Halifax Repair Cafe helps residents fix broken stuff — and save money

Advertisement 1 This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Breadcrumb Trail Links HomeAtlantic CanadaNewsNova ScotiaHalifax Halifax Repair Cafe helps residents fix broken stuff — and save money New community group in Halifax fixes pretty much any household item for free Author of the article: By Jen Taplin Published Sep 16, 2026 Last updated 37 minutes ago 5 minute read Tina Roberts-Jeffers works on a wind-up radio in Halifax on Monday. She now volunteers at the Halifax Repair Cafe. PHOTO BY TIM KROCHAK /The Chronicle Herald Article content Everyone’s got one — that broken thing sitting on the shelf for years. It doesn’t work for some mysterious reason, but it seems such a shame to throw it out. Article content For Tina Roberts-Jeffers, it was a broken emergency radio. Article content Article content “I was very disappointed. I had let one of my kids use it, and luckily we hadn’t had any emergency and need to listen to the radio, but I had been worried that it was not fixable. And I certainly didn’t know how to fix it on my own.” Article content Article content A friend told her about a new community group that was helping people fix stuff, all kinds of stuff: ripped clothing, furniture, computers, toasters . . . anything. Article content The volunteers share their time, patience, expertise, tools and spare parts. Article content It’s called the Halifax Repair Cafe and they take over a community room at the Keshen Goodman Public Library in Clayton Park once a month. Article content Halifax Repair Cafe volunteers Chris Seymour and Tina Roberts-Jeffers during a Halifax Repair Cafe session at the Keshen Goodman Public Library. PHOTO BY JEFF BETHUNE Article content “It took a little while to crack it open because it wasn’t clear where all of the screws that were holding it together were but, yeah, I don’t think it was there for (over) 15 or 20 minutes.” Article content Getting it fixed was terrific, but so was the sense of community she found there. And so, by the next session, Roberts-Jeffers joined up as a volunteer. Article content “I think it’s just an awesome space,” she said. “I feel like in the current world, and all the experiences and messages coming in, it’s about how everything is so broken: so broken, so broken. This is a place to go, and partner with people and try at least to fix things.” Article content Article content Read More Retail market in Halifax tightens as U.S.-Canada trade war drives…