A repair café on the first floor of the La Place restaurant on the Kalverstraat will stay open until at least the end of 2026.
The project, run by the Kalverstraat business association and property owners, has been going for a year and is being extended because it has been such a success.
They hire artists with a refugee background to work there.
Free fixes on Wednesdays
On Wednesdays from 12.00 to 17.00, small repairs of up to fifteen minutes, such as a loose button or a broken zip, are done for free.
Brothers Honor Benjamin and Habib Haruna also upcycle clothes for a fee, adding fabrics such as corduroy or pieces of tablecloth.
Brothers from Nigeria
The pair worked with clothing in Nigeria, and in 2023, while living in Utrecht, they bought their first sewing machine and started their own label, Creator Holy.
They make jackets and trousers from leftover materials and once turned the fabric of a sofa into a jacket.
Benjamin says the café is as much about chatting with people as mending clothes, which keeps customers coming back.
If a garment needs more than a quick fix, look into tailors who handle bigger alterations around Amsterdam.