The Fixery is a community resource for anyone who’s keen to repair things, save money and keep stuff out of landfill. We’re based in Reepham, Norfolk, UK.
Come along to one of our sessions and get your stuff fixed for free!
Our volunteer Fixers help to repair everything from picture frames to PCs, and we pass on our skills by showing people how to fix their own stuff. We’ve been operating since February 2024.
We’re normally open on the second and fourth Saturday of every month from 11 am to 3 pm in the Bircham Centre, Market Place, Reepham NR10 4JJ.
Get in touch if you’d like to check opening times or ask whether we can fix a particular item (the usual answer is: “Bring it in and we’ll try”).
The Fixery is Reepham’s version of a repair café. It’s a place to bring things that need fixing, to help other people fix their stuff, and to share skills. The repair service is free, though we might ask you to pay for any replacement parts needed.
Everyone has stuff, right? And stuff breaks. We think some broken stuff deserves to be fixed, and that Reepham deserves a place to do it.
Repair cafés like The Fixery are popping up all over these days.
Lots of people are concerned about the amount of resources we use and the waste we generate. Keeping things working for longer is one small way to do something about that.
The economy also isn’t in great shape right now. Fixing things saves money, even if it just means keeping something working for a few more months.
And we fix lots of things that have sentimental value.
On the political side, people get fed up with buying stuff that’s designed to break. The Right to Repair movement is gathering strength. New laws are forcing big corporations to make their gadgets easier to repair.
Young people have a handle on this. They’re increasingly opting to buy their clothes and gadgets secondhand. We can all do with a bit of that.
If you have broken stuff, our helpful Fixers will either try to fix it or help you try to fix it. You’ll save money and get the pleasure of not having to send things to landfill.
If you’re a Fixer yourself, you get to pass on your skills, learn from like-minded people, and help folks feel good.
And … you can be both a Fixer and a Fixee. Skilled with electronics but don’t have a clue how to hem your jeans? Someone else will help – and perhaps next time you can fix their games console.
A visit to The Fixery costs nothing. We’re all volunteers and we don’t charge for our services.
If we need to buy a spare part, we might ask you to pay for that. Once we’ve had a look at what’s wrong, we’ll always discuss any possible costs with you.
We happily accept donations to cover the costs of adhesives, gaffer tape, electric cable and other “consumables”.
People often ask if we can fix this, that or the other. “Probably, but bring it in” is our usual answer.
We do clothes, cushions and bags, jewellery (not gold), bikes, toys, ceramics, small furniture items, lamps, toasters, vacuum cleaners, hi-fi systems, electronics and IT stuff.
Between us we have a lot of skills, and we’ll have a go at fixing most things. If we can’t fix something, we can often suggest a professional repairer who might help. We absolutely don’t want to take business away from skilled professionals.
Unfortunately, we still see too many things that either can’t be fixed at all or can’t be fixed economically. We simply promise to look at your items and tell you what we think.
A lot of modern gadgets are more reliable, safer, and above all cheaper than they used to be. Ask anyone who had a TV in the 1960s.
Still, you generally get what you pay for. That sometimes extends to repairability, though it still isn’t easy to tell in advance whether you can get spares for a particular gadget.
Battery-powered tools are wonderful, but a lot of batteries don’t last long and are expensive to replace. Cordless vacuum cleaners, we’re looking at you! If a mains-powered tool will do the job, buy that instead.
Many electrical items on Amazon and eBay are dodgy, sometimes to the point of being illegal because they don’t meet UK safety standards. Especially for chargers, power supplies and Li-ion batteries our advice is to buy reputable brands from actual shops.
Visiting The Fixery is like asking for help from a knowledgable neighbour. We do our best, but there are many things we can’t fix. There’s a very small chance we might break your stuff, and we’ll ask you to sign a piece of paper to say that you accept that risk. That said, most people are very pleased with what we do.