IN THE NEWS!
This particular cafe was started by long-time neighbors Claire and Courtney. Claire, a sustainability and climate change planning consultant, was inspired by her friend Charlotte’s work on the Chiswick Repair Cafe in London. When she realized San Francisco didn’t have its own repair cafe, she reached out to her neighbor and friend Courtney, the community builder and artist behind @peopleartmusic.
They figured that if Berkeley, Sebastopol, and Palo Alto (to name a few) had their own repair cafes or fix-it clinics, it was time San
Francisco had one too.
Full Article: Lower Haight Local, Issue 8: Repurposing
"Sometimes it is helpful for people to have
‘permission’ to recycle an item if our repairers think
it can’t be mended"
The Haight-NOPA repair cafe takes those additional costs out of the equation. Bring them all things broken, and their team of volunteers will try their absolute hardest to fix it - free of charge!"
Full article: Revitalizing the Lost Art of Repair at the Haight NOPA Repair Cafe
BROKE ASS STUART - March 12, 2026
REVITALIZING THE LOST ART OF THE REPAIR CAFE AT THE HAIGHT-NOPA REPAIR CAFE
"You ring a bell when a thing is repaired. And then on that cue, everyone knows something's been fixed — and everybody cheers!"
By: Alexandra Sarimaskci
“The Haight-Nopa Repair Café is a local volunteer driven initiative to help reduce waste, save resources and money, and bring joy to the local community. Patrons bring their broken or worn item (electronics, appliances, clothes, toys, jewelry, etc.) to the Repair Café event and volunteers try to repair it and/or give advice on what can be done. Neighbor-made sweet treats are available to help pass the time if there is a wait. We aim to have a minimum of four events a year.”
“Claire has been working on sustainability issues in the built environment for over 20 years, and was inspired to set up the Repair Café because of her friend Charlotte’s successful Chiswick Repair Café in London. She found there were many similar repair cafés or fix-it clinics in the North, East and South Bay but not in San Francisco. She asked Courtney, her neighbor and the founder of People!Art!Music!, to support her as she thought it would resonate perfectly with the work she does uplifting local creatives, small businesses and inspiring community connection.”
Full Article: BVNA Spotlight: Haight-Nopa Repair Cafe
"The Haight-Nopa Repair Café is a local volunteer driven initiative to help reduce waste, save resources and money, and bring joy to the local community"
Patrons visiting the repair café first were greeted by Bailey and Matthew, who helped them fill in a registration form with vital statistics about their broken thing. Anna then helped them select a sweet treat, and Kinshuk showed them to a seat before Justin or Emma whisked the patrons off to meet their designated repairer at one of the tables labelled ‘Woodwork,’ ‘Appliances,’ ‘Sewing,’ or ‘Electronics.’ Then through great repairer collaborations, patrons watched their appliance, electronics, jewelry, or clothing being studied, unscrewed, soldered, tweezered, or stitched.
Full Article: The Inaugural Haight-Nopa Repair Cafe
"Our amazing volunteers repaired a 100-year old rosary, a 1970's record player, a toaster, a CD player, jewelry & clothing."