The ARCIFORM team has been hard at work restoring the historic Fried-Durkheimer House , also known locally as the first Morris Marks House, and the extensive renovations are nearing completion. Recently, we were able to take a look at the progress and talk to project manager Joe McAlester and the ARCIFORM crew about this impressive Italianate structure.
More Posts
Share by: