Marjorie Fritz Birch and Ally Brisbin

00:02 Hi, my name is Marjorie Fritz Birch. I'm 70 years old today's date is November 17th were in Chicago and the name of my interview partner is Ally Brisbin who is a good friend of mine from the Alderman's office where I volunteer and have volunteered for about five years now, and that's how I know Ali.

00:24 My name is Ally Brisbin. I am 34 today's date is November 17th 2019. We are in Chicago, Illinois. My interview partner is Marjorie Fritz Birch, and she is a dear and valued friend of mine.

00:41 So Margie, I don't remember. How long have you been volunteering at Community glue Workshop?

00:49 I think it's been three years now. I think I think you were the one that got me involved. I I wasn't really all that aware of it until I met you at all the most of his office. And so that's I mean, unfortunately I am not talented enough really to be a fixer that I do help on the other. I mean other portions of it. It's you know, it hurt you. No greeting people signing them up asking where they heard from us giving out numbers make sure everybody, you know goes in order and generally making things, you know running smoothly for the other people there. Sometimes you like a bouncer and the people go out of turn I stop

01:31 Do you remember the First Community glue Workshop that you came to I don't remember it.

01:37 If you have any first impressions of when you first came in and I'm trying to remember I think you might have come not as a volunteer but to check it out and then I roped you in.

01:49 The first time I came was as a volunteer you had asked me to come over and I think that's how it worked. Yeah, that's what it was it was.

01:58 I don't remember. I think I do. Remember one of the first times we're really really busy and that's when you know, when we devised that system with the numbers and everything because people were kind of butting in front of each other and everything and that was like my first experience and yeah so that I got three years ago, but it was fun. It's a fun environment a really fun environment a lot of nice people.

02:22 Thanks. Thanks for your service.

02:29 And I know you a question for me.

02:35 Well, let me know. Yeah, I when did when did you and Carla Carla actually start it cuz I wasn't involved at the very beginning I think maybe six years ago seven years ago and it started because Carla had shared Iona coffee shop at the time Carl and I were friends and she was a regular at the coffee shop and she posted an article on Facebook about it was a New York Times article about the repair Cafe movement in Amsterdam where the soda Lake Church basements people drink coffee and cookies and they fixed up and she posted you know, why can't we do something like this in the United States? I can we do it in Chicago and I've been looking for more creative events to host at the cafe than just open mic night kind of like missional things. So we did it and it just kind of took off.

03:30 Instantly Don't You original you did it at the at the coffee shop first before you but did you win did you and still have the workbench then leaving the coffee shop? So it's kind of like a few months or we had to jump around like we were at we went to Jackalope theater a few times for our workshops, which is kind of funny because it would be a different set each time and like once it was like a Grandma's living room and then another time it was like wait walls with huge black graffiti style artwork. It was it just kind of added to the color of the events and kind of, you know, people come in he borrows excited when they come in as you know, but then even does he like the graffiti artwork is kind of sounded continue do that a different location every every time yeah.

04:30 Nice to do at Edgewater workbench cuz we have all the work table down the road.

04:42 Have you ever so I know you say you don't have any skills, which I think you're under selling yourself. Have you ever fixed anything?

04:53 Well, I fixed minor things at my house, but not but not to be as as technical as the people at the igloo Clinic R. I don't have that kind of knowledge like electrical knowledge and maybe I can glue things. I mean, it's just not something that interests me. So it's just fun to have somebody else do it. Have you ever gotten anything fixed?

05:25 Yeah, I remember I brought my

05:28 Wait, I had a lamp all but we couldn't fix the glass was too shattered and I broke it. I broke the lampshade. I was it was an antique milk glass. Unfortunately and Carla tried to glue it back. But it just it was it was two broken couldn't do it, but

05:48 At-will. Yeah, actually, I'm bringing something today. I bought this new jacket at Costco yesterday, but it has like a foot on it and it's not one of the detachable hoods and I don't lie cuz I don't want to go to my jacket and you can I don't like them and I don't care by jacket without hood and annoys me. So I'm going to ask one of the seamstress to cut it off in Hemet for me. I have a couple blouses I meant to bring two but I forgot so we'll see what they can do.

06:21 So, what about you? What do you fix? I've seen you fix stuff, but I'm not quite sure. What are you the most?

06:30 I'm trying to remember I usually lie usually hang out with your friend and help with the crowd control. So sometimes I'll try to like

06:40 Is the waitlist if there's a little I like to think I can do like mechanical stuff. So somebody's got like a jewelry box that won't close or like simple jewelry repairs. I've got all pliers and things so I could kind of try those things that are

06:57 I know how to use a soldering gun by don't the soldering pen Thing by jillee don't want to that's kind of risky but last month you had the nerve to not show up to community glue workshop and I had to run home and there's a really long way and it was kind of stressful is really wishing you were there. So, well, you know where I just as a friend and you were missed as a co-worker, so I did have something that you know, I do have other responsibilities occasionally and that was that was the home tour. I think I'm either I was the home to wear for a I belong on the board of the Edgewater historical society and I was one of those the what-do-you-call-it co-chairman of the home to her and that was the day of our home to her. So, you know, I couldn't be there that day. There was no way I could walk away from that kind of schedule next year.

07:50 I'm coming in the door.

07:56 Sure. We'll see when we first started we were at a coffee shop and we would keep the coffee shop open. I think a few hours. We've always done Community glue on Sunday late afternoon, cuz we kind of figure there's nothing else really going on and it works for our volunteers. When we first started. We did not have a Margie we had no balance or no doorman and so people would come into the coffee shop. We'd all be in the back system and even that would be chaotic if they've never been there and they like go up where the Barista thanks for going to order coffee and they've got like a broken lamp.

08:29 And so I think then it was maybe a little slow. I don't know. I feel like we've always had a lot of people coming to the event.

08:38 But I think having Margie or having someone up at the front kind of is nice because we've got regulars who kind of come in they know the fixers and then we have people who have no idea what they're walking into and they're kind of timid maybe so it's nice to have a friendly face that can greet people and I do know Margie from volunteering at the Alderman's office or she volunteers as the front desk receptionist in Margie, as you know, that's kind of crazy. Can you compare front desk of the Alderman's office to front desk at Community glue work for adult clinic, but sometimes people will come in and really don't want to listen to what you have to say. Sometimes that happens or people come in and don't want to wait which kind of cost a few times and most of the people that they come into the blue Clinic are really excited to be there. I mean, you know, maybe the first

09:38 They heard about it and I think it's such a cool idea that people just stop in without anything just to check it out and then come back and yeah, it's a really fun atmosphere for the most part. I think it's it's a really interesting mix of people that come in, you know, it's like people of all ages, you know of all ethnic backgrounds of all, I mean just varying all different people some of the some of the things that bring in our pretty strange, Do you have a favorite items on some of the things they bring in but they bring in that what was that was that one time when Irene brought in the the clock with the birds on it and the birds were singing any longer and I did it like sent you some of these really unusual items that people bring him killing and brought in the that that iron statue that

10:34 Civil War it was a thing of the soldier of the Civil War in part of a cannon or something. It's falling off. Yeah. I mean some of my really interesting like, you know, trying to think what else we had one woman. I'm not sure she might predate your involvement, but she brought in an electric toothbrush likes every month for about a year and Becky was just so patient and so trying and just so willing to you know, where the same toothbrush every time.

11:07 I think it's some point that we don't want people to throw things away at some point. It's like this is just some things are just we're not fixable. But if anything can be fixed, it usually is and can always really impresses me to because he fixes vacuum cleaners. I'm just I'm really astounded of the things that they have fixed and I always tell everybody that too and they said what do they fix I said everything everything just come in, you know 99% of the time things are fixed through the door is too bad. We lost the the woman that did the jewelry jewelry repair. How could I do that was great having that lot of people ask for that but we don't have really have somebody that can take care of it any longer right? But I mean, it's fun to because people come in and if they need something they just say well go down to the hardware store clerk on Devon and come back with a piece, you know, a lot of people do that and they don't seem to mind waiting like if they're there.

12:07 Couple hours. Most people don't seem to mind, you know, they just talk to each other and they sit down and everybody seems to get along fine. And no just please let you know whatever they have can be fixed and I keep telling you Andrea. I talked to him this morning as she has his lamp. I said bring it in. Yeah. Yeah. I said bring it in so I can so anyhow. You do a lot of spreading the word about the you're doing a lot of community groups have a lot of friends, you know, I mean well and I always share on Facebook and I was tell everybody. I mean, you don't come by. I mean it it certainly to me the thing that just interest me. I mean cuz I'm all about preservation to begin was obvious it along the edge water snorkel Society. But this is a form of preservation and itself. It's about this throwaway world that we live in and how you know, just if something breaks throw it away and instead of preserving something and then it's also environmental all this.

13:07 Garbage ends up in landfills. I mean, it's so much more important, you know what to try to salvage what you can rather than throw it away and it's a really cool idea and also the preservation of skills. Show me at the time. She had a friend who was in adults who didn't know how to use very basic home like a basic tool that you have around your house. Now, I think you know Carla was kind of like half of you got to say your 30s without you know, using a drill or something so kind of trying to

13:46 Pass on skills and Empower people to adjust even try to try to fix things. So well, I mean, I know how to use tools. I'm going to go out of tools, I can do rudimentary repair. They sure. Yes. I'm sure I did a lot of that cuz well Bill never repaired anything's okay. So you do know you have some handy skill. Yeah, but not not everything is as technical as what they do with the gold Clinic. I'm not that talented. What is it is it is part of it frightens you that it's somebody else's belonging like you don't want to break something worse. I just don't know enough about it. You know, and I certainly don't know that I don't I don't even pretend to know about fixing a lamp, you know, electrical the anything electrical kind of scares me cuz I don't know that much about it because I need to watch them fix everything now. It's really impressive.

14:45 Don't you feel like you?

14:48 Maybe not developed but was what skills do you feel like you?

14:53 Basically use a lot of

15:04 Dealing with people

15:07 You ever had anybody really upset or angry or try to jump to the front of the line. Remember that guy one of the first times I was there but I do vaguely remember this face when he said I'm leaving here this year because I have tickets and I don't have time to wait and I said well, that's too bad. I said because I'm sorry you had tickets but you can't leave this here. Number one and number two. We can't go in front of the line because you have to get an ear to go see a play and then he got a little annoyed by that but you know, he was and he was just going to head right back to the unit towards the back and say it would you fix and I said no wait return, you know, but for the most part people pay the most for everybody's pretty pretty nice about it, and we do a lot of people come in and see if they can fix everything.

15:52 You know which one they can't but but that's okay, you know, it's on and what's nice about a to the people that the fixers. I mean you go back in to sit with him and you watch him right now. You can go talk to them and watch them and they and they teach you, you know, you can learn to do you know, if you're so inclined you can also learn to do what they're doing right now. That's kind of neat. I think people appreciate that too. And also it's a BYO we can bring your own wine your own beer. It's very nice out there this very congenial and very informal very little very minimal conflict.

16:28 And I've when Carl and I are starting remember like we were kind of concerned that people would miss the point that is a community event and that there'd be more of us like drop off mentality. But yeah, I think it's kind of most months. We don't experience at all when people like you said they're interested to see what's happening. They want to be part of it.

16:46 And it's good. I always think too like I would encourage you to try to fix things just because it's no one is Ness though some of our fixtures do.

16:56 Technical handiwork professionally not everyone dies in so you just get out YouTube and kind of look up. How can I fix?

17:04 Are you not going to eat YouTube Margie Peter's cross your eyes and you know, lots of let's just try to let you know that's going to push our comfort zone to try something. Yeah, but sometimes I just get kind of lazy and say I really don't want to fix this myself when I can get somebody else. Yeah, you got friends friends Community glue.

17:36 I mean I used to be really conscientious about wanting to keep everything up perfectly and and in my house and everything, but

17:44 I think it a little kind of Falls by the wayside more things are more important.

17:55 Special to offer the the clinic in in what your strengths are in the front?

18:04 Why do you come back every month Margie? No, actually because I like everybody I really like Allie and I like Carla and I just like the whole idea and it's it's just I think it's a it's a really fun thing for the community and you're serving your serving a good purpose and it's just you know, what is fun meeting people and all that and I said, you know that the very that varied personalities that come in there are quite interesting. Yeah. It's in it's only once a month for 3 hours. It's not like, you know, it's not like you're there that often and

18:42 Now this is a fun thing and I like I like the community part of it as well and curious. I know you and Carla have struck up a friendship. Did you know Carla before Community glue Workshop know I knew of Carla but I've never met her there, are there any other so you and she have become friends is are there any other kind of friendships are other opportunities and I'm asking you cuz I really don't know this that have come out of your participation in community glue Workshop. I could be met anyone new or has there been I mean not really, you know that I became friends with I mean, you know not like Carla but I mean a lot of interesting people come in. But yeah, I mean no not you know, I mean they're there for a short amount of time. It's sitting right and most of the other pictures. I mean they all they come from different areas. I mean, they are like them all but you know, it's you and Carla the to let you know I would be most likely to socialize with right.

19:41 I'm kind of running out of ideas here.

19:54 What are the most common things you see people coming in with?

19:58 I think the most common things that people bring him to fix are usually lamps. That's a piano lamps electrical electrical problems are probably one of the most common in a lot of a lot of furniture to be fixed, you know glued and repaired. That's most of what people bring in we do get waves of vacuum cleaners, but Yeah Yeahs on one guy brought on a bike and his kids bike and partially cuz of the name that you have a lot of people just think it's a little clinic but a lot of people a lot of people come in for a cuz we have what three sores and a lot of people bring clothes in a lot of them might be the top and probably electrical things are that I think the two top items but love you bring either Electronics into

20:57 Hooters radios, you know, sometimes are able to fix it sometimes not but toasters they brought in toasters.

21:09 Ally accurate

21:11 I can't really I can't think of anything else. I made a lot of you bringing Julie, but we don't have people to fix unfortunately like and then there's some people who would bring in like eight items at one time. What do you think about that was at Irene's daughter? Right? And it was just really funny things people do get excited.

21:53 They want me to know people they get like a bug like the fixing bug where then they start to collect all their broken things. I can't wait for the next repairclinic. I know I'm pretty bad at bringing my broken stuff in I know I forget a lot of times I do I'm going to be there and then I forget about it make it today those two blouses summer blouses. I bought last year that I wanted them to him on the sides and I forgot that so well and will be wearing them for a while and I'm too worried about that.

22:29 What's one idea using could make Community glue Workshop better?

22:37 That's a good question. I mean, I think it works pretty well the way it is now I am

22:44 I don't really I don't know how you could really improve on it. I think I think you guys do a great job. I don't you know, I don't know.

22:55 I don't know. What do you think do you think that I mean, I don't really see how you could improve upon it.

23:01 System works and if we had more people fixing like we could recruit more people but you know, right I mean if you had the right, you know like but that's a smaller space. So there's only so much you can do but I mean maybe sometime in the while you couldn't do it outside that's probably need that you need the tables in any of the stuff if you got over set it up outside without would be kind of difficult to do now.

23:28 I'm all ears.

23:31 I think one of the things that just still amazes me is we have some volunteers that have been with us pretty much since day one. So I think that's really helpful because it he don't tell you now that we trained anybody but like it's just people who know what to do. There's this comradery between the fixers and I think we should we have seen some people move out and some people move in. I think it's nice to have it in a workshop. Look on his face. It's meant to be working on things. It is great to have a friendly face watching the door and making sure that like

24:09 Emerging remember we had a cat at the shop on and off for years job cat sweet little shop cat. Thank you for the couch. I think to I would just get freaked out when shop cat was there because he didn't like having all the people in the room and then I'd always be worried. He's going to run out the door. So I'm a little happy to have it on. Yeah. I know it's better that he's not there with all the people because he would hang out at the front door quite frequently. And if he yeah, and if he ran out the door, that would not be a good thing.

24:42 But but he was not everybody like seeing him there.

24:48 We lost a few volunteers who are allergic to.

24:51 Uh-oh, are they back now?

25:00 Is there anything that's changed in your three years that you can think of? I feel like it's kind of been really I mean each month is a new adventure is just different people every month except for I mean the pictures of the same but you know different people that come in the general process pretty much Remains the Same. I mean you do some people will come in and they'll bring food and I'll bring you know, I'd offer it to the fixers and we ask for donations. I mean it is all free but you know, we ask for a small donation you note for the tools in the upkeep and and people pretty good about that. Usually you don't leave $5 to dollars or something. Would you like cheaper than going out and buying something new? So can those are very very very appreciative. So and then Becky has her own business around fix our business.

25:54 It's on Clark Street, right?

25:56 There is a Broadway Broadway.

25:59 All right, right, right, and she's one of the pictures. I mean she's highly talented why she thinks she can do everything. She's very impressive and I don't think this is nothing is interesting to one of these that really attracted me to it as well as most of the fixtures are women. That's really a cool thing. I mean, you know can and Jason I mean, they're really the only two men that come in actually, that's all women. We're going to

26:37 We're going to save the world. That's right. We're on the way. Yeah, we're fixing it or the Sixers.

26:54 Well, I'm glad you have any more questions for me questions. I was the one that just came up with all the stuff about the women know you're upset with Revelation for me.

27:08 Huh?

27:13 I don't know maybe at the end of tonight's repairclinic. I'll have a revelation. Are you looking forward to tonight? I can hardly wait. I'm counting the minutes.

27:34 What do you what did you learn?

27:37 I think it was really helpful that we had our own venue that we are kind of in control of but I think library now I see that there are repairclinic popping up around the United States in the midwest in Chicago that are popping up at like libraries and Community Center and Park District having a dedicated space and then I think really the volunteers fixers are the key because if you don't have volunteers, you can't fix anything and then so I think when Carl and I started it we were totally intentional about making sure that they it was like a manageable commitment and like you were saying Margie and 3 hours a month. I mean obviously not going to be there but generally we always got I don't know what you say like 3 4 5 Sixers usually more than seven or eight.

28:34 I think I just got any volunteers keeping a steady schedule and then connecting with the community but we see people I don't know Margie do usually ask people how they heard about the clinic when yeah, usually, you know it when they sign into I think a lot most of them are like Facebook. I think his world most of it comes from but it's also word-of-mouth, you know people yeah people that have been there and I will wait actually we have people that come in from not just in the ward, but I mean, we have people that come in from all over the city actually because I think I don't think there's any other repairclinic anywhere in the city is I know of

29:13 1 + Oak Park in Lincoln Square former Alderman pawar had his staff is going to try to start sling it but I don't know you are as are so if someone wanted to do this, oh, yeah, I mean, I mean, yeah like that. She said the volunteers are our key. I mean you have to make sure they're going to be there and you know, if I could be a volunteer that don't show up, you know, people won't come you know, if they come in and there's nobody there they're not going to return but I think they know the people are there so they the people do return a lot of people come back, you know every month as long as people do like you said, they'll bring baked goods or no.

29:58 Yeah.

30:01 We could sure.