The Repair Lair

By MARGIE O’LOUGHLIN

The Repair Lair, an outdoor equipment, repair service, and consignment shop at 3304 E. Lake St., has been doing a steady business since it opened last June. Owner and chief-repair-person Nancy Ford is running the show, with her trusty dog Lucy at her side. She has more than fifteen years experience in retail and repair work, having worked every part of the floor at Midwest Mountaineering and managed the repair department at Thrifty Outfitters.

Now she’s got herself a new business, a new logo and a three year lease on Lake St.

“Every business started out small,” Ford said. "The North Face and Marmot were small once too.” She hopes to make a go of it at this location, with a mixed income stream from repairs and consignment sales. She sees herself opening additional locations around the Twin Cities, and eventually doing warranty work for large manufacturers.

Ford really likes fixing things. She grew up in the Twin Cities with two handy parents, and a sewing machine in the living room. She’s scrappy and self-reliant, and has the air of a person who wouldn’t think twice about running headfirst into a forest fire carrying a heavy backpack. That’s exactly what she did for three years, working as a firefighter on Forest Service fire crews throughout the western United States. She also spent time leading wilderness therapy trips for struggling teens, and to fill out her resume, Ford sharpened her skills as an ice core driller in Antarctica for a few summers.

It isn’t always cheap to repair camping clothing or supplies but if the equipment is good, it’s probably worth your while. Ford charges $15 to put a new pull on a zipper, and anywhere from $40-$100 to replace a zipper top to bottom. She’ll patch your favorite wool jacket or darn the elbows of your Irish cardigan for a reasonable price, depending on the size of the job and the time involved.

If you have clothing or camping equipment in good condition that you want to sell, Ford offers a 50-50 consignment split. If an item is priced at more than $100, the split is 60-40, with the customer getting the larger portion. Ford keeps seasonal item for a season, and it’s the customer’s responsibility to pick items up that don’t sell.

Ford is a thrifty recycler who doesn’t waste much. Un-saleable items are cut into patches, or salvaged for hardware and buckles, or given away. “A guy came in here last week looking for a new drawstring for his sweat pants,” Ford said. “I had just pulled some laces out of a pair of boots, and one of them solved the problem. He left happy.”

Living as we do in a throw-away culture, Ford hopes the neighborhood will be happy to see a new business in the neighborhood bucking that trend.