Springfield Fix-It Fair Mends 40 Items, Saves Families Cash

When your favorite shoes wear out or your child's jacket tears, most people head straight to the store for a replacement. But families in Springfield, Missouri are discovering a better way that saves money and creates less waste.

The Midtown Carnegie Library hosted a Fix-It Fair where skilled volunteers repaired clothes, shoes, and appliances for free. Community Partnership of the Ozarks partnered with the library to offer the service, helping families around Springfield mend more than 40 items in one afternoon.

Lanette Blevins has been sewing most of her life and jumped at the chance to share her skills. She learned to repair instead of replace out of necessity when her own kids were young.

"I had children. They're very hard on their clothing," Blevins said. "I couldn't afford to go out and buy new stuff every time something tore or wore out in a spot."

Rae Corder brought her family to get shoes and clothing fixed. She said taking a good pair of shoes to a cobbler makes more sense than buying cheap replacements that fall apart after a few months.

"You can extend the life of your investment instead of just throwing it away and going to a box store," Corder explained. The approach saves her family money while reducing what ends up in landfills.

The Ripple Effect

What started as a budget-friendly solution is creating environmental benefits too. Both Corder and Blevins said their families think about the planet when choosing repair over replacement.

"We're trying to live light on the earth and be good stewards of what we have," Corder said. Every mended jacket and resoled shoe means less waste and fewer resources needed to manufacture new items.

The volunteers encouraged anyone interested in learning repair skills to look for classes or watch instructional videos online. The next Fix-It Fair is scheduled for May, giving more families a chance to save money while saving perfectly good items from the trash.