A second lease on life for old items
Sustainability and expertise at the Repair Café
What do a broken vacuum cleaner, a retro lamp, and an old record player have in common? They can all be given a new lease on life at the Repair Café. Alongside her work as Online Retail Marketing Manager at Bosch Power Tools in France, Carole Gouyet is passionate about repairing old appliances. The Frenchwoman gives us an insight into her voluntary work and tells us how she discovered her passion for power tools.
Thursday evening, 6 p.m. in Vincennes, France. An electric toothbrush and a broken coffee machine are waiting for Carole, who volunteers at the Repair Café “Le Repaire de Vincennes” every week. Her task? Showing the owners how they can repair their devices – but also stepping in to make the repairs herself. For a small annual fee, the Repair Café opens its doors to all those who want to give their items a second life but don’t really know how. A total of 20 volunteer tinkerers like Carole use their technical knowledge and craftsmanship to help get the used items up and running again.
From gaming to a passion for DIY
Carole has always been creative, but her fascination with power tools came out of the blue. Previously, she spent her time beta-testing video games and writing books. She was familiar with Bosch power tools, but it wasn’t until she started working at Bosch Power Tools as Online Retail Marketing Manager, where she was responsible for customer reviews, among other things, that she delved deeper into the diversity and functionality of the appliances. Ultimately, it was internal training courses and workshops that sparked her passion. She learned how to use the tools herself and started her own DIY projects. Her private collection of Bosch tools soon grew – until she ran out of space in her apartment.
Learning by doing
Without hesitation, she loaned her tools to the local Repair Café. “When the team saw my collection, they asked if I had any practical experience using the tools. To be honest, I had only completed small DIY projects at that time,” Carole recalls. Nevertheless, she immediately took on a challenging case: a broken toy robot rabbit – and Carole’s curiosity was piqued. But although the first repair attempt failed, the spark was ignited: “I loved the challenge of bringing a seemingly lost item back to life.” Since that day, Carole has been an integral part of the Repair Café, learning from the more experienced volunteers and honing her skills every week.
Diversity at the Repair Café
Carole has now been supporting the team for 5 years . At the Repair Café, you never know who will walk in next. Visitors come from all walks of life: from young to old, people who simply need help with repairs, but also people interested in technology who want to become experts themselves. Carole also runs two special workshops on Saturdays for creative minds: One with the green power tools from Bosch for DIYers, where participants not only learn how to use the power tools correctly, but also get their own project up and running. There is also a workshop with Dremel tools, focusing on precision work such as glass engraving. “I really enjoy passing on my knowledge and seeing how other DIY enthusiasts bring their own projects to life,” says Carole.
Over 2 tons of items
have been repaired instead of disposed of since the Repair Café opened in September 2019
Repairing for the environment
For Carole, however, the Repair Café is not just about repairing things – sustainability also plays a major role. “It’s a great feeling to know that our repairs have already saved over two tons of items from landfill since the opening in September 2019,” she says proudly.
Her work at the Repair Café, her DIY workshops, and her job are often intertwined. The in-depth product knowledge that Carole has gained through her job at Bosch Power Tools helps her to make tailored recommendations at the Repair Café. Her workshops also enrich her working life: The tips she gives there on power tools often come in handy when it comes to customer inquiries in her day-to-day work. And she is not only growing technically, but also personally: “Patience and organization are just as important when repairing as they are in my job.”
Summary
The Repair Café in Vincennes is a lively hub of exchange and community. Carole’s involvement in the Repair Café shows how sustainability, craftsmanship, and professional expertise can be combined in an inspiring way. Through her repairs, she actively contributes to environmental protection while sharing her skills in workshops and benefiting from her expertise in her profession.
Did you know?
A Repair Café is not a café in the traditional sense, but rather a place where people come together to repair defective everyday items like electronics, clothing, furniture, or bicycles with the help of knowledgeable volunteers. The aim of a Repair Café is to fix things rather than throw them away, thereby extending the lifespan of products, reducing waste, and conserving resources. There are now Repair Cafés in many cities and communities around the world, and they are usually organized free of charge or on a donation basis.
