How To! How To Repair Your Stuff
May 27, 2025
Phoebe Schenker, executive director of Reuse Alliance and founder of The Mending Library, joins to discuss the burgeoning reuse economy. She emphasizes community repair fairs as creative hubs for fixing broken items. The conversation also explores the cultural contrasts in repair practices, particularly between the U.S. and South Korea. Listeners are encouraged to shift their mindset towards sustainability by embracing repairs and secondhand goods, fostering a culture of reuse, and understanding the ethical implications of waste and consumption.
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Quirky Items at Repair Fairs
- Repair fairs receive a vast array of broken items, including vintage pinball machines and lantern fish masks.
- Volunteers repair diverse items, proving that many things can be fixed with the right skills and tools.
Vintage vs. New Repairability
- Newer products are often less repairable due to plastic parts and design for disposability.
- Vintage items were typically made of metal, making them more durable and easier to repair.
Childhood Sewing and Mending Creativity
- Phoebe learned to sew from her mother and made a dress and a skirt out of ties as a child.
- Mending often fosters creativity and is quicker and freer than sewing new items from scratch.