Autumn 2025 for Second Hand Tampere was full of things to do, learn and meet. Free workshop series of the association At the Cultural Centre for Sustainable Living in Kaleva Hall brought together a bunch of enthusiastic participants to maintain, repair and tune up their own stuff. Together in an inspiring atmosphere, making things with your hands was relaxed and rewarding.

Workshop series:

• TO 9.10.2025: Leather goods maintenance - instructor Essi / Sustinare Tampere
• LA 8.11.2025: Repair of plastic and toy products - Instructor Laura / Morning News
• PE 8.11.2025: Repair and editing workshop - led by Kirsi-Marja / KirMaSu and Anne from the government

The workshop series reminded the importance of maintenance in extending the life cycle of goods, encouraging it. In an age of excessive consumption, do-it-yourself repair is not only an ecological but also an empowering act for oneself and for the goods or products used. When we know how to maintain and repair the things we own, we conserve natural resources, reduce waste and at the same time strengthen our relationship with the things we already own.

The first to be serviced were leather goods

The leather goods maintenance workshop held on Thursday evening 9.10. opened the series in an atmospheric and practical way. A dozen participants arrived with shoes, bags, gloves and leather jackets.

The workshop was hosted by shoemaker Essi (Sustinare Tampere), who taught the participants how to protect, clean and care for different leather products with the help of a shoemaker. Leather is a durable and high-quality natural material, and if properly cared for it can retain its good qualities for decades. Participants were able to experience this first hand.

The atmosphere at the Centre for Sustainable Living in Kaleva Hall was relaxed and warm: doing things together and learning new things brought people together. Many people were able to service more than one product during the workshop.

A warm thank you to Essi and all the participants. It was a pleasure to see how well the culture of repair resonates!

New life for clothes in a repair and styling workshop

Next up was a clothing repair and alteration workshop on Friday 24.10. You could bring in indoor and outdoor clothing that needed repair or a new look, as well as small interior textiles.

Participants were able to give their clothes a new lease of life by bearding, sewing and embellishing. Sewing equipment, patching materials and a few sewing machines were on hand. Clothes were repaired both by hand and by machine: holes were patched, buttons were sewn, zippers were changed and clothes were boldly transformed for new uses.

The workshop started with a brief introduction to slow fashion and the importance of renovation from both an environmental and economic perspective. Facilitated by a seamstress Kirsi-Marja Suomalainen and Anne Korkala, an artenomist in the field of clothing and vice president of Second Hand Tampere ry.

This workshop showed how even small skills and the right support can make a big difference to both wardrobe and mindset.

Repairing plastic products and toys together

The workshop series also included a workshop on repairing toys and plastic products in cooperation with Huomentamuov. The workshop taught how to repair a cracked stick, broken toy or damaged utensil and put it back into use instead of throwing it in the trash.

A variety of tools and equipment were used, including a piston, a plastic riveting kit and various connectors. Participants were able to experiment and learn together, and for a few euros in materials, a lot of usable work was produced.

On the same day, the Centre for Sustainable Living also hosted a flea market, a jewellery workshop and a small sashiko sewing workshop. The whole space was filled with activity, encounters and the joy of sustainable living.

In cooperation with the City of Tampere

The workshop series was carried out in cooperation with The City of Tampere's Carbon Neutral Actions development programme with. The partnership enabled free and low-threshold events for all interested parties.

The workshops were held at the Centre for Sustainable Life in Kaleva Hall, Tampere. Our association had access to As the City of Tampere's Cultural Interstitial. Read more 

We are hugely grateful for this opportunity and for all the support we received to run this series of workshops!

Together towards a more sustainable everyday life

The autumn workshop series demonstrated in concrete terms what Second Hand Tampere is all about: community, practical action and the belief that change comes from working together.

Repair is not just a technical skill, it's a mindset. It's a way of taking care of things, people, communities and the planet one small piece at a time.

Thank you to everyone who participated. It's good to continue 💚