AUBURN, Maine — "I can shop and fix my awesome wallet, so I'm super psyched," Alison Hamlin said.
Fixing a wallet might not seem like a big deal, but even the smallest items can hold a big story. "It just meant a lot because of after chemotherapy and Portugal, which was awesome."
For Hamlin, her cork wallet was a memento of the trip she took to Portugal, after recovering from cancer. But, when it broke, she thought she'd just have to let it go and move on.
"I can't really go back just for a wallet." However, when she saw that Auburn Goodwill was hosting a repair fair on Thursday, she thought maybe she wouldn't have to. "I don't have to get a new wallet now, I can just fix the one that really meant a lot to me anyways."
The repairs weren't limited to just wallets, but included clothing and apparel as well.
"I love the problem-solving part of it: looking at something that's broken and trying to find the best next use for it," Josh Bossin, one of the repair wizards behind the event, said. Bossin works for Maine GearShare, which focuses on increasing accessibility to apparel by keeping older items in use longer. He says events like these often have a positive effect.
"Letting them see it's regular people just like you and me fixing things—the light bulb goes off." Bossin is spreading the word that those items you may have almost given up on can be fixed and get a new lease on life.
"Fashion is one of the main polluters in the world," Morgan Sewall, communications specialist for Goodwill, said. Sewall said a lot of people don't know one of Goodwill's main priorities is sustainability. Reusing is one way to help, but so is repairing, which is why they partnered with GearShare to host the event.
"Maybe don't donate this time, maybe if you love it, keep it, and make sure you can use it for as long as possible," Sewall said. That's advice some people are thrilled to take. "Because there are only so many cork trees right," Hamlin said, with a laugh.
Maine GearShare said they will be hosting more of these events in the future. You can stay up-to-date by visiting MaineGearShare.org.