It was broken clocks, phones, motors and more at the Palliser Pavillion this weekend.

Swift Current residents and those from the surrounding area were able to bring out their broken items for inspection and repair at the newly returned Swift Current Repair Cafe. The Cafe is a free repair workshop, where volunteers attempt to help repair someone's belongings free of charge, or at the flat rate of materials.

This is the first time the Repair Cafe has opened up shop since the pandemic, and saw a big return to the limelight.

Josh Chalmers, who works as a web app developer by day, and phone repairman by night, participated in the event for the first time. Having recently moved to Swift Current, he was ecstatic to find such an event in town. 

"I'm enjoying the companionship of having other repair people," said Chalmers. "Sometimes it's a lonely job, repairing things, so it's neat getting to know some people who have shared interests."

Amongst the many tables in the Pavillion, there were men and women patching up everything from clothing, small engines, mobile devices, computers, speakers, clockworks, and even books.

Manning the book booth was Andrea McCrimmon, who has been involved with the Cafe since before the pandemic took it offline for a few years. 

"I think it's a really great community-building project," said McCrimmon.  "It keeps things out of the landfill, and it helps people. It's great that we can put [their items] back together."

The idea of reduce, reuse, repair, recycle is very evident in the atmosphere, as people bring in some modern items that normally would be tossed away, generating e-waste. Here, those same items are given new life. 

"I really feel like we've been duped by the cell phone companies," said Chalmers. "Because they help subsidize the cost of these new devices. You could keep your cell phone running for seven or eight years if you weren't concerned about getting the most recent updates from Apple or Samsung. If you put a new battery in an old device, it'll last another two or three years in most cases."

Josh Chalmers and his nephew, Samuel.Josh Chalmers and his nephew, Samuel. (photo by Hayden Michaels)

Chalmers was adamant that with a little spare time, some help from online tutorials, and the willingness to learn, most anybody can learn to repair their own devices, which is another theme of the Repair Cafe.

"I'm a big fan of the right-to-repair move," said Chalmers. "I brought my nephew today, Samuel, and we've been working on fixing cell phones together and just passing that value on to the next generation is really important."

Samuel, who was sighted by his uncle to be taking apart his toys and seeing how they worked, already has a knack for the repair process. 

"I just think it's pretty cool and I like fixing phones with my uncle," said Samuel. 

The next Repair Cafe will be held in the spring of 2023, given that no other global issues waylay it again. Everyone is encouraged to come out with any item they have that needs any kind of repairs. Whether that's a 100-year-old clock or the latest smart device, the folks involved at the Cafe are confident they can lend a hand.