#local-repair-services

#local-repair-services

Groundworks plans to create 5,000 skilled trades jobs over the next five years as demand for structural and moisture remediation grows across the aging U.S. housing stock.

BUSD's Fix-it Fest returns on Saturday, Feb. 28, where you can bring in broken items and get them fixed with the help of BUSD students and repair coaches.

By January 2026, over a quarter of Americans will live in states with right-to-repair laws, and that number should rise to more than 35% by fall 2026 when Connecticut and Texas join in. The European Union also passed a Right to Repair Directive in 2024, which will apply to all EU countries by July 2026. These rules make manufacturers give consumers and independent repair shops the tools, parts, manuals, and software needed to fix their own products.

I thought retirement would be about slowing down, but this gives me more energy than my teaching job ever did.

There was a time when plumbing work stayed politely behind the walls, noticed only when something went wrong. That era is over. Today's plumbing contractor sits at the crossroads of infrastructure, housing stability, climate stress, and technology that finally works the way it should. The job still involves grit and know-how, but it also requires foresight, communication, and a willingness to run a smarter business without losing the human touch. That mix is what separates contractors who stay busy from those who stay booked.

This guided walk will spotlight 6 locally owned businesses, each offering a unique look into their story, products and services. At each stop, enjoy a short interview with the business owner followed by time to explore, shop and engage with neighbors.

When Matt Charette arrived at his business, Matt's Barber Shop, just before 10 a.m. Tuesday, he expected an ordinary workday. Instead, he was met with several inches of ice on his storefront steps. "What the hell is that?" he recalled thinking to himself. He could hear the sound of rushing water, and opened the door to a devastating sight. Inside, he found four inches of standing water consuming the mid-century modern furniture, artwork, barber tools, and vinyl records he'd been collecting for years.

The advertising industry has always been in the business of making things, such as the OOH billboard, the 30-second spot, the snappy social post, the standard website: final, finite assets polished and pushed into the world. Agencies were paid, often by the hour, for producing final versions of these things and then moved on to the next project. Even with generative AI entering the picture, much of the conversation remains focused on making those same things faster or cheaper.

As the weights touch, they get a bit musical and there's a kind of harmonic ring in your wall. It's like the house is alive. But with soulful age come other sounds: rattles, wind whistling through gaps and a homeowner's curses because the blasted contraptions won't open and close properly.