Nederland, Colorado is witnessing inspiring community action as it hosted its first Repair Café on January 25, 2025. On this frigid, snowy Saturday, eight dedicated volunteer coaches, including Mike Techentin, came together to lend their skills to residents eager to fix broken household items. "It’s just confidence," Techentin said, highlighting the essence of the initiative.
The event, coordinated by Anne De Jager, ran from noon to 3 p.m. and drew numerous participants who brought along items ranging from kitchen appliances to vintage electronics—all of which carried either pragmatic or sentimental value. Techentin, whose expertise includes 3D printing, soldering, mechanical work, and woodworking, agreed with fellow coach Philip Skentelbery on the important step of building confidence for those attempting repairs.
“Sometimes people aren’t comfortable opening things up—and really, it just takes someone with perhaps a little over-confidence to say ‘Oh, I can do That,’” Skentelbery remarked. With each item requiring diverse solutions, community members left their apprehensions at the door, ready to engage with their belongings alongside experienced coaches.
The variety of items brought for repair was impressive: coaches tackled everything from a malfunctioning lava lamp to several stand mixers, electronics, and even the coveted Craftsman miter saw. "The lava lamp was a bit of a puzzle," Skentelbery explained, describing how the interior bulb had died, necessitating cleaning and rewiring for it to work again.
Among the many repairs, Techentin provided diagnostic assistance to various items, including one unique homemade ceramic clock, itself riddled with quirky quirks. Meanwhile, Peter Kahn, another volunteer with years of woodworking experience, provided the necessary wooden dowel, which he whittled down to size to replace a safety switch on the miter saw. Similar stories of ingenuity extended throughout the café.
Meanwhile, Kevin Maris, with his background fixing small electronics, delved deep to solve the power issue on one resident’s adored pressure cooker. Alongside him, De Jager sought the answer for the kitchen mixer conundrum—only to find the mechanical parts inside the device would not yield easily. "I wouldn’t say I’m fully certified yet, but you can think of me as a junior apprentice,” joked coach Kevin Turner, who later found himself juggling three different stand mixers.
Melody Baumhover and fellow coach Ian Hill faced off against the challenge of repairing a busted hinge on a laptop screen. After careful disassembly, they managed to reassemble and replace the hinge, with Baumhover excitedly exclaiming, “It took multiple heads coming together to come up with a strategy, but it works—the Franken-laptop works!” Their hard work brought smiles to attendees as they reclaimed their repaired devices.
Out of 18 items brought to the Repair Café, 15 were successfully fixed—an undeniable victory for the community effort. "If we had any doubts whether this concept would be feasible in Ned, they're gone now!" the NRC social media post declared, manifesting the pride felt by all involved.
Looking forward, De Jager expressed optimism about the future of such initiatives. “We had a good showing, even with all the snow, so there seems to be a lot of interest in the community for it,” she noted. Residents eager for another event were prompted to keep their eyes peeled for announcements on future Repair Cafés.
It is clear from the success of this initiative how invaluable community support can be, and the enthusiasm exhibited leaves little doubt this won't be the last event of its kind. With thanks owed to De Jager and the dedicated coaches—Judi Anderson, Craig, and Patti VanSandt—who made this event happen, Nederland hopes to continue fostering community bonds through resourcefulness and collaboration.
Residents wishing to volunteer for future Repair Cafés, or those who own items needing repair, can register at: https://repair.nerder.land.