Utica Creative Reuse

A nonprofit art supply thrift store, offering free art workshops

Index of Local Resources for Repairs

<- Return to Reuse Resources Main Page

Visit our monthly Repair Café event to learn more about DIY repairs! Bring a broken item and our volunteers will help you diagnose and attempt to fix it. You can also volunteer to help fix stuff at a repair café!

Suggest a location

Do you offer repairs or have a suggestion about adding a CNY repair location to our list? Submit the information using the form on this page.

Local Repair Locations

Appliance Repairs

Clothing alteration/repair

Computer & Phone Repairs

Furniture/Wood Repair

  • JAY-K Lumber
  • (315) 735-4475
  • 8448 Seneca Tpke, New Hartford, NY 13413
  • N-Hance Revolutionary Wood Renewal
  • 1034 Erie St, Utica, NY 13502
  •  (315) 738-1113

Knife Sharpening

Shoe Repair

  • Discount Shoe Repair
  • 315-472-0976
  • 114 E Washington St, Syracuse, NY 13202
  • Marnell Shoe Repair
  • 315-431-9924
  • 223 W Manlius St, East Syracuse, NY 13057

Television Repair

Upholstery

  • Deb’s Upholstery, Repair & Service
  • (315) 733-9177
  • 7939 Seneca Tpke, Clinton, NY 13323

Miscellaneous Resources

Oneida Herkimer Waste Authority: Local Reuse Options

General Reference questions: Ask your local library! Find yours here: https://midyork.overdrive.com/support/members

Additional resources: 

Do it Yourself Repairs Checklist

If you would like to attempt to repair your item yourself, try these steps to get started!

Electronics & Mechanical Items

  1. Check the source first: if a lamp suddenly isn’t turning on, try plugging something else into the outlet to ensure that there is power. 
  2. Eliminate all simple solutions: Once you’ve eliminated this as the source of the problem, try changing the bulb
  3. Use a voltmeter to help pinpoint faults and verify circuit functionality in electrical items
  4. Unplug and restart: turn it off, and then turn it back on again! Sometimes electronics need a hard reset to fix an issue.
  5. Identify the make and model number on your item and search for an online copy of the manual if you no longer have one
  6. Before you take it apart: if you plan to disassemble the item to look for the problem,
    1. Turn it off and unplug the item to remove it from any power source
    2. Take a picture of it before disassembling anything, so you know where all the parts should go when you’re ready to put it back together
    3. Have a tray or bowl handy to hold all screws and small parts

Fabric Items

Before discarding an item made of fabric, try searching for information on solutions to common problems:

  1. Cleaning: if a fabric is soiled or has been stained, search for cleaning methods based on the fabric type and the staining agent.
  2. Overdyeing: if you can’t remove a stain from a fabric, you may be able to “overdye” the fabric a darker color to mask the stain
  3. Mending, Patching, Darning: mend holes or tears in fabric with patching or darning techniques to extend the longevity of the life of your fabric 

General advice:

  1. Run a key-word search for your specific issue on the internet using a search engine like Google. Be sure to include the specific make and model numbers if you have them.
  2. Consult professionals in your community where you may be able to get advice for free (check your local community college, library, hardware, or craft stores)
  3. Check locally for “fixit shops” that can help diagnose or fix your item.
  4. Research: Ask your local library if they can help you find any information on the subject!

Download our Local Repair Resource Guide in a Microsoft Word Document:

Resource Guide for RepairsDownload

Tutorial: Replace a Lamp Cord

Tutorial_ Replace a Lamp CordDownload

Funding for the Creative Reuse Workshop Series and this Local Resource Guide for Repairs provided by the NYS Pollution Prevention Institute through a grant from the Environmental Protection Fund as administered by the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation. Any opinions, findings, and/or interpretations of data contained herein are the responsibility of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the opinions, interpretations or policy of Rochester Institute of Technology and/or its NYS Pollution Prevention Institute, or the State.

Blog at WordPress.com.