When something breaks, typically it ends up in the trash.
But No Waste Lafayette and Project Front Yard are hoping to change that.
On Saturday, they hosted a pop-up "Fix-It Cafe" at the Lafayette Parish Library’s downtown branch.
For instance, a BlueRay player that had seen better days was brought to the cafe Saturday, where Adam Melancon and his team were hoping for an easy repair.
Melancon was one of several experienced volunteers who were on hand to try to fix the broken stuff people brought in.
"There are a lot of things people think are ready for the trash, but with a little luck, you can sometimes get it going," Melancon siad.
And he was right about that BlueRay player, because the repair was a success.
Workers say while not every item at the café is repairable, usually, they’re able to diagnose the problem.
"We can at least give them a head start as to this is the problem so maybe they won’t have to pay as much for diagnostic time. They will at least know where to go and not have to toss it into the trash."
Volunteers also had set up stations to repair bikes, clothes and jewelry.
Mary Attwood, a Metal Artist, was one of them.
"We’ve been able to do 90% of what people bring in, so that’s good," she said. "Sometimes we redo the jewelry if we have everything we need. Most of the time though, people just want it repaired if it’s something meaningful to them."
She says restoring these items gives her a sense of pride.
"A lot of times it is something that has been sitting around for 10 years and they’re just waiting for someone to fix it," she said. "You feel accomplished because you go into it not knowing what you’re going to deal with. Everything is a mystery when it hits the desk."
Organizers hope to make the cafe a quarterly event.
