Fix-It Booths: A creative ‘go-to’ for repairs and savings in rural Lane County

By Daniel Hiestand

Lane County Waste Reduction Outreach Coordinator

I’ve been working at Lane County Waste Management since 2022. Soon after I started, in 2023, we began hosting Fix-It Fairs.

For those who may not be familiar, Fix-It Fairs are free public events where attendees work with fixers (also known as repair coaches) to repair everyday household items for free. In the last couple of years, Lane County has hosted five Fix-It Fairs: two in Springfield, one in Cottage Grove, one in Creswell, and one in Florence.

The events have allowed our repair coaches to serve hundreds of residents and diverted countless items from landfills. However, one thing we noted was that our rural communities expressed a need for more frequent, accessible repair opportunities than a single Fix-It Fair every couple of years.

Hence, our new “Fix-It Booth” project.

Unlike larger Fix-It Fairs, which feature multiple repair coaches at a single event, the Fix-It Booth model will offer a single repair coach at a time, allowing for more frequent repair opportunities. This approach ensures rural communities have ongoing access to repair services over a longer duration, reducing waste and saving residents money.

Starting earlier this summer, residents near Cottage Grove, Florence, and Oakridge have been able to bring broken household items to farmers markets in those communities and work with fixers to get them repaired.

The booths will run from now through early fall.

Event Details

• Where: Cottage Grove, Florence & Oakridge Farmers Markets. See schedules and locations at fixitlanecounty.org/calendar.
• When: Booths will be open during the market hours.
• Cost: Free
• What to bring: Small household items in need of repair. Please visit fixitlanecounty.org/calendar for specific repair categories before attending.

In addition to the Fix-It Booths, Lane County will also host a traditional Fix-It Fair in Springfield on Sept. 21 at BRING from 12-3 p.m.

For more information, visit FixItLaneCounty.org/calendar or follow Waste Wise Lane County on social media. See you there!

Waste Wise Tip: Fix-It Fair and Booth best practices

When attending a Fix-It Fair or Booth, please limit the number of items you bring to one per person. The item should be something one person can carry without assistance. While repair staff do their best, please note that fixes cannot be guaranteed. Additionally, repair times may vary from several minutes to two hours, depending on the crowd size and the complexity of the repairs. Finally, we hope all attendees view Fix-It Fairs as more than just a place to fix your stuff for free. We hope you learn repair skills and mingle with fellow attendees and fixers in a spirit of inclusivity and connection. Whether it’s engaging in conversations or simply people watching, Fix-It Fairs are—at their core—about community.