The Port Townsend Marine Science Center has announced its next set of repair events, which show people how to fix clothing, electronics, furniture and a variety of household goods, and are open to all.

Outreach coordinator Mandi Johnson addressed how the program, which happens in June and July, came to be under the Marine Science Center’s purview.

Johnson explained that the Marine Science Center developed its “Repair It!” exhibit to showcase its JeffCo Repair program, as well as to promote the general concept of repair and reuse within the surrounding community.

As for the origins of the JeffCo Repair program itself, Johnson sought funding after the success of Port Townsend's first “Repair Cafe” in February of 2020, in the hopes of creating a consistent repair resource for the community.

“Unfortunately, COVID shut that repair cafe down,” Johnson said. “But then, we got a public participation grant from the state Department of Ecology in late 2021.”

This enabled the JeffCo Repair events, sponsored by the Port Townsend Marine Science Center, to start in earnest in 2022, with the support of Local 2020’s Beyond Waste action group.

For more summer activities, see

The Romp 2024 guide A21-27.

By the end of January of this year, Johnson told The Leader that the JeffCo Repair events had diverted just short of 2,018 pounds of materials from the waste stream, repaired 372 items for Jefferson County residents, and averaged an 80.5% success rate in repairing items.

“Despite not having much to do with marine science on the surface, the Port Townsend Marine Science Center became the umbrella organization for this program because it provides community members with an opportunity to participate directly in conservation,” Johnson said. “We may not immediately see the link between our own ‘stuff,’ and the health of our planet and oceans, but it’s definitely there.”

Johnson elaborated that tossing out usable goods, that could be repaired, reused or given a second life, contributes to the pollution that groups such as the Marine Science Center actively work against.

“This is another major reason why we created the ‘Repair It!’ exhibit, because we wanted to share with folks why in the world the Marine Science Center hosts a repair program in the first place,” Johnson said.

Johnson estimated the events’ repair crews have expanded, from slightly more than 10 to nearly 30 volunteers.

The Marine Science Center’s “Repair It!” exhibit, at its Flagship Landing Gallery on 1001 Water St. in downtown Port Townsend, is scheduled to host “Stitch N’ Fix” mending workshops, on the Saturdays of June 7 and July 5 from 1-3 p.m., and on the Tuesdays of June 18 and July 16 from 6-8 p.m.

The same site is set to host do-it-yourself repair sessions for lamps on Monday, June 10, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., and for furniture on Tuesday, July 9, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., while electronics exploration and repair workshops are slated to be conducted on the Thursdays of June 20 and July 18 from 3-6 p.m.

She invited more prospective fixers and tinkerers to take part, by emailing her at mjohnson@ptmsc.org.

For more information on the repair program, visit JeffCoRepair.com.