What started as a small sustainability effort at Joliet Junior College has quickly grown into a powerful community resource—one that’s giving new life to everyday items and the people who bring them in.
Since launching in fall 2023, JJC’s Repair Café has documented more than 300 repaired items. At the most recent event on April 18, volunteers set a new record, fixing 163 items in a single day.
Held from 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at the Romeoville Campus, the event is open to the public with no sign-up required. Community members can walk in with broken or worn belongings and leave with either a repair, a diagnosis, or guidance on what to do next.
Not every item can be fully restored, but each one is given attention. When possible, parts can even be recreated using 3D printing resources on campus.
If a fix isn’t feasible, visitors still walk away with expert advice, often learning how to repurpose their items rather than throw them away and even getting the tips to fix it themselves next time.
The café is organized into six repair stations: sewing, bicycles, ceramics, small furniture and misalignments, jewelry, and electronics.
Each station is run entirely by volunteers, many of whom come from the surrounding community.
At the sewing station, Nancy, a local volunteer, worked steadily behind her machine, guiding fabric under the needle with practiced ease.
This was only her second time at the Repair Café, but she came prepared—bringing her own sewing machine for comfort and familiarity.
“I just enjoy sewing in my free time,” she said, adding that what draws her most to the event is its focus on sustainability.
For Nancy, the repairs are often simple—hemming, small tears, or minor fixes—but they require tools not everyone has access to.
“Not everyone has a machine at home,” she said.
While all equipment is provided by the college, Nancy said her favorite part is helping people who might not otherwise have the resources to fix their belongings.
As she worked, an older woman approached with a pair of pants she wanted adjusted to her height. While the station does not typically handle full alterations, Nancy worked with her to find a solution. Together, they decided to fold the pants inward to the desired length and sew across to secure them.
Nancy guided the woman through the process, comparing the length to another pair she had brought for reference. Even without the ideal tools, she was able to help, and the woman left smiling.
Sitting beside her was Tessa, a JJC child education student who has been attending the Repair Café for four years. Over time, she has become both a regular participant and an advocate for the event.
She recalled one of her favorite moments at the event, a young girl who brought in a stuffed monkey missing its tail.
“I fixed it for her,” Tessa said. “She was so happy.”
This year, Tessa found herself on both sides of the process. While volunteering, she also brought in an old rocking chair her job had planned to throw away. Instead, she placed her trust in the Repair Café.
“They fixed it,” she said. “I knew they could.”
In the past, she brought in an old computer that could not be fully repaired due to a missing part. Still, the experience changed how she viewed waste.
Rather than discarding it, she repurposed the computer into a planter at home. Bringing home the exact message the college is trying to promote.
Across the hall, in the furniture repair section, another transformation was taking place. A pair of worn, wobbly chairs sat waiting to be fixed—ordinary at first glance, but more valuable than they appeared.
As one volunteer worked to stabilize the broken legs, carpenter Tim Pruim examined the structure more closely. Pruim, who has worked in carpentry for most of his life, recognized something others might have missed.
“You can tell they’re special by the leg spacing on the bottom,” Pruim said. “The leg bars give it away.”
What seemed like a simple repair turned into a moment of discovery.
“I’ll definitely cherish them a bit more now,” Bob said after learning their value. “Might sell them if gas keeps going up.”
The Repair Café is a magical place where ordinary items are given a second life—and where people are reminded that not everything needs to be thrown away to move forward. Sometimes, all it takes is a little time, a set of skilled hands, and the willingness to try again.
